TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has estimated that around five million children aged three to 17 have been forced to abandon their education as a result of the Ebola crisis in West Africa, which has forced the closures of schools across Sierra Leone and Liberia since the it unfolded earlier in the year.
Education institutions across many Guinean institutions have also been put on hold since March. "The Ebola crisis' far-reaching consequences are beyond public health," said an UNICEF education expert, Sayo Aoki, as quoted by Time.
It is known that many schools have been shuttered for fears of further Ebola transmission, especially since many schools across the region have no access to clean water.
Currently, UNICEF and its partner organizations are going on a door-to-door campaign to socialize the method of preventing Ebola transmission, as well as early symptoms detection. "We are also broadcasting these information through the radio," said Aoki.
Guinea is aiming at re-opening its schools in January, while Liberia and Sierra Leone plan to do so in March. However, none has been able to outline an exact date as confirmations need to wait until the epidemic, which has infected around 10,000 individuals across West Africa, can be contained.
ANDI RUSLI
