User:John Cummings/UNESCO messages
UNESCO
[edit]Note: UNESCO publications are available under a CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO license. Messages collected from UN Women by John Cummings, Wikimedian in Residence at UNESCO
| Topic | Message | References | Where this information has been added |
| Spread of COVID-19 | One of the primary health concerns is preventing the spread of COVID-19. Families, particularly in low resource settings, may lack clear information about prevention measures or face challenges providing an environment in which family members can maintain good hygiene and apply distancing measures when necessary (e.g. hand washing facilities, cleaning supplies, multiple rooms within a dwelling etc.). If family members test positive for COVID-19 without displaying any symptoms, or display symptoms related to COVID-19, implementing measures to prevent further spread of infection may also be challenging. Access to health care for sick family members may also be limited in some settings, meaning family members including children become primary care providers. The suspension of or overburden on health services are likely to impact access to broader healthcare needs (child vaccinations, maternal and infant care, treatment of pre-existing health conditions etc.). These challenges impede efforts to create an environment conducive to home learning. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Health information pandemic | A challenge for families is the need to help children and young people understand emerging health risks so that they appreciate the importance of practicing good hygiene and distancing measures, without causing stress and anxiety. The current epidemic is characterised with an overload of health information and advice (sometimes conflicting or misleading) which may cause families to be taking misinformed measures or to be feeling overwhelmed and confused. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Disrupted access to food and nutrition | School closure due to COVID-19 is having an impact on the nutrition of many learners. It is estimated that globally, over 365 million primary school children are missing out on school meals. For poor households, the loss of school meals means a negative impact on income and food security. These children are at risk of hunger and will lose the protection of key vitamins and micronutrients they receive in the school meals, with negative impacts on brain development and learning. Moreover, loss of food support in schools may compound loss of income due to the crisis, and families may resort to negative coping mechanisms to meet their needs, including child labour or reducing the number and quality of meals at a time when staying healthy and keeping a strong immune system is particularly important | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Physical inactivity | Physical exercise can support parents’ and learners’ immune system and mental health. However, in the context of confinement during the current pandemic, physical exercise may be ignored, due to disrupted routines, restricted access to outdoor spaces, limited indoor open spaces, increased screen time, and in some cases stress and anxiety associated with COVID-19. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Stress, anxiety and mental health issues | During infectious disease outbreaks there are increased levels of anxiety and worry among the population as well as increased rates of diagnosable mental illnessesii, iii . This can be due to the fear of infection, inability to get treatment, death of loved ones due to COVID19, as well as the wider consequences of restrictions on movement, school closures and lack of interaction with peers. For learners at key stages of their education (e.g. national exams), the stress of falling behind, or not graduating may be significant. For adults, fear of job and income loss or of not being able to access essential goods and food, may be significant. Stress and anxiety may also be experienced by parents/caregivers maintaining full-time work in the home, while caring for small, or multiple children. Home learning may itself be a source of stress for families and learners, with pressure to take on new responsibilities, sometimes with limited time or resources. Parents/caregivers who do not have the same level of education, or do not speak the major language of instruction in the country, or who have children with special educational needs face compounded challenge. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Time spent online | In the context of isolation and where the technology is accessible, learners will spend more time online. This can be productive time spent (e.g. allowing healthy social interactions with friends), but on the flipside, the risks to children online will increase. Increased engagement with online content in some contexts may make children more susceptible to, online violence, abuse and harassment (including peer-peer cyberbullying), digital dependency and ‘screen addiction’iv . | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| New and disrupted roles and responsibilities for children and young people | In the context of the epidemic, there may be an increase in child-headed households or households with limited parent/caregiver supervision. Children may be taking on caregiver and other domestic responsibilities. Past experience tells us that these new roles are often gendered, with girls taking on the majority of domestic tasks. Continued education of girls may be seen as less valuable than that of boys, both within the context of home based learning and returning to school. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Other health and protection issues | In some regions, past experience tells us that when schools close for more than a few weeks, and in the absence of supervision (e.g. due to parents engaged in income generating activities), rates of early and forced marriage and early pregnancy increase, and child labor risesv,vi . This is a particular concern for learners who already live in vulnerable or disadvantaged households, crisis affected areas and in places where there is limited supervision of children or control of people’s movement, despite school closures | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Domestic violence | In the current COVID-19 situation, data is emerging showing an increase in domestic violence. Forced confinement and high-stress home environments are a driver of domestic violence and/or child abuse that learners either experience or observe. Those experiencing domestic violence face barriers in escaping from their household and the ability to seek external help. Increased tension within households poses particular risk to women and children, and will create barriers to a conducive home learning environment. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Unplanned or forced sexual activity | Extended school closures that require learners to remain at home or move about unsupervised by adults can lead to increased unplanned or forced sexual activity in adolescents and young people. Where there is also disrupted supply chain for contraception, this can lead to unintended pregnancy and increased rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIVix,x . Like other health risks, patterns of vulnerability are gendered. Girls particularly face increased risk of sexual violencexi . | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Distance learning | In the context of distance and online education, the family more than ever constitutes a learning space, in which parents and caregivers act as primary guides to support their children’s learning at home. A number of challenges have been highlighted during this process, such as the availability of distanceand online educational content, access to digital and other technologies by all households, and the prior experience of teachers, students and parents in educational technologies. Obviously, the existinggap between those who have skills and competencies to use such tools for learning and education andthose who lack them became even more pronounced when education shifted from physical classrooms to virtual ones. Parents, mostly mothers, with low literacy skills, often in the language of the schoolcurriculum, are experiencing additional challenges in supporting their children’s learning at home. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Family and intergenerational learning | Family and intergenerational learning is learning that happens in the home and in communities,including online, and that involves different members of the family. Integral to the familiar concept of parental education, intergenerational learning captures the multi-directionality of learning interactions,i.e. children can learn from adults; adults from children; younger children from older siblings, and fromother relatives. Therefore, it is a collective learning process in which the whole family learns together. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Family and intergenerational learning | Educational practices applying intergenerational and family learning approaches have been implemented across the globe in various cultural, social and economic contexts. In its narrow sense, many educational interventions focus on parental involvement in children’s academic achievement and developing their positive attitudes towards school. It is argued that the difference in the degree and quality of support for children’s learning at home is one of the main predictors in their academic achievement. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Family and intergenerational learning | In the current crisis, families are expected to support children’s remote learning. In reality, manyparents are finding it difficult to manage this task more meaningfully due to the demands of the officework and childcare. Women bear the most burden, as they often have a key role in childcare and children’s schooling. As the social support services have been suspended or are not available, many families, including children are taking up more income-generating opportunities. Increasing financial pressures on poor households, in addition to pre-existing social issues, are contributing to increased domestic violence cases globally. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Distance learning | Distance learning is a term often used synonymously with onlinelearning, e-learning, distance education, correspondence education, external studies, flexible learning, and massive open online courses (MOOCs). Common features of any form of distance learning are: theteacher-learner separation by space or time, or both, and the use of media and technology to enable communication and exchange during the learning process despite this separation. This may be achieved through print-based learning materials, or one-way massive broadcasting (TV and radio programmes), or through web-based exchange using social media channels or learning platforms. Distance learning tends to require a high level of self-directed learning on the part of the learner, and study skills, whichmust be supported through new teaching, learning and guidance strategies. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Distance learning strategies | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures are a set of sector-wide measures taken by government agencies and partners to continue students’curriculum based studies and other regular educational activities when schools and other physicaleducational institutions are closed. For this to succeed, learning activities should be reviewed, and alternative solutions to providing learning programmes remotely should be planned and delivered with the support of teachers, the education community and in collaboration with students and their families.While national distance learning strategies consider the complementarity of formal and non-formaleducation and the range of education and training levels for lifelong learning pathways, this issue notefocuses on school education.Almost overnight,learners, teachers, and parents or caregivers have to ensure school educationactivities without the formal school settings. Common issues to be addressed by distance learning strategies include: how students can access remotely delivered content and communicative support; how learners’ rights and data privacy can be protected; how teachers are supported in the transition to remote teaching; and how financial and technological resources can be mobilized to sustain the provision for several months. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Readiness for d istance learning | Technological readiness: This generally includes levels of readiness in both technological capacitiesof digital learning platforms or TV and radio broadcasting systems to provide curricular coursesremotely to all learners, as well as in household access to electricity, telephones, televisions, radio,digital devices, internet connectivity and data. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Readiness for d istance learning | Content readiness: This includes accessibility to teaching and learning materials aligned withnational curricula that can be delivered through online platforms, TV or radio programmes, or usedfor print-based home learning. Readiness of curricular content that cover all grade levels and allsubject areas and can be delivered to all learners often remains a challenge. In many countries, gapsexist in terms of the resources and local expertise needed to rapidly develop national curriculacourses readily accessible through online platforms or TV and radio programmes. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Readiness for d istance learning | Pedagogical and home-based learning support readiness: This includes preparedness of teachers todesign and facilitate online learning, TV or radio based distance learning, or print materials basedhome learning; and availability and ability of parents or caregivers to facilitate effective home-baseddistance learning. Most teachers are not adequately prepared for the transition of provision ofschool education, and families are not ready to facilitate and monitor daily home-based learningespecially with multiple children. It is much more challenging when parents lack the language andliteracy skills and the time to follow schedules of studies and manage learning processes. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Readiness for distance learning | Monitoring and evaluation readiness: This includes capacities: to monitor distance learningprocesses, to track the access to courses and engagement, to assess learning outcomes, and tosustain immediate distance learning responses for achieving long-term goals. In the context ofonline learning, it is critical to monitor differences in the level of participation and engagement ofstudents who often have weaker self-regulation and self-organization skills. When TV or radioprogrammes, which are one-way knowledge transmission systems, are adopted as the mainsolution, it is more challenging to measure the extent to which students, teachers, and parents orcaregivers are engaged with distance learning | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Exacerbated burden of unpaid care impacting on learning | According to the International Labour Organization, women do three-times more unpaid care work than men. School closures are expected to further exacerbate girls’ and women’s unpaid care work. During the Ebola crisis, an increase in domestic and caring responsibilities led to limited learning at home for girls compared to boys during the epidemic, and increases in school drop-outs among girls when schools reopened. SDG Target 5.4 sets the direction for action, but the pandemic’s impacts on the economy and social protection systems may deter progress and further impact on education. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Heightened risk of gender-based violence (GBV) | A recent literature review found spikes in GBV during past epidemics, with the most common forms being intimate partner violence and sexual exploitation and abuse. Extended quarantines and other social distancing measures linked to COVID-19 have already increased reporting of GBV, including violence directed at women and girls. This increase is occurring while services, including those related to the rule of law, health and protection, are being diverted to address COVID-19. Beyond the psychosocial and physical impacts, UNESCO reports that the experience or the witnessing of violence can have immediate and long-term implications for learning and well- being and the further perpetration of school violence. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Particular risks for adolescent girls | School closures can put adolescent girls at increased risk of different forms of abuse. During the Ebola crisis, school closures led to increases in early and forced marriages, transactional sex to cover basic needs and sexual abuse, while adolescent pregnancyincreased by up to 65% in some communities. Learners in disadvantaged households, crisis-affected areas and places with limited supervision of children will face heightened risks of such violence. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Potential for widening gender digital skills divides and an opportunity to close them | More men than women have access to and use the internet in all regions of the world, and the digital gender gap is growing, particularly in developing countries. Women in numerous countries are 25% less likely than men to know how to leverage ICT for basic purposes, such as using simple arithmetic formulas in a spreadsheet, and gender gaps grow as tasks become more complex. In contexts where digital solutions to distance learning and internet are accessible, there is an opportunity to close longstanding gender digital divide and build the digital skills of girls and boys alike and ensure all learners have the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe online. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| A crisis within a crisis | For children living in refugee camps or who are internally displaced, school closures will be devastating. Conflict often reinforces existing barriers to education which in turn tend to reinforce gender disparities. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that, in Ethiopia and Kenya, for every ten boys, seven refugee girls are enrolled in primary school and four in secondary school. Emergency response plans based on comprehensive gender analyses will be needed to ensure psychosocial support, reliable sources of food, and interventions to ensure the continuity of education and return of all learners when schools reopen. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Exacerbating boys’ disengagement from education | Gender disparities to boys’ disadvantage appear at different levels of education in many parts of the world, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and North America. Boys’ disengagement from education is strongly linked to poverty leading to demands for work, disaffection with school, and underlying gender stereotypes and social norms. Gender-responsive distance learning approaches must consider boys’ participation, motivation and learning, while school return plans address the factors which may further steer boys away from fair and equal opportunities in education. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Retention of female teachers | Teaching is frequently a female profession, particularly at lower levels of education. Nearly 94% of teachers in pre-primary education, while about half of those in upper secondary education, are women. Female teachers have been shown to have positive effects on girls’ enrolment and improve their learning outcomes, particularly in countries with rigid gender norms. Governments and education providers must work to preserve female teachers’ employment, salaries and benefits to mitigate against teacher attrition and promote well-being. The continued engagement and return to schools of female teachers will be critical to ensure also that girls return to school. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Impacts on women’s economic empowerment | Crises significantly restrict women’s engagement in economic activities, especially in informal sectors, and can deepen economic hardships. We are only beginning to understand the economic impacts of COVID-19, but the effects on people and the formal and informal economy are devastating. In the Global South, where limited social protection measures are in place, economic hardships caused by the crisis will have spillover effects as families consider the financial and opportunity costs of educating their sons and daughters. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
Recommendations
[edit]| Topic | Message | References | Where this information has been added |
| educate children about simple health and hygiene measures | Provide families with clear and simple health information including age-appropriate resources that can assist families to educate children about simple health and hygiene measures. This includes guidance for maintaining a healthy environment for home learning. Efforts to alert caregivers’ and learners to the existence of ‘fake news’ and directions to reputable resources is also helpful. Existing resources can be found via sources such as WHO, UNICEF as well as Centres for Disease Control, and other national health and educational authorities and civil society organizations. Such resources have double value if they promote literacy (e.g. children's books explaining COVID-19 - see resources below). | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Provide families with learning materials and activities that include health promotion messages | Provide families with learning materials and activities that include health promotion messages. Some education systems have mobilised to support home-based learning through, for example, virtual classrooms, educational TV/radio programs. Families may also benefit from simple and accessible health and well-being education resources (many online resources already exist). Resources may encourage physical exercise and good nutrition; promote coping strategies or gender equality; or help to challenge myths that lead to COVID-related stigma and discrimination. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Manage expectations on families and help them maintain normal routine | Manage expectations on families and help them maintain normal routine Evidence points to the value of families establishing and maintaining a healthy routine. Families can be supported to establish a daily routine that includes time to get up, eat, sleep, play or exercise, work, study and read; and, where technology is available time-limited screen time (inc. limitations on social media). Expectations on families to support learning should be managed within the context of resources available. Overly high expectations may increase stress and anxiety. Part of maintaining health and wellbeing may be a prerogative to relax our expectations about formal home learning and emphasize how children can learn through routine day-to-day activities, including play-based activities (cooking together, games etc.). This is a key consideration in ensuring that families are able to cope. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Promote healthy lifestyles and diet | Promote healthy lifestyles and diet to ensure all bodily functions to work well and boost the immune system. Promoting physical activity, healthy diet, no smoking, limiting alcohol intake (for adults), and enough sleep are key components of a healthy lifestyle and children’s ability to learn and cope. In the absence of school feeding programmes, government and partners can look for ways in which families can continue to receive their food and nutritional requirements and enhance their capacity to deal with a potential loss of income during the crisis. Possible alternatives to school feeding programmes include providing take-home rations in lieu of meals, home delivery of food and provision of cash/vouchers. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Link families to external support (where available): | Link families to external support (where available): With the reality of increased health and protection issues, families may need to access formal support services. Access to health and social services will differ across contexts but in many countries, there are functioning helplines and other services providing support. Often, schools can be the entry point to identifying mental health problems and providing appropriate referrals. In the absence of schools, families may need support to understand their children’s mental health needs, provide appropriate support and reach out to external services. Such information can be packaged for parents within the context of learning resources. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Purposely promote adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health/gender equality | Purposely promote adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health/gender equality: From the education sector perspective, there may be a limit to interventions to respond to emerging SRH and gender issues (e.g. preventing early pregnancy, gender-based violence). However, it is crucial these health and social issues are recognized as impacting education and to connect with partners to address cross-cutting health, social and education issues. This may include discussions about adolescent access to accessible support services (e.g. online counselling, hotlines). From an education perspective, efforts can be made to promote SRH, respect, equality and service literacy via resources to support homebased learning. In the likely absence of any school-based sexuality education, families can be directed to a range of existing comprehensive online resources (e.g. Amaze.org). | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Know your local epidemic situation and understand emerging related health issues | Know your local epidemic situation and understand emerging related health issues – The nature of the pandemic varies across contexts and continues to evolve. Health and nutrition-related needs and priorities will vary significantly within and between countries. Making an effort to ‘know your epidemic’, including identifying most vulnerable groups, and the age and gendered nature of impacts will assist you to prioritise interventions where needed most. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Recognise the link between health and learning and use home learning as an opportunity to promote health | Recognise the link between health and learning and use home learning as an opportunity to promote health – Families require simple, factual information which helps them establish a sense of certainty and control. In the context of a health epidemic, it makes sense to provide home-based learning materials that can assist caregivers and learners with basic health, nutrition and service information, whilst also meeting other education goals such as literacy and numeracy. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Coordinate across sectors and convene partnerships to support to families and learners | Coordinate across sectors and convene partnerships to support to families and learners – Different stakeholders (e.g. government, UNESCO, other UN agencies, NGOs) who have a role supporting families have a responsibility to work together and avoid overwhelming beneficiaries with multiple sources of information/duplicated interventions. Linking the health and education sectors to design and rollout interventions that address education and health together is essential | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Gather reliable and useful resources together (e.g. through a “clearinghouse”) | Gather reliable and useful resources together (e.g. through a “clearinghouse”) – It may be useful to compile relevant and factual information at a national level to make available to partners. This can be used to inform broader health and education messaging and to develop family-friendly information and resources. | Health & nutrition during home learning | |
| Ensuring equity, inclusion and fairness | Any decision regarding assessment, recognition and validation of learning during the period of school closures must be guided by concern for equity, fairness and inclusion. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Options for exams during prolonged and massive school closures | Postponement and rescheduling are common choices for exams under crisis situations andshould correspond with the speed and scale of the outbreak. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Options for exams during prolonged and massive school closures | If exams are to be maintained on schedule, due considerations must be given to options that can ensure the safety and hygienic conditions of exam takers and those involved in the administration and grading of exams, for example on site examinations with physical distancingor online examinations. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Options for exams during prolonged and massive school closures | If exams are to be cancelled, alternative ways for administration, grading and certificationshould be made available while addressing issues of fairness, robustness and teacher bias. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Options for exams during prolonged and massive school closures | Consider rebalancing the emphasis on high-stakes exams with formative assessment to promote learning and educational progress during crisis, while controlling for teacher bias with grading focused on evidence of student achievement over time rather than just their performance during the test. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Options for exams during prolonged and massive school closures | Higher education and TVET institutions should be flexible about the grading policy used for credit transfer and admissions. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Policy recommendations | Alignment: Ensure alignment through coordination with other relevant departments regarding decisions to adapt assessment, recognition and validation of learning at secondary level, particularly when they relate to higher education admission, certification and access to regulated professions andlabour market. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Policy recommendations | Public Communication: Consult social partners, students’ unions and parents’ association anddevelop a communication plan in order to ensure buy-in of teachers, their representatives, parents andsociety. Communication at national and international level should include information on changes in final qualification awarded, if any, to ensure mobility and recognition. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Policy recommendations | Combining multiple assessment modalities: Consider a combination of options to ensure fairness in assessment of learning during school closures. These include: additional support to teachers; consideration of earlier assessments; reduction in the number of subjects tested; automatic recognitionand validation of student learning; and conditional admission to university; complemented by remedial courses upon school reopening. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Policy recommendations | On-site examinations: Any decisions relative to on site examinations must be based, first andforemost, on guidance provided by national health authorities. Should on site examinations be maintained (even if postponed), sanitary measures need to be ensured in line with guidance providedby national health authorities. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Policy recommendations | On-line examinations: Consider online examinations only when issues regarding equal access to infrastructure as well as connectivity, protection of personal data, security, integrity and online proctoring methods, transparency, and students’ digital skills and gaps have been thoroughly examined. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Policy recommendations | Differentiated approaches for TVET: Consider differentiated approaches for TVET-relatedexaminations to address the particular challenge of TVET students, and constraints related to practicalskills and work-based learning assessment. This could include: postponement of exams; use of continuous assessment results; use of online self-assessment resources reflecting learning andeventually achievements of apprentices; locally organized exams; etc. | Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis | |
| Lessons from past practices and the current crisis | Countries can make use of a rich body of resources to sustain family learning: While not all education systems had functioning family learning programmes prior to this crisis, existingprogrammes in different countries contribute to government efforts to ensure children’s remotelearning. With years of experience and accumulated expertise in this field, many national and localagencies have quickly put together useful open resources and materials. The National Center for Families Learning in the Unites States, for example, has compiled a toolkit on 30 Days Families Learning Together, while the Families in Schools Foundation in the United States has a dedicated webpage to COVID-19 resources , which also include activities for children with special needs as well as for undocumented immigrants. The National Agency for Adult Literacy in Ireland has created a website with practical ideas for parents of children aged up to 12. In Australia, anonline learningplatform has been created for parents and caregivers to learn how to support children’s learning at home. These resources greatly support families when most countries globally have switched to a digital mode of education during the pandemic. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Lessons from past practices and the current crisis | Take-home learning packages can contribute to reducing inequalities in access: For millions of families and parents, especially those in remote and rural communities and in low-incomehouseholds, current remote and distance educational resources remain inaccessible, as they do notnecessarily have access to reliable internet connection and many do not have personal computers.Many households in the world, mostly in developing countries, do not own a TV or a radio. Toaddress thisdigital gap, many countries, such as Mauritania and Jamaica, have provided familieswith take-home learning packages, which include learning materials, play kits and practicalguidance for parents (UNICEF, 2020). Similarly, family literacy providers in the Gambia havedistributed existing learning resource packages to families and, on request, provide one-to-one guidance to families in need. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Lessons from past practices and the current crisis | The use of TV and radio, supported by media campaigns and guidance for parents, constitutes aneffective tool to reach most families: In countries where comprehensive family-learning programmes did not previously exist, there is a growing recognition among policy-makers, providers and communities that families and parents play an important role in the implementationof remote learning programmeswhen broadcast through TV or radio or provided online. Some countries have already started integrating explicit instructions for parental engagement in theirCOVID-19 education responses. For instance, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Education and Sciences haslaunched a public campaign on the reading family, in addition to the embedded daily instructions to parents to support their children’s homework that are broadcast through TV programmes. In thecase of the Gambia, where basic and secondary education is provided through platforms such as TVand radio, parents are given instructions on how to monitor their children’s learning at home as well as to communicate with teachers, regional education directorates and heads of school in orderto have access to reading and learning resources (MoBSE, 2020). In Senegal, through the UNESCOproject, theProjet d’Alphabétisation des Jeunes Filles et Jeunes Femmes(PAJEF), a set of learningmodules were provided through television to support parents in teaching young children and alsoimproving their parental skills. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Lessons from past practices and the current crisis | Combining adult literacy programmes with family learning strategies is necessary to reach themost disadvantaged homes: An estimated 773 million youth and adults in the world lack basicliteracy skills. Approximately 63% are women (UIS, 2020). With the lack of essential literacy skills, it is quite challenging for these adults, as parents and caregivers, especially for mothers, to guide andfacilitate their children’s home-based learning. Women predominantly play an important role in caregiving and supporting children’s learning. Moreover, low-literate parents and caregivers oftenalso demonstrate low self-esteem and self-confidence, which greatly impedes them in supporting their children’s learning at home. Solutions for parental engagement in children’s home-basedremote learning need to take into account the learning needs of adults. For example, the Centre for Family Literacy in Canada has offeredonline adult literacy programmes along with family learning programmes. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Lessons from past practices and the current crisis | Social media constitute a powerful media channel for informal learning: Family andintergenerational learning happens informally as well. For instance, family members engage in reading storybooks, play fun activities and games, and tell stories. Health-related knowledge andskills are passed on to families and communities informally in countries such as the Philippineswhere families use online chat groups through social media to post and exchange information about COVID-19 (UKFIET, 2020). Under the current lockdown, these types of informal learning couldcomplement remote school learning as well as building on existing knowledge and learning practices at homes and in communities. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Short- and medium-term, at policy and programme levels | If family and intergenerational learning programmes exist but on a small scale,connect local schooladministrators, teachers, social workers, and adult education centres, with programme providersto expand their services. Support the production of toolkits and practical guides, including videocasts and podcasts for families and parents. Prepare the translation of these toolkits and othermaterials into different languages in order to ensure the inclusion of linguistic minorities. For adults, especially women, with low literacy skills, connect them with basic literacy skills providers for literacy support. In addition, promote family-to-family learning and community engagement viaonline platforms to support families with low literacy skills. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Short- and medium-term, at policy and programme levels | If family and intergenerational learning or parental education is not yet an area recognized in publicpolicy and education programmes,identify existing opportunities for promoting and integratingthis concept. At the national level, include the approach explicitly in COVID-19 education plans. Explore how to articulate TV and radio literacy sessions for adults and youth with remote learningprogrammes for children. To that end, apply a whole-family approach in the design, production anddelivery of remote lessons broadcast on TV or radio. Content should include fun activities in whichfamilies can engage and from which they can learn. Include topics around hygiene and nutrition,story-telling exercises, drawing, singing, and dancing. Age-appropriate and culturally sensitiveactivities can be crowdsourced and designed. These programmes should target the whole family,including grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, to reflect the realities of multigenerational households as well as of children living in different social contexts (such as the children of migrants). Encourage fathers and male family members to participate in learning with their childrenat home. Involve more literate family members in organizing literacy sessions for adults who havelow literacy skills. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Short- and medium-term, at policy and programme levels | Engage with multiple levels of education providers and other stakeholders,from localgovernment in cities and villages to local schools, early childhood education and development(ECED) centres, community libraries, NGOs and Community-Based Organizations (CSOs),universities, health centres, and private sectors to promote family and intergenerational learningpractices. At school level, raise awareness among school principals and teachers to promote thisapproach to learning together. Parent-teacher associations and school management boards couldexplicitly integrate such an approach with some useful and simple practical guides in locallanguages for families and parents for practising at home. CSOs and local committees are well positioned to carry out campaigns promoting family and intergenerational learning, as they areaware of local needs, can identify families in vulnerable situations that need further support, andare also influential in their communities. Work with these local health centres and faith organizations, which have a long reach into communities, to integrate family learning into existing programmes. Universities in cities, including student associations and unions, as well as individualacademics, can design and implement locally relevant programmes remotely. Identify culturalworkers and individuals who are popular in communities, such as local writers, actors andmusicians, to promote learning at home. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Long-term, at policy and programme level | Integrate a family approach into education system recovery and rebuilding plans, as well as intosocial policiesto address learning and literacy challenges of families. Make family andintergenerational learning a part of public policies and budgets. Within this framework, take a targeted approach to support, prioritizing families with children at risk of exclusion, learningpoverty, and children who have dropped out as a result of prolonged school closures and disengagement with teachers. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Long-term, at policy and programme level | Design and implement family and intergenerational learning programmes that are contextuallyrelevant and financially sustainable, built on existing educational and other social services in communities.There are different models and types of family and intergenerational learningprogrammes. Ensure this diversity reflects the needs of local communities and families. Providers,including local schools, health centres, community learning centres, and local libraries should beinvolved in the design and implementation of programmes. Develop specific instructional supportto meet the literacy learning needs of adults that include culturally relevant materials and local knowledge. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Long-term, at policy and programme level | Train educators and providers on family and intergenerational learning approaches and programmes.Allocate human and financial resources to enhance the capacities of programmedesigners and practitioners. Design short training modules for schoolteachers, early childhoodeducators, and adult educators on pedagogical strategies and learning materials. Such training materials can be developed with the support of teacher training institutes and adult education andtraining centres. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Long-term, at policy and programme level | Collaborate with other sectors, especially for vulnerable and disadvantaged families and communities. Encourage social welfare services and community groups to integrate family andintergenerational learning approaches in their existing programmes. For instance, countries such as Uganda and Kenya have Food for Education (FFE) programmes that aim to fight malnutrition andhunger while broadening access to primary education (IFPRI, 2011; WFP, 2017). Use these programmes as a possible entry point to reach vulnerable families and introduce them to the familylearning approach. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Long-term, at policy and programme level | Partner with universities and colleges, especially departments of education, sociology and publichealth, to integrate family and intergenerational learning concepts in their training and researchprogrammes. This will help to develop local training capacities and a knowledge base that is relevant and sensitive to local needs and challenges. By taking such a systematic approach to capacity building and knowledge production, it is possible to ensure the institutionalization of practices and programmes and contribute to system strengthening. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Long-term, at policy and programme level | Build a literate environment and promote a reading culture. As many communities and familiesstill do not have access to literate environments, encourage partnerships with public and privatepublishing houses to develop reading materials in local languages. Create an open resourcedatabase with reading materials. For communities without internet connectivity, develop, print anddistribute learning resource packages with step-by-step instructions to families in need. Make use of mobile library services to reach families and communities in rural communities and schools,factories and prisons (see, for example, Bibliobús in Nicaragua, in UIL, 2020). Organize regularfamily events in local community centres, schools, libraries and other community places to showcase different family learning and reading activities and practices. In major cities, organize family learning and reading events and festivals to bring together different stakeholders. Use localand national media platforms to promote such approaches and activities. | Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Manage the distance of new learning settings and provide remote supervision: Delivering educationremotely changes the learning settings, which leads to a physical and psychological separation anddistance between teachers and learners, and among peer learners. In the new learning settings,learners also gain more autonomy and teachers lose some opportunities for direct control and supervision. Supporting and engaging teachers and parents or caregivers to provide regular supervision can help reduce the sense of distance and disengagement, and manage the rules or disciplines needed for home-based learning. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Adjust formative assessment to improve remote monitoring of learning processes: Purposefully designed regular (daily or 2-3 times a week) formative assessments have proved an effective means to monitor learning processes and to inform the learner on their progress. This is particularly important for TV or radio-based distance learning. Adjustment of the methodologies and formats of formativeassessment (e.g. SMS based items and answers) is important to ensure that all students can receive thequestions and send back feedback. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Prepare teachers for pedagogical shifts and facilitate collaboration among teachers: Key to successfully shifting to distance learning is not only to train and support teachers, but also to promotecollaboration among teachers. Engaging teachers in the design of massive distance learning programmes, especially TV or radio programmes, can lead to best possible integration of technologyand pedagogical methodologies. Teachers should be supported on how to find solutions to common challenges such as supporting learners overcome distance and disengagement, adjusting instructionaldesign to motivate students and maintain engagement, and developing and sharing teaching andlearning resources and best teaching practices. Particular attention may be needed to retain female teachers with young children, who are coping with the double burden of domestic and teaching responsibilities. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Support disadvantaged groups: Learners with no access to household radio, TV, or connected digitaldevices, and students with disabilities are the most disadvantaged groups for distance learning programmes. Distance learning only supported through paper-based materials or offline content willoffer much less possibilities for interaction with teachers and other students, even though SMS throughfeature phones can be a remedy for simple forms of communication. Provision of grants to low-incomefamilies can support the most disadvantaged learners to have access to basic digital devices, andassistive tools can help students with disabilities. Harmful gender norms may lead to girls having a disadvantaged status in homes with less opportunities for accessing and using the limited number of household technological devices, and less learning time due to disproportionately more home careduties. Policies and measures should be taken to support gender-equitable access to householdlearning devices, and flexible programme scheduling and learning structures should be designed with a focus on being more inclusive to female students in difficult circumstances. Even it is not the focus of this issue note, learners in humanitarian crisis settings including children in refugee camps and thosewho are internally displaced need special support. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Boost the technological capacities of national distance learning platforms: Learning platforms managed by governmental, public agencies or universities, are key components of distance learning strategies. The services of platforms include supporting the delivery of lessons, hosting and managinglearning materials, and supporting teacher and learner communication. The bandwidth of these platforms needs to be upgraded based on an estimate of the increased number of simultaneous visitorsduring school closures. And functionalities in terms of supporting online teaching and learning or massive TV and radio programme broadcasts need to be enhanced as well. Courses and content of theplatforms should be intentionally designed to enable inclusive accessibility - meaning that they can becustomized and adjusted for individual needs, including students with disabilities. Useful principlesinclude Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (see Reference v) . With the use of distance learning platforms, it is imperative to review the data privacy regulations. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Curate and align open educational resources (OER) with national curriculum: It is suggested that ountries facing the challenge of making national curricula courses readily accessible for all grade levelsand subjects consider curating resources from major databases of open educational resources andaligning relevant resources with the national curriculum. OER courses and learning materials released in the public domain or under open licenses permit no-cost access and also encourage more dynamicsharing of resources among teachers (see Reference iv). To this effect, newly developed distance learning materials should also be released as open educational resources, and teachers should beprovided with tools and training to develop and share high quality materials | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Adjust curricular objectives and prioritize humanitarian social caring: Pandemics cause trauma,psychological stress, and negative emotional reaction. Before the provision of academic studies,mobilize available tools to ensure regular human interaction and enhance human connection to address the senses of loneliness, and provide social care assistance to address possible psychosocialchallenges that students may face when they are isolated or bereaved (see References vi, vii). Organize discussions with stakeholders to examine the possible duration of school closures and decide whetherthe distance learning programme should focus on teaching new knowledge or enhance students’knowledge of prior lessons. Define objectives of distance learning programmes around all key aspectsof national curricula and broader educational goals to avoid imbalanced emphasis on academic learning objectives. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Examine the readiness and choose the most relevant and context sensitive technological solutions: Decide on the use of high-technology and low-technology solutions based on the reliability of localpower supplies, internet connectivity, device ownership and digital skills of teachers and students. Thiscould range from online learning platforms, video lessons, online courses (MOOCs), to massivebroadcasting of radios or TVs programmes and the distribution of printed materials. Choose a mainstream technology to deliver curricular courses to students at certain grade levels and avoid asking students and teachers to navigate around many delivery systems or channels; for example, onlinelearning platforms as a mainstream distance learning solution for secondary schools, and TVprogrammes for primary schools supplemented by online resources and communicative tools. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Increase the technological and content preparedness to ensure the continuity of education and learning: Upgrade the bandwidth and functionalities of existing distance learning platforms or develop new ones to meet the significantly increased demands from teachers and students. Develop, adapt andcurate existing high quality OER courses to fill the gaps of curricula courses and materials to be delivered to teachers and students. Plan the schedule of studies depending on the level of studies, the needs of students, and the availability of learner support through parents and local communities.Select and recommend reliable applications that can provide teaching and learning services based onlocal languages, including learning management systems, video-conferencing applications, social mediaapplications, and feature phone-based SMS. When an online learning model is adopted, try to avoidoverloading and confusing students and parents by asking them to download and register for too manyapplications or platforms. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Ensure equity and inclusion: Implement measures to ensure that all students have access to distancelearning programmes, and to ensure inclusive access to distance learning opportunities for all learnerswithout harmful impact on the most vulnerable groups (see Reference i). Curricular courses should bemade accessible for learners with disabilities and those whose primary language is not the language of instruction in schools (e.g.New Zealand funds two TV channels to broadcast curricular content – one in English and one in Māori). Take quick measures to ensure all learners have access to courses beingdelivered remotely including temporarily decentralization of digital devices from computer labs or leasing digital devices to students from low-income families (e.g.the Lithuanian Education Ministryleases 35,000 computers to over 30,000 schoolchildren from the disadvantaged families), providing temporary free internet data packages, or granting a reduced date pricing or free access to educationalcontent. An option is to negotiate with telecom sectors to offer zero-rate educational traffic to nationallearning platforms and online learning service systems, institutional repositories, and digital library services (e.g. In South Africa, Internet Service Providers’ Association promotes zero-rating educationaltraffic during COVID-19 crisis). | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Protect learners’ privacy and data security: Ensure that the management of national platforms and theprivate providers of applications do not violate students’ personal privacy. This relates to data securitywhen uploading privacy sensitive data or educational resources to web spaces, as well as when sharingthem with other organizations or individuals. Take concrete measures to ensure ethical, non-discriminatory, and transparent use of learners’ data (e.g. R eference iii). Develop educational dataprotection regulations and only accredit services from vendors who adhere to such regulations. European Union’s Data Protection Regulation provides an example of terms on full transparent use of pr ivate data and the right to be forgotten, which allows records based on private data to be removed at any point in time. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Support teachers to plan and facilitate distance learning, and engage parents and caregivers: Organize quick trainings for teachers on the use of distance learning tools, and on the design and facilitation of distance learning activities in order to help them adapt to the new learning settings. Help teachers to prepare the basic facilities they will need for teaching from home, and for facilitating and monitoring learning remotely. Support local education supervisors and schools to engage parents or caregivers to manage home-based learning. Provide them with g uidance materials or develop rules together with parents and students on the management of daily home-based learning practices. Createcommunities of teachers, parents and school managers to keep regular information exchange, and to discuss coping strategies to key challenges (e.g.in Estonia,a Facebook group created for supportingremote e-learning). For families that do not have parents or caregivers available to look after students,provide safe caring spaces or provide financial support to families to access to private children caring services. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Blend student-centred teaching, monitoring and assessment methodologies to ensure effectiveness of distance learning: Guide teachers to design appropriate methodologies for the provision of onlineteaching, or for the organization and facilitation of learning based on TV or radio programmes or print-based materials. Design the duration of the distance learning units based on students’ self-regulationand metacognitive abilities, especially for screen-based learning - preferably, the unit for primaryschool students should not be more than 25 minutes, and no longer than 40 minutes for secondaryschool students. Improve students’ engagement through pedagogical approaches that are appropriate for their interests and cognitive abilities, including utilising possible group discussion, peer assistances, and peer assessment. Design formative questions, tests, or exercises to monitor closely students’learning processes. Encourage the use of available tools to support the submission of students’ answersor feedback, and avoid overloading parents by requesting them to scan and send students’ feedback. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Plan for sustainability and long-term goals: There will be a transition period back to more school-basedlearning settings during which some elements of distance teaching and learning practices will revert quickly back to face-to-face provision. Therefore, it is advisable to plan strategies which progress fromthe provision of rapid responses, to a transitional period, to a long-term goal of improved educationprovision systems. Looking to the future, actions now being taken to ensure the effectiveness of distance learning will lay a solid foundation for more technology-enhanced pedagogical innovations,more open and flexible learning environments, and a more vibrant education system. The long-termgoal should be to integrate key principles and key constituent elements for more inclusive, more open,and more resilient systems when education stabilises to a new normal. Key elements of the new normalinclude the enhanced accessibility for the most vulnerable groups, upgraded learning platforms,distance learning courses covering all grade levels and all subjects, and teachers’ improved capacities in designing remote teaching and facilitating distance learning. | Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Strengthen the leadership and meaningful participation of women and girls in decision-making processes to respond to COVID-19. During the Ebola crisis, women were less likely than men to have decision-making roles, and their needs were largely unmet in the outbreak response. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Ensure diverse distance learning solutions, such as radio-based and TV programmes in resource- poor environments. Such programmes retain links to education, support continuity of learning, and have been found to positively influence family and community attitudes on girls’ education. These programmes should challenge negative social norms and promote gender equality. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Address gendered access, including skills barriers and concerns around online safety, in the design of online distance learning. Evidence from low- and middle-income countries shows that parents give girls access to digital technology at a later age than their male peers and that their access is more curtailed or surveilled. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Work cross-sectorally to address the intersecting health, social and protection issues that affect adolescent girls’ education during crises. In Sierra Leone, a programme offering information on sexual and reproductive health, life and vocational skills, and microfinance facilitated girls’ continuity of learning. School re-enrolment rates among girls fell by 16% in non-intervention areas, compared to 8% in those with such a programme. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Adapt school opening policies and practices to expand access to marginalised groups following the crisis. As part of the reopening process, waive school fees and others costs to maximise re- enrolment, and invest in the expansion of sex-segregated toilets and water and hygiene measures. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Support girls’ and women’s access to learning programmes, including technical and vocational education and training, that enable access to the labour market and livelihood opportunities. Experience shows that health crises can trigger economic crises which affect women disproportionately, particularly in low-income countries. Mitigation measures are needed, including education programmes that build resilience, skills and the social capital needed to rebound. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Continue advocacy efforts in favour of girls’ education. In villages in Sierra Leone with established “girls’ clubs” and existing sensitization efforts to promote girls’ education, fewer girls experienced adverse effects and were more likely to continue their learning when schools reopened after Ebola. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Address harmful gender norms that may impact on disease vulnerability through health education. The current crisis shows that more men are dying from COVID-19 due to comorbidities linked to smoking and drinking alcohol and poor health-seeking behaviours – all associated with masculine norms. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Cash transfers and waiving of examination fees are effective strategies for encouraging girls’ re-enrolment and retention. Conditional cash transfers and scholarship programmes have been effective in keeping children, particularly girls, in education, including following the 2008-09 financial crisis. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Lessons from past practices and current crisis | Ground country responses in comprehensive gender analysis that considers gendered roles, responsibilities, and dynamics. Containment and mitigation measures must address the burden of unpaid care work, digital gaps and heightened GBV risks, particularly for women and girls. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Continuously assess the tradeoffs between higher protection from COVID-19 through school closure and reduced risk of economic, health, protection and education loss through school reopening, using a gender lens to provide a holistic view of the best interest of learners. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Strengthen the capacity of Ministries of education to collect sex-disaggregated data on participation in distance learning programmes, and on re-enrolment and survival rates when schools reopen: UNESCO’s strategy for gender equality in and through education calls for high quality timely and relevant data and evidence to inform policy-making, planning and delivery of strategic interventions. This information will help understand whether girls’ and boys’ participation and learning are on par with pre-crisis levels, and be used to take appropriate action. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Include gender as a core element of crisis planning and response: Ensure equitable representation of women and men in crisis-related decision-making and ensure gender expertise is mobilized at all levels of the education sector response. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Promote partnerships to address cross-cutting health, social and education issues that impact on continuity of learning and return to school: Coordinated responses, with clear benchmarks for school reopening are needed, that consider gender-related marginalization and exclusion. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Leverage teachers and communities: Work closely with teachers, school staff, parents and communities to ensure inclusive methods of distance learning are adopted and communicated to call for continued investments in girls’ learning. Community sensitization on the importance of girls’ education should continue as part of any distance learning programme. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Narrow the gender digital divide: In contexts where digital solutions to distance learning and internet is accessible, ensure that girls are trained with the necessary digital skills, including the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe online. Parents must also be engaged to support equal learning opportunities for their children, and to dismantle gendered stereotypes about digital skills. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Strengthen comprehensive sexuality education programmes in both traditional and virtual formats to reduce girls and young women’s vulnerability to early and unintended pregnancy, HIV and gender-based violence, contributing to school re-enrolment and retention. These programmes should continue when schools reopen, and include referrals to sexual and reproductive health services and access to modern contraception for young people. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Safeguard vital services: The most vulnerable children and youth miss out on vital services when schools are closed, specifically school meals and social protection. Make schools access points for psychosocial support and food distribution, work across sectors to ensure alternative social services, and ensure other measures to prevent boys and girls from poorer households resorting to paid and risky work to supplement family incomes. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Engage young people: Give space to youth, particularly girls, to shape the decisions made about their education. Include them in the development of strategies and policies around school closures and distance learning based on their experiences and needs. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Ensure return to school: By some estimates, up to 10 million more secondary school age girls could be out of school after the crisis has passed. Automatic promotion and appropriate opportunities in admissions processes must be considered to ensure return to school, and recognise the particular challenges faced by girls. Outreach, catch-up courses, accelerated learning and other financial support may be necessary to ensure girls return to school and continue their education. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |
| Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions | Continue to expand communities of practice and promote learning on what works, and support financing for equitable, evidence-informed action. UNESCO must continue to play its role as a laboratory of ideas, and leverage its convening power and institutional priority of gender equality to support continued action with the aim to achieve SDG 4 and leave no one behind. | Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures | |