The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, echoed the concerns of people and organisationsaround the world when he recently referred to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schooling as a‘generational catastrophe’1. Children and youths are falling behind in their learning, and this is expected tohave an impact lasting decades, especially if longer term effects on economic development and futureearnings are taken into account.

This report focusses on the impacts of the pandemic on learning proficiency, specifically as measured bySustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 4.1.1. Over the last couple of decades, there has been agrowing awareness of how crucial learning proficiency, especially that of younger children, is for humandevelopment. The evidence is clear that improvements in proficiency underpin future economicdevelopment, and the building of more cohesive and equal societies. The indicators on learning proficiencyare among the most discussed indicators within the SDG framework.