The document discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education globally. It states that as of January 2021, approximately 825 million learners have been affected by school closures in response to the pandemic. Many countries initially imposed lockdowns and closed schools/universities for several months. By the end of March 2020, school closures had been implemented to some extent in all 46 OECD and partner countries covered by the Education at a Glance report, ranging from nationwide closures to localized closures. School closures were effective for at least 7-18 weeks in most countries through June 2020.