Schools closed but the learning doesn’t stop
Images adapted from: @ingerashing and Reuters
Schools in Thailand plan to start up again next month as businesses continue to reopen and readjust to normal routines again. Remote learning from home is on the rise while social-distancing is in effect, and there is still concern about the virus spreading.
In Ethiopia, children living in remote villages get books from “camel libraries” instead, due to schools being closed due to the pandemic.
Camels hump books to children in remote villages
Image credit: @ingerashing
Save The Children started this project back in 2010 and, according to them, 21 camels travel to 33 villages with 200 storybooks on their backs per trip to 22,000 children.
Image credit: Save the Children US
Mahadiya, a seventh-grader who wants to become an engineer in the future, said she was afraid they’d forget their lessons without actively attending school amid the pandemic. Thankfully, these mobile libraries make it possible to learn from home and not have to travel.
Image credit: Reuters
Other children are not so lucky, as they have to work instead – one of the concerns also raised by both the children and the organisation’s country director in Ethiopia.
It’s more than just education
Education opens many doors to opportunities that would otherwise not be available. Especially for children in developing countries, it is more than just being able to go to class.
Without schools, they have to find other ways to support their family, and this brings up the issue of child labour.
In Thailand, some children who balance between school and helping their parents earn a living. For some families, attending a physical classroom is more affordable than online learning.
Children need schools because it shields them from danger and poverty and allows them to have better futures.
Learning from wherever
It’s hard to say how well school reopenings will adapt to the “New Normal” or if it’s safe to reopen.
There are ways you can help education in Thailand, such as donating books, volunteer work, and volunteer teaching.
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