Best Education for All During COVID-19 Pandemic

Fernando G. Acosta

The world is nowhere near to ensuring a quality education for all by 2030. Impressive gains in enrollment and attendance over recent decades have not translated into corresponding gains in learning.The COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating this learning crisis.

As many as 94 percent of children across the world have been out of school due to closures. Learning losses from school shutdowns are further compounded by inequities, particularly for students who were already left behind by education systems. Many countries and schools have shifted to online learning during school closures as a stop-gap measure.

However, this is not possible in many places, as less than half of households in low- and middle-income countries have internet access.

Many education systems around the world are now reopening fully, partially, leaving millions of children to face a radically transformed educational experience.

As COVID-19 cases rise and fall during the months ahead, the chaos will likely continue, with schools shutting down and reopening as needed to balance educational needs with protecting the health of students, teachers, and families. Parents, schools, and entire education systems especially to play new roles to support student learning as the situation remains in flux, perhaps permanently.

As they adjust to this new reality. Support children learn while schools are closed. With nearly. Children out of school at the peak of the pandemic, many parents or caregivers, especially with young children, have taken on new roles to help with at-home learning.

To support them and remote education efforts, many have used SMS, phone calls, and other widely accessible, affordable, and low-technology methods of information delivery.

While such methods are imperfect substitutes for schooling, research suggests they can help engage parents in their child’s education and contribute to learning, perhaps even after schools reopen.Preliminary results from an ongoing program and randomized evaluation in Botswana show the promise of parental support combined with low-technology curriculum delivery.

When the pandemic hit, education to scale up the Teaching at the Right Level approach to primary schools.

After collecting student, parent, and teacher phone numbers, the devised two strategies to deliver educational support.