'School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic'
School closures were widely applied in the COVID-19 pandemic as a one way to curb its rapid spread. Data are gradually accumulating on their negative impact on the health and wellbeing of children and young people across the globe. In our recent publication "Just Standing Still”: A Qualitative Study on Adolescents’Experiences of School Closures Due to Emerging COVID-19 in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, 30 adolescents aged 15–17 years shared their experiences of the policy of school closures three months into the pandemic. A thematic analysis identified five themes: appreciation of education, feeling left behind, being stuck in confinement, suggestions for support, and a disrupted future. The school attending participants suggested ways to mitigate disruptions in their education, while those out of school aiming to return saw their possibilities petering out. Irrespective of attendance to public or private school, the study highlighted education loss for all and disrupted future expectations. What is the experience in your country?
Link to publication: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075265
CHIFA Profile: Geir Gunnlaugsson is Professor of Global Health at the University of Iceland.He graduated with a medical diploma (MD) from this university with postgraduate training in paediatrics (PhD) and public health (MPH) at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Research and publications on, e.g.,breastfeeding, infant and child mortality, child development and abuse,measles, cholera, and health systems in Iceland, Guinea-Bissau and Malawi.He was the General Secretary of ISSOP International Society for Social Pediatrics and Child Health in 2009-2017, and currently chairman of Africa 20:20 an Icelandic NGO to promote interest and knowledge on sub-SaharanAfrica.
Email: geir AT geirsson.com
