Capacity of government and communities to save lives: The role of education systems in responding to COVID-19 and other threats

The aim of this briefing document is to foreground how education systems may be mobilised to respond to COVID-19 and to stimulate discussion around how this can be achieved in South Africa. In our view, preparations for an impending viral outbreak include non-pharmacological interventions that entail actions intended to prevent, limit or slow the spread of the virus and thereby curtail its impact. Education systems, in particular, should mobilise to respond in the context of the growing threat of COVID-19, but also more widely. See JET bulletin March 2020.