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Before a child can read a book, they must know how to read a sentence.
在孩子读一本书之前，他们必须知道如何读一个句子。
Before they can read a sentence, they must know how to read individual words.
在他们读一个句子之前，他们必须知道如何读单个单词。
And before they can read words, they must know letters and learn the alphabet.
在他们读单词之前，他们必须认识字母并学习字母表。
To be successful at reading or in any subject at school, students must start with learning the most basic knowledge.
要想在阅读或学校教授的任何科目上取得成功，学生必须从学习最基本的知识开始。
And many students around the world are not learning these basic skills, also called foundational learning.
而世界各地的许多学生都没有学习这些基本技能，即所谓的基础学习。
The problem and possible solutions were recently discussed at the United Nations’ Transforming Education Summit.
最近在联合国举办的转型教育峰会上讨论了这个问题并提出了可能的解决方案。
Conference attendees said that while the problem already existed before the COVID-19 pandemic, the health crisis made it worse.
参会者表示，虽然这个问题在新冠疫情爆发之前就已经存在，但这场健康危机让这个问题变得更严重。
“This is a global learning crisis,” said UNICEF director Catherine Russell.
联合国儿童基金会主任凯瑟琳·罗素说：“这是一场全球学习危机”。
“Millions of children are still out of school. And millions of children are in school … but not learning the basic skills.”
“目前仍有数百万的孩子失学。数百万的孩子在上学……但却没有学习基本技能。”
UNICEF found that two out of every three children around the world cannot read and understand a simple story by age 10.
联合国儿童基金会发现，世界上每三个孩子中就有两个在10岁之前不能阅读和理解一个简单的故事。
This was a 12 percent increase since before the pandemic.
这比疫情前增加了12%。
Three-quarters of children by grade four also do not have basic math skills.
四分之三的四年级学生也没有基本的数学技能。
In poorer countries, the numbers are even worse.
在较贫穷的国家，这一数字甚至更糟。
Just one in 10 children in sub-Saharan Africa have basic reading skills by grade three.
在撒哈拉以南非洲，只有十分之一的孩子在三年级之前具备基本的阅读技能。
“Learning poverty fuels economic poverty,” Russell said.
罗素说：“学习贫困加剧了经济贫困”。
UNICEF found that long school closures during the pandemic greatly worsened educational inequality around the world.
联合国儿童基金会发现，疫情期间学校长期停课大大加剧了世界各地的教育不平等。
Millions of children left the educational system during the pandemic, and many still have not returned to the classroom.
在疫情期间，数百万的孩子离开了教育系统，许多孩子至今仍没有重返课堂。
In 2021, UNICEF estimated that 244 million children between the ages of 6 and 18 were out of school.
据联合国儿童基金会估计，2021年有2.44亿6至18岁的孩子失学。
Ibrahim Natatou is the secretary of education of Niger.
易卜拉欣·纳塔图是尼日尔教育部长。
“This is not the same situation in developed countries,” he told the UN meeting. “For us it’s a disaster.”
他在联合国会议上表示：“这与发达国家的情况不同。对我们来说，这是一场灾难。”
Natatou said Niger and other sub-Saharan African countries are currently at war, which adds to the current educational system problems.
纳塔图说，尼日尔和其他撒哈拉以南非洲国家目前处于战争之中，这增加了目前的教育系统问题。
He said there is also a lack of good teachers.
他说，这里也缺乏好教师。
Natatou noted that 57 percent of primary school teachers in Niger do not have good writing and reading skills, and schools are often in poor condition.
纳塔图指出，尼日尔57%的小学教师没有良好的写作和阅读能力，学校的条件往往很差。
Despite these very large global difficulties, leaders see the pandemic as a chance to change education for the better.
尽管面临这些巨大的全球性困难，各国领导人仍将此次疫情视为改善教育的机会。
As a part of the meeting, the U.N., World Bank and other organizations urged governments to take action on the foundational learning crisis.
作为会议的一部分，联合国、世界银行等组织敦促各国政府采取行动应对基础学习危机。
Countries like the U.S., Britain, Sierra Leone, Egypt and Bulgaria have come together to sign a promise to improve foundational learning.
美国、英国、塞拉利昂、埃及和保加利亚等国签署了改善基础学习的承诺书。
Eleonora Villegas-Reimers is an education expert at Boston University.
埃莉奥诺拉·比列加斯-赖默斯是波士顿大学的教育专家。
She said, “We are dealing with the pandemic still, but it’s a very, very important opportunity for us to transform education.”
她说：“我们仍在应对疫情，但这是我们改革教育的一个非常重要的机会。”
She added, “Governments around the world have been asked to take a stand and commit to ensure children develop foundational skills.”
她还说，“世界各国政府都被要求表明立场，承诺确保儿童发展基本技能。”
In Niger, Natatou said there has already been some progress.
纳塔图说，尼日尔已经取得了一些进展。
More training and support have been provided to teachers.
为教师提供了更多的培训和支持。
And, officials are working to get computers to all students across the country.
而且，官员们正在努力为全国所有学生提供电脑。
Julius Maada Bio is the president of Sierra Leone.
朱利叶斯·马达·比奥是塞拉利昂总统。
He said his country has been able to increase school enrollment by 50 percent through its free quality education program.
他说，他的国家已经能够通过免费的优质教育计划将学校入学率增加50%。
He also said more girls and children from poor and rural areas are now attending school.
他还说，现在有更多来自贫困和农村地区的女孩和孩子上学。
Maada Bio added that schools across the country are now providing children with free warm meals as well.
马达·比奥还说，全国各地的学校现在也为孩子们提供免费的热餐。
“We owe our children a future of promise, where as productive citizens we continue to build inclusive, equitable and peaceful societies,” he said.
他说：“我们欠我们的孩子一个充满希望的未来，作为富有成效的公民，我们将继续建设包容、公平与和平的社会。”
I’m Dan Novak.
丹·诺瓦克为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
