Only 34pc third graders can read

Only 34 percent of third graders in Bangladesh have foundational reading skills, and only 18 percent have foundational numeracy skills, according to a new report of Unicef.

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are even worse off, the UN organisation said in its report released yesterday.

In Bangladesh, one of the countries featured in the report, children endured one of the longest school closures in the world due to Covid-19, missing almost 18 months of in-person education.

"Even before the pandemic, children in Bangladesh faced education hurdles. Children in Bangladesh need full access to flexible and remedial learning to help make up for the time lost," said Sheldon Yett, Unicef representative to Bangladesh.

School closures in Bangladesh, from March 2020 to September 2021, and again in February 2022, have disrupted education of around 37 million children. They have also exacerbated worrying gaps in basic literacy and numeracy skills which existed before the pandemic began, the report said.