8.1 School closures Ngā katinga kura

8.1. School closures | Ngā katinga kura

School closures were an integral part of the COVID-19 public health response across the world. In New Zealand, schools were closed for a shorter time than most other countries (Figure 114). Countries like India, and the United States closed their schools for more than 70 weeks. The average school year of OECD countries is 38 weeks, so 70 weeks amounts to almost two years schooling.

Partial school closures accounted for the majority of weeks of closures in New Zealand.

Figure 114: Duration of school closures

Full and partial closures (weeks), March 2020 to November 2021

Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Notes:
1. Full closures refer to situations where all schools were closed at the nation-wide level due to COVID-19.
2. Partial closures refer to school closures in some regions or for some grades, or with reduced in-person instruction.