First day of school ‘indefinitely postponed’ for 140 million first-time students around the world – UNICEF

PRESS RELEASE   First day of school ‘indefinitely postponed’ for 140 million first-time students around the world – UNICEF At least eight million of these young learners have been waiting for over a year.   Multimedia content available here. NEW YORK/DUBLIN, 24 August 2021 – A child’s first day of school—a landmark moment for the youngest … Continued

COVID-19: Schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost a full year, says UNICEF

UNICEF unveils ‘Pandemic Classroom’ at United Nations Headquarters in New York to call attention to the need for governments to prioritise the reopening of schools NEW YORK, 3 March 2021 – Schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost an entire year due to COVID-19 lockdowns, according to new data released today … Continued

Statement by UNICEF Ireland on school closures

The following can be attributed to UNICEF Ireland Executive Director Peter Power DUBLIN 5 January 2021 – “The expected closure of schools for the month of January, while understandable, will impact children negatively and it must be a short-term measure. UNICEF Ireland wants schools to reopen as soon as possible, in order to mitigate the … Continued

STATEMENT: Teachers should be prioritised for vaccination against COVID-19

Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore NEW YORK, 15 December 2020 – “The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on children’s education around the globe. Vaccinating teachers is a critical step towards putting it back on track. “At their peak in late April 2020, nationwide school closures disrupted the learning of almost 90 per cent of … Continued

PRESS RELEASE: Anxious students and parents voice health fears, seek new supports ahead of schools reopening 

Survey reveals concerns around lack of communication, facilities and resources NOTE: EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01 July 22nd  Dublin 22.07.2020 – ISSU, NCPPP, IGC, and UNICEF are urgently calling on the Government to provide the additional resources students need this Autumn, as preparations continue for the safe reopening of schools after COVID-19 closures. There are serious concerns … Continued

UNICEF, ISSU, NPCPP and IGC seek enhanced resources for students returning to school in September

Groups representing students, parents and Guidance Counsellors join together to advocate for students  Dublin 01.07.2020 – COVID-19 poses serious threats to the Education Sector. ISSU, NPCPP, UNICEF and IGC are calling for an urgent and proactive response from the new Minister for Education, Norma Foley, to address the challenges ahead for students, parents/guardians, guidance counsellors and school staff … Continued

New guidelines provide roadmap for safe reopening of schools

NEW YORK/PARIS/ROME, 30 April 2020 – UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP and World Bank today issued new guidelines on the safe reopening of schools amidst ongoing closures affecting nearly 1.3 billion students worldwide. The agencies also warned that the widespread closures of educational facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic present an unprecedented risk to children’s education … Continued

COVID-19: UNICEF, WHO and IFRC issue guidance to protect children and support safe school operations

Guidance includes practical actions and checklists for administrators, teachers, parents and children NOTE: Download the joint guidance on protecting children and schools from Covid-19 DUBLIN/GENEVA/NEW YORK, 10 March 2020 – The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) today issued new guidance to help … Continued

Education Minister heads back to school for World’s Largest Lesson with Donegal students and UNICEF Ireland

Children’s rights and climate front and centre of this year’s Global initiative on SDGs LETTERKENNY, CO. DONEGAL/DUBLIN 30 September 2019 – In Co. Donegal today, Minister for Education, Joe McHugh T.D. took part in the World’s Largest Lesson, along with secondary school students from Loreto Letterkenny, and a team from UNICEF Ireland. This event, part … Continued

UNICEF breaks ground on Africa’s first recycled plastic brick factory in Côte d’Ivoire

Factory to produce plastic bricks to build classrooms for children in innovative partnership Download multimedia materials here DUBLIN/NEW YORK/ABIDJAN, 29 July 2019 – UNICEF, in partnership with Colombian social enterprise Conceptos Plasticos, today announced it had broken ground on a first-of-its-kind factory that will convert plastic waste collected in Côte d’Ivoire into modular plastic bricks. … Continued

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