21 Sep 2019 BackgroundThe global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic makes it unique, affecting the whole world with the twin shocks of a health emergency and an economic recession. This will lead to long-term costs on human capital accumulation, development prospects and welfare. The pandemic has affected all parts of the world and the responses to the situation have disproportionally affected the most vulnerable and marginalized members of society.This situation analysis has been undertaken as part of the broader analysis initiated by UNICEF and UNESCO to provide a snapshot of the educational responses and effects of COVID-19 across Asia. It considers the direct effects of school closures and reopenings and identifies the initial impact that this may have had on learners and their families, as well as on the overall education system. The South Asia report builds on country case studies for all eight countries in the sub-region.The objectives of the study are: to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education sector and stakeholders in Asia; to examine the policy and financial implications on progress towards achieving SDG 4-Education 2030; and to identify examples of promising responses and strategies in education and associated social sectors, which can be shared with other countries. COVID-19 in South AsiaThe first cases of COVID-19 appeared in South Asia in February 2020. A year later the pandemic is still affecting lives in the region. ‘’India is the second most impacted country in the world after the United States but with much fewer recorded deaths,’’ whereas other countries, particularly those with areas of lower population density and natural geographical barriers, like Afghanistan and Bhutan, managed to keep the numbers of infections and deaths low.1 Maldives have had proportionately the most infections per 100,000 of the population, followed by India (following the mutation of the virus in May 2021) and Nepal.2 The number of reported deaths due to COVID-19 in each of the South Asian countries, apart from Afghanistan and Pakistan, have been kept relatively low throughout the region.As would be expected, the pandemic was seen first and foremost as a health emergency with actions taken to keep lives safe. All countries imposed a lockdown on their populations which closed schools, businesses, industry, shops and affected all aspects of people’s lives, including access to health care. These measures, while protecting lives, had a major impact on the economy and also on household finances: it prevented many people from earning money, and while social protection systems were mobilized and reached some of the population, they were not enough to support all families, leaving many people vulnerable. World Bank 2014 figures put the number of people in poverty in South Asia at 15.2 per cent, against a baseline of $1.90 per day.3 This was a significant decrease from 48.7 per cent in 1990, and poverty levels had continued to decline throughout the region.4 The COVID-19 pandemic threatens this progress as people become more vulnerable to falling further or back into poverty.5The main policy response to affect children was the closure of schools. Apart from Maldives, schools throughout South Asia were fully closed for longer than the global average.6Education across the region was disrupted by the initial school closures, partial reopenings and more closures as infections spiked again. Most countries in the region prioritized older children for return to school as they were facing high-stakes exams. Evidence on child development suggests, however, that the youngest children were those most in need of face-to-face interaction and should have been the first back in school. Children throughout the region have had their schooling disrupted for over a year, and have been reliant on being able to access alternative provision for education, which did not reach every learner and was no substitute for face-to-face contact.