New research claims the number of coronavirus infections among children has not increased since schools reopened. A study by Geneva-based independent educational foundation Insights for Education involved 191 countries and looked into Covid-19 cases after lockdowns and holidays.
But the analysis said the closures will leave a 2020 "pandemic learning debt" of 300 billion missed school days. It said 84% of those 300 billion days would be lost by children in poorer countries, and warned that 711 million pupils were still out of school.
Randa Grob-Zakhary, IfE's founder and chief executive, said: "It's been assumed that opening schools will drive infections, and that closing schools will reduce transmission, but the reality is much more