Physical distancing, isolation and an absence of face-to-face meetings with participants and respondents, as ramifications of the current COVID-19 pandemic, have an adverse effect on research projects, research processes and data generation. Furthermore, researchers' professional development and career prospects are seriously hampered, most…

By 16 March 2020, most education systems in the EU neighbourhood and Central Asia had closed their schools. In a matter of days, some distance learning was offered in most systems and in the ensuing weeks, most countries steadily broadened the offer and the extent of participation. This short report aims to describe what happened in the countries…

In sub-Saharan Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have far-reaching consequences for 550 million children under the age of 18. This UNICEF Child Alert examines how the disease and measures put in place to contain it are impacting the lives of children across the region, exacerbating existing threats like conflict, climate change and…

Although the extent of the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa is unknown, its effect on the socioeconomic and geopolitical spheres is becoming palpable. Its impact on communication and social formations is evident as it has shifted such to a more spatial and virtual sphere. The closure of schools does not only interfere with the…

In developing countries as in developed countries, the COVID-19 crisis has led to near universal school closures that will affect children's ability to learn, especially in countries with limited infrastructure for distance learning. While most children are likely to return to school when they reopen, quite a few may drop out. In addition, the…

As education systems around the world begin to emerge from COVID-19-related lockdown, governments are facing the difficult decision of when and how to reopen schools, balancing the risks of widespread learning loss -- and the impact this will have on a generation of learners -- with the risks of virus transmission, which are more significant in…

COVID-19 lockdowns have significantly disrupted the daily lives of children and adolescents, with increased?time at home, online learning and limited physical social interaction. This report seeks to understand the immediate effects on their mental health. Covering more than 130,000 children and adolescents across 22 countries, the evidence…