The situation is dire, the impact of the pandemic and the lockdown on children has to be understood and acted upon. No one knows, how long will the situation continue and what will be its implications for children living in poverty?

The immediacy is for Government, Research and Civil Society to work together. We need reliable data on COVID-19 and on children as well! Information on number of children affected due to loss of livelihood, migration and loss of family members to COVID-19. We need researched information on the psychological impact on children, the issues of child protection need to be understood and addressed.

The present education system, and the dynamics of a student-teacher relationship are likely to change in the near future. With the way that countries are closing their borders across the globe, Indians in foreign lands are returning to their homeland, and rural migrants returning to their villages, there might be a need to formulate new education policies.

While fighting with the virus, we should not forget the invisible children. Children may look less vulnerable from corona but may feel the heat heavily.

We cannot wait for the crisis to be over before we reach out to the children. Children should be ensured nutrition, protection and continuity of education. Discussion on policy, strategies and line of action should begin now.

(Geeta Menon and Sanjeev Rai are development professionals specialising in education in emergency situations. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)