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Learning in the COVID-19 era
Webinar series on Framework for Reopening Schools
As governments prepare to reopen schools, planning ahead is essential to ensure a smooth transition for students, teachers and families, taking into account the impact of prolonged closures on learning.
This was the purpose of the first joint UNESCO-UNICEF-World Bank Webinar series on the Framework for Reopening Schools, which focused on Learning in the COVID-19 era. Panellists shared experiences, lessons and expertise on strategies to ensure learning continuity when schools reopen. Discussions highlighted that to have a conducive back-to-school learning environment, it will be important to build upon the lessons learnt through the COVID-19 crisis; support teachers and students; and involve parents as well as communities throughout the process.
According to a recent survey conducted by UNESCO jointly with UNICEF and the World Bank, 7 percent of countries surveyed have already reopened their schools and many others (close to 90%) are planning to do so as soon as situations permit. Most of them are preparing remedial or accelerated learning programmes based on assessment of students’ learning experience during school closures to ensure continuity of curriculum, but these efforts also face several challenges, said Gwang-Chol Chang, Chief of section of Education Policy at UNESCO.
Lessons learnt from strategies implemented throughout the Covid-19 crisis
The lessons learnt throughout the COVID-19 crisis can help reinvent and strengthen education systems worldwide in the long-term. Governments need to take stock of the innovative responses provided throughout the crisis, while acknowledging that they must “plan for the real”, as expressed by David Steiner, Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy. Taking into consideration the system’s capacity to ensure learning continuity, while supporting the most vulnerable, is essential. Particular attention should be geared towards those at transition points, who are at higher risk of dropping-out. Failing to do so will not only widen the learning gap, but also the inequalities within the system.
Support students throughout schools’ reopening
As schools are starting to reopen, they must be prepared to meet their children “at the level in which they are”, as stated by Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham. Children need to come back to a supportive, friendly environment, where their learning loss and socio-emotional needs are acknowledged, and efforts are placed to help them get back on track. In this sense, panellists expressed the importance of identifying specific foundational skills and knowledge to focus on, instead of overloading students with academic and curriculum requirements. This will ensure that all students –particularly the most vulnerable– are able to catch-up.
As mentioned by several experts, approaches such as “Teaching at the right level” and the creation of small-group tutoring opportunities are effective strategies to support students’ learning and help them catch-up. This is especially important for marginalised students who have been deprived from technology facilitated learning solutions during lockdowns and who are also unlikely to benefit from them when schools reopen.
Support teachers throughout schools’ reopening
Teachers face three main challenges today, said Tara Beetle, Senior Economist in the East Asia Pacific region leading the World Bank’s Teacher Careers and Professional Development Thematic Group. These are a stressful context full of uncertainties, high pressure to bring students back to grade level, and little access to the skills and resources needed under such circumstances.
In this scenario, supporting teachers throughout the back-to-school transition and beyond is crucial. Ms Béteille said that World Bank’s work in the area revolves around three principles: “support teachers’ resilience to ensure their effectiveness”; “support teachers instructionally”; and, “support teachers technologically”.
Only a motivated and supported workforce will be able to respond accordingly to the current challenging circumstances. It is important to ensure the stability of teachers’ jobs and salaries; limit teachers’ burnout through initiatives such as structured peer-support groups; as well as invest in specialised counselling and guidance to prepare them for future crisis. In addition, it is necessary to invest more in the pre-service and in-service teacher training to ensure teachers are fully prepared and acquire the necessary skills to respond during a crisis. Moreover, in addition to providing them with technological tools, it is essential to encourage teachers to use them and guarantee that they know how to employ them to enhance their practice.
Work with parents and communities
One of the key lessons learnt throughout the crisis is the importance of engaging parents and communities in pupils’ learning process. As expressed by Jane Courtney, Education Specialist at UNICEF Jordan, countries should accept that “Build Back Better means working with parents”. This requires helping parents trust their own capabilities and recognize the value they bring to their children’s education.
As stressed by Pratham’s Rukmini Banerji, in addition to learning loss, there have also been learning gains in some cases: extended families and children have learnt together throughout the crisis, and communities have understood the importance of working as anchors to facilitate children’s learning opportunities. Education systems should build upon this to help schools extend beyond the teaching grounds by becoming collaborative spaces, open to the communities and families.
UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank have worked together to create this series of webinars aimed at helping national governments prepare their education systems for schools’ reopening. More information on the series, together with the schedule for future Webinars, can be found on the UNESCO website.
