Pandemic will worsen Latin American education outlook

Significance

As of October 2020, only 13 countries in the region had fully reopened schools, UNICEF says. While in other parts of the world schools have gradually returned to in-classroom learning, in LAC many schools still remain closed.

Impacts

• The longer schools remain closed, the more likely vulnerable individuals will never return to education.
• Families in the informal sector will struggle to send their children back to school given the expense it represents.
• Increasing education budgets will be essential post-pandemic but will be a challenge given soaring fiscal deficits.