WASHINGTON, March 4. / TASS /. An estimated 350 million preschool children worldwide are denied adequate care and education. This is stated in the report of the World Bank (WB) distributed on Thursday.
“More than 40% of preschool children worldwide - or nearly 350 million - need adequate care but are not able to receive it. As a result, too many children spend their time in unsafe conditions that prevent full development. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed shortcomings in the provision of childcare and the vulnerability of this area around the world, "the WB noted.
As the authors of the work explained, hundreds of millions of children around the world are deprived of the opportunity to receive "quality education." "In the absence of other options, many working parents are forced to leave their children in inappropriate or even unsafe conditions. Children are left alone with either a brother and sister, or their parents take them with them to work, where conditions are unsafe [for children]," report. Such children, according to experts, do not acquire the necessary skills and lag behind the rest in primary school. In addition, the World Bank draws attention to the importance of a high level of upbringing of preschool children.
The report highlights the need for increased investment in childcare, which should create new jobs and spur economic recovery.