Education is one sector that will see long-term impacts of the pandemic says a Senior Economics Officer at the Asian Development Bank.

Isoa Wainiqolo says while research on the impacts of COVID-19 is ongoing, previous crises have shown that education levels are always affected by such events.

Wainiqolo says sudden lockdowns and restrictions on movement to contain the virus have meant no school for children.

“Studies have shown that when education is interrupted, it affects student concentration and also student development.”

Schools across Fiji closed in April.

However, Wainiqolo says as the crisis evolves, stakeholders have come up with plans to ensure students don’t lose concentration.

“Glad that now the Education Ministry is giving worksheets, so that helps keep the students learning. Continue the process even though it is from a different environment, but it still helps compared to doing nothing in this period.”

A number of options are being considered by the Education Ministry to re-open schools safely, one of which includes vaccinating our young population.

Click here for the interactive GIS Dashboard