BRASILIA: The number of Brazilian children ages 6 and 7 who do not know how to read or write has risen by 66 percent during the coronavirus pandemic, a report found Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). The report, by charitable group Todos Pela Educacao (All for Education), found the number of illiterate 6- and 7-year-olds in Brazil rose from 1.4 million in 2019 to 2.4 million last year. That represents 40.8 percent of children in that age group — a worrying sign for a country that has been hit particularly hard by Covid-19, with widespread school closures that have been particularly detrimental for the poor.