Theme 6: Post-disaster schooling - rethinking education systems and building back better

Thematic lead: Virgilio Juvane
Peer Reviewer: Michael Noa (SPC) and Prof Dennis Conrad (TBC)
Lead Organisation: Commonwealth Secretariat (ComSec)

Background

How countries managed their education system during a disaster and the steps they took to re-establish normality. Policy responses to make education systems stronger and more inclusive than in the pre-COVID 19 period. 3 stages (World Bank)? Coping, to reduce learning loss while schools are closed;

Managing Continuity, to promote learning recovery as schools reopen;

Improving and Accelerating, to use the innovative policy responses from the earlier phases to make education systems stronger and more inclusive than in the pre-COVID period.

Objectives/Key Research Questions

• How to ensure that in a bid to try to ensure that students do not fall behind on their education, it is not done at the detriment of their health, as well as ensuring that all are afforded the same opportunity to continue on with their studies?
• What gaps has the current covid19 crisis shown in the structure and delivery of teaching approaches that have proved to exclude some? How to overcome and ensure that post disaster, as well as in future, this does not repeat itself? 

Limitations

• The possibility of the event being recent, therefore makes it difficult to analyse and draw very founded recommendations on rethinking and rebuilding back better.

*Picture courtesy of The Commonwealth Secretariat