Students around the world suffered huge learning setbacks during the pandemic, study finds

Chinese nationals gathering to eat and work at a hostel in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. China implemented some of the world's toughest Covid restrictions during the pandemic, putting hundreds of millions under prolonged lockdowns. In the aftermath, younger citizens -- exhausted by gruelling and unrewarding jobs -- are taking flight to escape abroad. - AFP

WASHINGTON (AP): Students around the world suffered historic setbacks in reading and math during the Covid-19 pandemic, with declines in test scores so widespread that the United States climbed in global rankings simply by falling behind less sharply, a new study finds.

The state of global education was given a bleak appraisal in the Program for International Student Assessment, the first study to examine the academic progress of students in dozens of countries during the pandemic.