Almost 300 million students worldwide faced weeks at home with Italy the latest country to shut schools over the deadly new coronavirus.

As the virus spread, other countries have also implemented extraordinary measures, with Unesco saying on Wednesday that 13 countries have closed schools, affecting 290.5 million children, while nine others have implemented localised closures.

While temporary school closures during crises are not new, Unesco chief Audrey Azoulay said, "the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled and, if prolonged, could threaten the right to education".

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Opinion

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