At least a third of school-going children across the world were unable to access any form of remote learning during COVID-19 school closures, according to a new UNICEF report that has sparked renewed concern among education stakeholders in Kenya. The study, released as countries continue adjusting their academic calendars, reveals that an estimated 463 million learners globally had no access to television, radio, internet or other learning tools during lockdowns. In Kenya’s informal settlements such as Mathare and Kibera, thousands of learners were left to study in cramped homes or abandoned learning entirely, raising fears of long-term learning losses and rising vulnerabilities among children, especially girls. UNICEF has described the findings as a global education emergency, warning that the impact will be felt for decades.
The report, which analysed data from 100 countries, highlights glaring inequalities in access to remote learning, with sub-Saharan Africa reporting some of the highest exclusion levels. In East and Southern Africa, where Kenya is included, nearly half of schoolchildren could not be reached through any remote learning platform. The disparities were even greater among children from low-income households and those living in rural areas, where access to electricity, internet connectivity, and digital devices remains limited. Even for learners who technically had access to a television or radio at home, the report notes that many faced competing demands such as household chores, limited parental support, or poor home environments not conducive to learning. Younger children—particularly those in pre-primary—were the most disadvantaged, with at least 70 percent globally unable to participate in remote programs during the closures.
Education experts and child rights groups in Kenya have since urged government agencies to scale up interventions that will help learners recover from the prolonged disruption. Stakeholders say strategies such as remedial teaching, expanded school feeding programmes, and targeted community learning could help bridge the widening gaps. UNICEF is calling for sustained investment in digital infrastructure to ensure remote learning becomes accessible to all children, particularly in underserved regions. As Kenya continues to strengthen its Competency-Based Curriculum and digital literacy agenda, the report’s findings serve as a clear reminder that future resilience depends on building an education system capable of withstanding crises—one that leaves no child behind, regardless of their socioeconomic background.