UNESCO-IESALC

Main Menu

  • The Institute
  • Priorities
    • Internationalization and Academic Mobility
      • Recognition of Academic Degrees
      • New Regional Convention
      • Practical information for recognition by country
    • Quality and relevance
    • Equity and Inclusion
    • Innovation
    • CRES 2018
  • Programs
    • Research
      • Academic Mobility
      • Digital Transformations
      • Futures of Higher Education
      • Response to COVID-19
      • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
      • The Right to Higher Education
    • Capacity building
      • Campus IESALC
      • Change Management Program and Agile Methodologies
      • EDS Bootcamp 2023
      • Leadership, Management and Training Program for Sustainable Higher Education 
      • Quality Management Programme
      • Strengthening Programme for Improvement Plan Projects
      • Sustainable University Leadership and Governance. Towards the 2030 Agenda
      • Teacher Competency Development Programme (TCDP)
      • Technical Competency Development Programme
    • Technical cooperation
      • Educational continuity in Peru (PMESUT)
    • Concerted advocacy
  • Publications
    • IESALC Publications
    • ESS Open Journal System
    • CRES 2018 Collection
  • Events
  • Español

logo

  • The Institute
  • Priorities
    • Internationalization and Academic Mobility
      • Recognition of Academic Degrees
      • New Regional Convention
      • Practical information for recognition by country
    • Quality and relevance
    • Equity and Inclusion
    • Innovation
    • CRES 2018
  • Programs
    • Research
      • Academic Mobility
        • Virtual Student Mobility
      • Digital Transformations
      • Futures of Higher Education
      • Response to COVID-19
        • Reopening maps
      • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
      • The Right to Higher Education
    • Capacity building
      • Campus IESALC
      • Change Management Program and Agile Methodologies
      • EDS Bootcamp 2023
      • Leadership, Management and Training Program for Sustainable Higher Education 
      • Quality Management Programme
      • Strengthening Programme for Improvement Plan Projects
      • Sustainable University Leadership and Governance. Towards the 2030 Agenda
      • Teacher Competency Development Programme (TCDP)
      • Technical Competency Development Programme
    • Technical cooperation
      • Educational continuity in Peru (PMESUT)
    • Concerted advocacy
  • Publications
    • IESALC Publications
    • ESS Open Journal System
    • CRES 2018 Collection
  • Events
  • Español

With one in five learners kept out of school, UNESCO mobilizes education ministers to face the COVID-19 crisis

In response to a surge in school and university closures to contain the spread of COVID-19, UNESCO on Tuesday convened a global videoconference of high education officials to step up the emergency response and share strategies to minimize learning disruption worldwide. Seventy-two countries were represented including 27 education ministers and 37 senior representatives. According to data released today by UNESCO, the crisis is now impacting close to 363 million learners worldwide, from the pre-primary to tertiary level, including 57.8 million students in higher education. One in five students worldwide is staying away from school due to the COVID-19 crisis and […]
©
10 March, 2020

In response to a surge in school and university closures to contain the spread of COVID-19, UNESCO on Tuesday convened a global videoconference of high education officials to step up the emergency response and share strategies to minimize learning disruption worldwide. Seventy-two countries were represented including 27 education ministers and 37 senior representatives.

According to data released today by UNESCO, the crisis is now impacting close to 363 million learners worldwide, from the pre-primary to tertiary level, including 57.8 million students in higher education. One in five students worldwide is staying away from school due to the COVID-19 crisis and an additional one in four is being kept out of higher education establishments.

Fifteen countries have ordered nationwide school closures and 14 have implemented localized closures, spanning Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

“We are entering uncharted territory and working with countries to find hi-tech, low-tech and no-tech solutions to assure the continuity of learning,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “As countries try to prepare their response, international cooperation is vital to share the most effective approaches and support students, teachers and families. UNESCO is stepping up its support to ensure this crisis promotes innovation and inclusion and does not exacerbate learning inequalities. ”

To steer the global response, UNESCO announced the creation of a UNESCO-COVID19 Emergency Task Force that will support national responses and share effective policy responses with a focus on the most vulnerable countries.  A wider community of practice will be established to enhance knowledge sharing, peer learning and capacity building on distance and open learning. UNESCO aims to mobilize all actors involved, including the private sector. Partners such as Microsoft have already lent technical support to the Task Force.

During today’s conference, country representatives shared approaches and best practices to ensure the continuity of learning during school closures of as yet unknown durations. Among them were ministers and representatives from China, Croatia, Egypt, France, Iran, Italy Lebanon, the Republic of Korea and Mexico, and Spain.

In addition to monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on education, UNESCO has published a curated list of freely accessible learning applications and platforms for use by parents, teachers and learners, as well as school systems. It is urging countries to use inclusion and equity as guiding principles when planning responses, recognizing that school closures hit vulnerable learners the hardest.

UNESCO’s expertise in open and distance learning spans teacher training platforms, the design of e-learning school models, online communities of practice and the development of national ICT in education policies, with a priority focus on Africa.

“We are facing an unusual situation with a large number of countries affected by the same issue at the same time. We need to come together not only to address the immediate educational consequences of this unprecedented crisis, but to build up the longer-term resilience of education systems,” said Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education.

Information reproduced from UNESCO Website 


SHARE

RELATED ITEMS

TagsCovid19

Other recent press releases

  • Covid19

    Actions of the Higher Education Networks in face of COVID-19

    6 April, 2020
    By Sara Maneiro
  • Covid19From the CRES 2018 to WHEC 2022NewsResources

    Report reveals the state of higher education two years on from the disruption of Covid-19

    18 May, 2022
    By Claudia Delgado Barrios
  • Covid19

    Coronavirus COVID-19 and Higher Education: Impact and Recommendations

    9 March, 2020
    By Sara Maneiro
  • Covid19

    Coronavirus: a threat to the internationalisation of higher education? / ACA Newsletter

    16 March, 2020
    By Sara Maneiro
  • Covid19News

    “Higher education in Ibero-America in times of pandemic. Impact and teachers’ responses”

    6 July, 2021
    By Yamel Rincon
  • Blog

    The financial impact of the pandemic on higher education

    22 November, 2022
    By Claudia Delgado Barrios

  • PublicationsWebinar

    Presentation of the APICE book “Innovations and Good Practices of Educational Credit”, with the support of UNESCO

  • Flowers and bee
    Capacity Building

    Call for proposals for the Learning Design and Education for Sustainable Development #ESDBootcamp 2022

  • Featured NewsNews

    23 countries adopted the new Regional Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Degrees and Diplomas in Higher Education in LAC

UNESCO IESALC applies a zero tolerance policy against all forms of harassment

OUR NEWSLETTER

  Subscribe to our newsletter   

FOLLOW US

  •   Facebook
  •   Twitter
  •   Linkedin
  •   Instagram
  •   Youtube
  • © UNESCO IESALC 2021
  • Disclaimer of use
  • Website Privacy Notice
  • Opportunities
  • Contact us