Hanoi (VNA) –Most localities nationwide are planning to resume in-person learning afterthe Lunar New Year holiday, a necessary move to avoid consequences of prolongedschool shutdowns which would affect an entire generation for many decades to come,many experts said.

Simone Vis, Chief of Educationat UNICEF Vietnam, said the COVID-19 pandemic has led to learning disruptionsaround the globe, causing the worst educational crisis in history. The pandemicand school closures have not only harmed children’s health and mental safety,increased domestic violence and child labour but also substantially affectedstudents’ learning.

She noted it is obvious thatchildren have studied less amid the pandemic. This learning loss could make ageneration of global students lose 17 trillion USD in income during their life.

To minimise long-term impacts,Vietnam should focus on dealing with such losses, she suggested, noting thatUNICEF will work with the Ministry of Education and Training to carry out alearning recovery plan which aims to ensure that children and teenagers can goto school and achieve a learning capacity level at least equivalent to that ofthe pre-pandemic generations.

UNICEF also recommendedschools reserve much time for their students to engage in social interactionsand social-emotional learning.

Dr. Hoang Trung Hoc, head ofthe psychology - education faculty at the National Academy of EducationManagement, cited a study of over 20,000 students nationwide after six monthsof online learning as revealing that 65.1 percent of them show symptoms ofstress at different levels, from mild, moderate, to severe and very severe.

He held that one effectivesolution is to quickly let students return to school, but schools should spendthe first week to help students adapt and handle emotional and behaviourissues.

Echoing the view, Dang Tu An,Director of the Vietnam Innovation of General Education Foundation, said apartfrom low educational effectiveness, online learning has also made studentsunable to practice face-to-face communication and lose connectivity with their friends,teachers, and society, resulting in tiredness and stress for both teachers andstudents, as well as parents.

Since October 2021, thecountry has changed its anti-pandemic strategy under the Government’sResolution No. 128. However, some localities have yet to take brave andcreative actions to resume in-person learning while many schools have not realised the consequences of prolonged closures.

It is necessary to reform theeducational management mechanism, which should give autonomy to schools andhelp them tackle difficulties and be determined to reopen, according to An./.