Going Back to School Has Never Been Quite Like This (Part 4): Scanning the headlines from around the world

In the final part of this “Back to School” series, Thomas Hatch scans some of the headlines that describe critical issues in the new school year in many parts of the world.  Part 1 links to articles with some lessons from last year and guidance for reopening schools this year.  Part
2  draws together headlines that focus on the many challenges causing problems for schools in the US this year. Part 3 highlights headlines from states and cities in the US. Take a look at IEN’s “Back to School” headlines from 2020, from 2019, and from 2018 to see how this year compares.

First day of school ‘indefinitely postponed’ for 140 million first-time students around the world, Unicef

‘Lost generation’: education in quarter of countries at risk of collapse, study warns, The Guardian

Repeated school closures due to COVID-19 leading to learning loss and widening inequities in South Asia, UNICEF research shows, Unicef

For Many Kids, Going Back to School Is BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair), Unicef USA

Asia

Parents in Beijing climb pillars and fences to catch a glimpse of their kids on the first day of school, Asia One

From vaccine mandates to a chatting ban: how schools in the Asia Pacific are managing Delta, The Guardian

Australia

Sydney schools to reopen a week earlier, classes to start October 18, The Sydney Morning Herald

England

Back to school Covid rules explained – testing, masks and what happens if virus surges, Mirror

Europe

Excitement meets worry as European kids head back to school, AP

Netherlands

Officials watch coronavirus developments closely as schools go back, Dutch News

India

Education Minister Reviews Status of Reopening of Schools Across Country, News 18

Schools in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore have set up vaccination camps on campus to ensure teachers and parents of students are vaccinated before schools reopen for classes 9-12, The Times of India

In Andhra Pradesh, primary schools reopen and students to get ‘Vidya Kanuka’ kits with three pairs of uniforms, an Oxford English to Telugu dictionary, one pair of shoes, two pairs of socks, bilingual textbooks, notebooks, a belt, and a school bag, India Today

The Tamil Nadu State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT) has prepared a curriculum for refresher classes for students of classes 2 to 12 as schools reopen from September 1, The Times of India

In Kerala, a ‘happiness’ curriculum will be drafted to ease students into the learning environment once schools reopen on November 1, The Hindu

Mexico

The influx of students in schools grows, after the COVID risk level was reduced to yellow, El Sol de San Luis

Peru

Peru, among the last countries in the world with no deadline for the return of schoolchildren to the classroom, Today in 24

Philippines

Crisis in Philippines as millions of children face second year of remote schooling, The Guardian

UK

Back to school: How are pupils being kept Covid-safe?, BBC

When do UK schools go back? How schools in Scotland, England, Wales and NI are reopening after summer holidays, iNews

Wales

Millions of pupils return to school amid Covid spike concern, BBC