Nearly 25 crore children affected due to closure of 15 lakh schools in India: UNICEF

Education: At least 24.7 crore children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools have been affected by the closure of nearly 15 lakh schools across the country due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown, according to a report by UNICEF. Globally, schools for more than 16.8 crore children have been completely closed for almost a full year, it said.

Given the digital divide in India, the report pointed to the exclusionary nature of online education and highlighted that only one in four children has access to digital devices and internet connectivity in the country. Pre-COVID, only a quarter of households in India had access to the internet. In addition, the report points out that access is also affected by the rural-urban and gender divide.

Talking about the staggered approach to reopening schools, the UN body in its report said that till date, only eight Indian states and union territories have reopened all classes from Grade 1 to Grade 12; 11 states have reopened Grades 6-12 and 15 states have opened Grades 9-12. Three states have reopened anganwadi centres, as younger children were losing out on critical foundational learning.

“As schools re-open in a staggered manner with children returning to their classrooms, we must strive to support them in catching up on the learning they have missed,” PTI quoted Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF India Representative. This was particularly important for those children who had been unable to access digital or remote learning opportunities. She also added that the mental health and well-being of children was a concern and as such children must be provided with psycho-social support by teachers, parents, and caregivers.

Read this article on why education in India needs an overhaul.

Fundraising & Communications: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a circular extending the validity of FCRA registration certificates to September 30th, 2021. This applies to all FCRA licences that have expired or will expire between September 29th, 2020 and May 31st, 2021. The decision to extend the deadline has been driven by the exigencies arising from the COVID-19 situation.

FCRA refers to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010, which permits charitable organisations based in India to raise funds from foreign sources.

The order also clarified that nonprofits that have already opened an account and have the requisite permission to receive foreign aid, can henceforth receive it only in these newly-opened accounts.

The FCRA law was amended in September 2020 to include a clause that mandated that all nonprofits receiving foreign aid must necessarily open an account in State Bank of India’s New Delhi Main Branch. The government had initially set the deadline for this account opening as March 31st, 2021; it later extended it to June 30th, 2021 after several nonprofits argued in court that there had been delays because necessary approvals from MHA had not been received.

Several organisations have not been able to receive foreign funds during the crisis caused by the second wave, and this has impacted their COVID-19 relief efforts. Relaxing the foreign funding rules could significantly help organisations ramp up their operations to help individuals, supply critical healthcare equipment, and respond to communities in rural areas.

Read this article to know how amending the FCRA can have unforeseen implications.

Philanthropy & CSR: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued a circular that allows corporate spending on health infrastructure for COVID-19 care to qualify as corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure.

This includes setting up medical oxygen generation and storage plants, manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders, and other medical equipment to counter COVID-19.  

The announcement comes at a time when all efforts are being directed towards expediting efforts to support the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

According to the circular, companies can now undertake projects and activities in collaboration with other companies using CSR funds. Additionally, they can contribute to specified research and development projects, as well as publicly funded universities and certain organisations that conduct research in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.

The government had earlier clarified that setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities would also be considered a CSR activity. Rajesh Verma, the Corporate Affairs Secretary, has requested businesses to consider converting vacant office buildings into COVID-19 facilities to cater to the rapidly increasing caseload.

Read this article to understand why media attention on COVID-19 deaths due to lack of oxygen in big cities has skewed donor priorities.