COVID-19: Rethinking education as the world moves forward

22 November 2020

From radio and television programming, zoom classes, to how to re-open schools safely – education in 2020 has been a year of rapid adaptation. Now, some ten months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a good time to take stock of how education systems responded. Understanding and learning from this is essential to planning for future crises, and will help decision-makers put in place effective measures that ensure safe learning for all.

What is the current state of reopening education facilities? How are city education officials, gender focal points, and other key voices included during health crises? What is the impact of the pandemic on specific population groups? These are some of the issues addressed in a NewsBrief – a collection of articles just published on IIEP-UNESCO’s Education for Resilience website. Readers can also learn from an analysis of some 40 national contingency plans developed at the onset of the pandemic.

“Ambitious actions must be taken to build and strengthen the resilience of education systems around the world, by investing in crisis preparedness through institutionalized crisis-sensitive and risk-informed planning and management at all levels of the education system.”
Claude Ndabananiye and Anna Seeger are Programme Specialists at IIEP-UNESCO, working on crisis-sensitive planning.  

Together, these articles present ideas on how to move from crisis to opportunity. From deeper engagement with stakeholders, diversifying pathways to enter higher education, to designing crisis-sensitive plans and policies, this type of rethinking can help education emerge stronger – and more resilient – from the COVID-19 crisis. 

Read the NewsBriefs:

 
 
This project is made possible through a partnership with Education Above All Foundation’s Protecting Education in Insecurity and Conflict programme (EAA–PEIC).