Keeping schoolchildren home again this fall will come at a hefty price for families and economies around the world. In Hong Kong, authorities may be underestimating the cost.
The government’s decisionto start the new academic year online after a resurgence in Covid-19 cases has generated little public discussion. That’s a surprise, given that the poorest will suffer disproportionately from another prolonged shutdown, in what is already one of the most unequal societies on Earth. One in four children in Hong Kong lives in poverty, and most families own few books.
