with students using an integrated platform that combines TV, radio, print and online resources. Authorities have adapted the curriculum to focus on essential skills and resilience. Drivers affecting school reopening The decision to reopen schools is very complex, often rendering policymakers, school administrations, parents, and teachers in circuitous debates about lost opportunities and managed risks. Children’s health as well as that of the community have also become paramount to the discussion, along with the longterm consequences on children’s health/wellbeing and learning losses, and the exacerbation of inequalities that hurt the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. Consultations with teachers, parents, students and communities are also important to ensure that the decision is context specific and is informed or tailored by the concerns and suggestions of key actors. Figure 1 below summarizes the preconditions and trends among measures taken by countries who have decided to reopen schools. Figure 1: Common Trends and Policies in countries who have started to reopen schools
Ensure quality of learning, regardless of mode of delivery As a measure of mitigating the impact of school closures on learning, and to support their student populations, over 160 countries moved to some type of remote learning by end of March 2020. In the coming weeks, as systems resume or begin a new school year, many of them are planning to continue with this mode, either exclusively or as a as a complementary measure that supports smaller class sizes and less physical presence in classrooms. However, as the recent global human experience has already shown, remote learning poses many challenges in implementation, measurement of its effectiveness, and in reaching disadvantaged children. So not surprisingly, disparities abound in access and quality. The UN Institute for Statistics and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that 40% of students whose schools are closed today do not have access to the internet. To address these gaps, most countries have opted for multi-modal approaches that include high tech, low-tech and/or traditional paper-based dissemination. To increase accessibility, some governments are distributing digital devices and improving connectivity options. This is the case in Croatia, where telecommunications providers have agreed to distribute SIM cards to low income students so that they can have free internet access. Similarly, Kazakhstan is introducing unlimited access to 380 domestic educational platforms and resources through a tariff plan "Bilim" (knowledge) provided by all mobile operators for students and teachers. Keep students engaged, teachers healthy, and communities safe
