Rebuilding Human Capital Amidst the Pandemic: The Impacts of COVID-19 on School-Aged Children and Youth in Iraq

Rome (Italy): World Food Programme (WFP), 2022.

English

32 p.

ELR3075

In Iraq, a total of 894 youth aged 15–24 years and 548 parents of schoolchildren aged 6–14 years were randomly surveyed using web surveys between May and June 2021. Survey responses indicate that COVID-19 has negatively impacted access to education in Iraq. Reported enrolment among children aged 6–14 fell by 4 percent, with an even larger decline among young girls. COVID-19 also affected education quality, according to 77 percent of surveyed youth and 83 percent of schoolchildren. The livelihoods of Iraqi parents with school-aged children and Iraqi youth have been impacted by the pandemic. Over half of parents reported their income had reduced since the start of the pandemic, and one in three youth 1 Iraq Ministry of Health, 2022. reported they had lost their job. Fifty-seven percent of parents surveyed reported challenges accessing medical services for their children. For those who reported challenges, the primary cause was a lack of money. The pandemic also impacted safety and security concerns in Iraq, with over half of parents with school-aged children perceiving an increase in tensions, and almost one in three youth reporting they did not feel fully safe in their environment.

Electronic ed.

Public

ELR 3075

eng