Photo illustration of a child using a laptop computer (Photo: Jeremy Long)

PARIS: Half of the world's school and university students affected by class closures because of the coronavirus outbreak - from pre-primary to university level - do not have access to a computer for home-schooling, the UN's educational agency said Tuesday (Apr 21).

Highlighting "startling digital divides" between the rich and poor, a UNESCO statement added that 43 per cent of young people have no access to internet at home.