The Sydney Morning Herald reports on more evidence of ongoing harm to children as a result of Australia’s harsh lockdown policies. We’ve seen the same disastrous impact on the lives of a generation of youngsters in US states that closed schools the longest, as well as countries like New Zealand that had repeated lockdowns. It’s worth quoting some of the findings at length:
Mass school closures that stretched for months during the pandemic were unnecessary and led to a cascade of social and educational problems that threaten a generation of Australian children, top education experts say. Governments have so far failed to examine the fallout from one of the most far-reaching decisions prompted by COVID-19, which disrupted the schooling of millions of students. Impacts such as persistent behavioural issues are undeniable, according to a panel of experts convened by the Herald after the federal government omitted school closures from its COVID inquiry.
… [T]he experts pointed to several other consequences, including a skyrocketing truancy rate, school refusal and significant issues with distraction and discipline. In NSW, more than 1.2 million students either learned remotely or had minimal supervision in schools for more than five months during the pandemic. Peter Shergold, the chair of the NSW education regulator, noted an effort was made to address the digital divide amid online learning. However, he said school closures inevitably accentuated disadvantage. “After the closures in early 2020, we made the wrong policy decisions about closing school systems,” said Shergold.
The chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW Dallas McInerney said many key decisions were made with “no schools’ voice in the room”. Adolescent psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said school closures not only stunted educational progress, they also increased young peoples’ stress, isolated them and reduced physical activity. He warned the pandemic had “a long psychological tail”.
All of this was predictable and predicted. I wrote a piece in the Washington Examiner titled “Reopen schools for the sake of our children” on June 3, 2020, which warned about all of the above. But I take no credit for the foresight, I was merely recounting what doctors and scientists in the US, Germany, Denmark and elsewhere had begun understanding about COVID and cautioning against in May and earlier. Sadly, our public health experts in concert with teachers unions engaged in one of the worst examples of government failure in my lifetime. Where do these kids go to get their apology?
Related posts
Aussie kids’ increased drowning risk—another consequence of COVID lockdowns
UK spike in non-COVID deaths a sign of things to come in other countries that locked down hard?
The case for COVID-19 vaccines for healthy kids falls apart
Like most parents, we won’t be giving our kids the COVID vaccine right away
The perils of COVID-zero—how policymakers should manage endemic COVID-19
No, children with COVID-19 aren’t filling up Texas intensive care units
The Private Sector’s COVID-Era Triumph
Pandemic learning gaps make clear the need for public school reform
Don’t let COVID-19 dominate your life
Reopen schools for the sake of our children
Seattle exemplifies the fast-growing private-public school pandemic gap
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.