School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected over 1.5 billion students in 165 countries.
The Global Education Coalition launched by UNESCO strives to provide opportunities for inclusive education of children and youth during this period of sudden and unprecedented disruption of the educational process.
Investments in online learning should help mitigate educational disruptions caused by COVID-19 and create approaches for developing more open and flexible education systems in the future.
With school closures affecting 87% of students worldwide, UNESCO is launching the Global Education Coalition to support countries in increasing the scope of implementation of the best practices in distance education and reaching the most vulnerable children and youth.
“Never before have we witnessed educational disruption at this scale,” says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “Partnership is the only way forward. This Coalition is a call for coordinated and innovative action to unlock solutions that will not only support learners and teachers now, but through the recovery process and in the longer term, with a principle focus on inclusion and equity.”
Since the schools were closed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have been implementing distance learning solutions and have faced consequential challenges, ranging from supplying learning materials and assistance to teachers to providing guidance to families in dealing with connectivity issues. Ensuring equality is a major challenge, because school closures have disproportionately affected the most vulnerable and disadvantaged students who rely on schools for a range of social services, including healthcare and nutrition.
Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed UN’s full commitment to the Coalition, warning that “for millions of children and young from disadvantaged backgrounds, school closures could mean a loss of a vital ‘safety net’ of nutrition, protection, and emotional support. She added that “as we embark on the Decade of Action (within the framework of 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda), our responsibility as a global community is to leave absolutely no one behind.”
The coalition was joined as partners by the International Labour Organization, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations World Food Programme, the International Telecommunication Union, the Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait, Francophonie (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Asian Development Bank, who stressed the need for rapid and coordinated support of states in order to mitigate the negative impact of school closures, especially focusing on the most disadvantaged population groups.
The private sector players including Microsoft, GSMA, Weidong, Google, Facebook, Zoom, KPMG and Coursera have also joined the Coalition, contributing resources and expertise in the ields of technology, communications, capacity build-up and content. They have made a pledge to respect the ethical principles when using the data concerning students and educational institutions.
Non-profit organizations, including Khan Academy, Dubai Cares, Fundación Profuturo and Sesame Street have also become part of the Coalition, mobilizing their resources and services to support schools, teachers, parents and students during this time of unparalleled educational disruption.
The BBC World Service has also joined the Coalition as part of its commitment to supporting young people in lockdowns around the world. the BBC will be producing tips, stories, and education materials to help young people who have found themselves in isolation understand how the coronavirus may affect them.
During the meetings of education ministers convened by UNESCO, it was announced that the Global Education Coalition will respond to countries’ specific needs. the Coalition will seek to match these needs with free and secure solutions, bringing partners together to tackle communication and content challenges. the Coalition will provide digital tools and learning management solutions to upload national digitized educational resources, as well as resources for distance learning and improving technical knowledge. the Coalition will focus on ensuring data security and protecting the privacy of students and teachers.
Specifically, the Coalition aims to:
- Help countries in mobilizing resources and implementing innovative and context-appropriate solutions to provide education remotely, leveraging hi-tech, low-tech and no-tech approaches
- Seek equitable solutions and universal access
- Ensure coordinated responses and avoid overlapping efforts
- Facilitate the return of students to classrooms when schools reopen to avoid an upsurge in dropout rates.
Source: ru.unesco.org