The increase in availability and access to internet connectivity has provided educators and students with new ways of learning and research that widen the scope and access to education and educational resources. The latest example of this was during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though in-person learning was required to be shut down, students around the world were able to continue learning because of this connectivity. At least 100 million children maintained their access to education, in comparison to only 1.3 million who would have had this same access just 2 decades earlier (Economist, 2021, p. 20). Although this is an incredible feat of modern technology, it's important to note that COVID-19 forced over 1.6 billion students worldwide out of school, meaning that only 1 in 16 children were able to continue learning (Economist, 2021, p. 20).

This is especially concerning when you factor in the economic and potential personal income impact that a loss of learning has. The chart below illustrates the severe impact on the economy that a loss of learning can have over the next 80 years. For example, in Canada, a one-third year of lost learning (~4 months) equates to an annual decrease of $1.3 trillion in our Gross Domestic Product by the year 2100. This also doesn't just affect the economy as a whole, but also affects each student at a personal level. Research has shown that each additional year of education increases a student's life income by about 7.5-10%. Adversely, each one-third year of learning loss results in a 3% decrease in a person's life income (OECD, 2020, pg 12).