Crises and the COVID-19 pandemic: education responses and choices during times of disruptions
III. Summary and synthesis of the report Drawing on information from a desk-based review, documentation, including policy analysis and semi-structured interviews, this report synthesizes the education policy responses of various global regions during the time of COVID-19, focusing subsequently on the African continent. This section summarises the overall key findings and reflects on how several of the challenges reported can be mitigated or improved. Sensitivity to context is always acknowledged. Moreover, it needs to be acknowledged at the outset that one of the most important effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has generalised the education experience of the marginalised and the impoverished to all, with the already marginalised bearing the brunt of these negative effects. Refugees have always experienced education disruption; children living in conflict and fragile contexts have limited and irregular access to equitable and quality education; and natural disasters have adversely impacted education. What the report highlights is that even though the already marginalised are more affected, the wealthy were not unscathed. It is a telling reminder of how inequality, conflict, natural disaster and fragility impact the learning experiences of children, youth and adults. We synthesise the findings across three areas. First we deal with the macro effects, how policies are made and who is involved. Secondly, we consider several specific education choices during the pandemic, including curriculum, assessment and teacher professional development. We conclude by arguing that the crisis must result in building back a better and more ‘just normal’ rather than a ‘new normal’ which simply entrenches existing education inequities. In particular, we advocate for the idea of education as a public good underpinned by a social justice, radical, humanist education agenda.
1. Education policy-making The effects of COVID-19 – socially, politically and economically – have been felt around the world as the global economy is “estimated to contract by 2.8% in 2020” (Buheji et al., 2020, p. 213). Not only has the pandemic wrought closures of institutions and lockdowns of 183
