UK Government To Help Pupils Catch Up With Lesson Lost To COVID-19 Pandemic

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2021) The UK government will allot a �700 million ($991 million) package to an education recovery plan aimed at helping children catch up with learning and development missed during the COVID-19 pandemic, prime minister Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday.

"When schools re-open and face to face education resumes on 8 March, our next priority will be ensuring no child is left behind as a result of the learning they have lost over the past year," Johnson said in a statement.

The catch-up will focus on an expansion of one-to-one and small group tutoring programs and include asking secondary schools to make provisions for running summer classes for those pupils who need them the most.

"Our package of measures will deliver vital support to the children and young people who need it most, making sure everyone has the same opportunity to fulfil their potential no matter their background," Education Secretary Gavin Williamson was also quoted as saying.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, schools have been closed for the most part of the last 12 months except for vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers.

On Monday, Johnson announced the roadmap out of the COVID-19 lockdown in England and stressed that getting children back in has been the government's top priority.