Building resilient education systems beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Second set of considerations
Set of considerations to address the most pressing priorities and mitigate the most significant risks to ensure that all children and young people participate in high-quality, inclusive and safe learning.
Highlights
Education has been significantly disrupted in Europe and Central Asia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unequal access to and varied quality of remote and hybrid learning during the first 18 months of the pandemic have slowed students’ learning and widened equity gaps between students. The pandemic has also significantly impacted the well-being and mental health of students, teachers and parents.
UNICEF has advocated for schools to be among the last institutions to close and the first to reopen when it is safe to do so and has called for joint coordination across sectors and partners to keep schools open and children, teachers and families safe.
This document, Building resilient education systems beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Second set of considerations for school reopening, aims to support education decision-makers at national, local and school levels to plan for education recovery and normalisation following the 2020 school closures and continuing education disruption in 2021. It provides a set of considerations to address the most pressing priorities and mitigate the most significant risks to ensure that all children and young people participate in high-quality, inclusive and safe learning. The Considerations apply to access, learning, well-being, safety in schools and nutrition.
A previous set of Considerations used for 2020 is also available for download.
Files available for download
Relevant links
The Considerations were developed in consultation with programming specialists from Education and other relevant sections in UNICEF and were based on the most recent available evidence and international guidance to support a safe return to school during and beyond the pandemic. Some of these links are listed below:
- WHO Regional Office for Europe (2021), Schooling during COVID-19: Recommendations from the European Technical Advisory Group for schooling during COVID-19 health through the COVID-19 crisis. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.
- UNICEF, The World Bank Group, UNESCO (2020) Global Guidance on Reopening Early Childhood Education Settings.
- UNESCO, UNICEF, Plan Intl, UNGEI, Malala Fund (2020) Building Back Equal: Girls back to school guide
- UNHCR (2020) COVID-19 Refugees’ Return to Schooling Guidelines.
- The World Bank, Bazaldua, D. L., Levin, V. and Liberman, J. (2020), Guidance note on using learning assessment in the process of school reopening.
- UNICEF (2021) Practical Guide to Blended/Remote Learning and Children with Disabilities
- UNICEF (2020), Monitoring Distance Learning During School Closures.
- UNICEF (2020), Operational Guidance for Implementation and Adaptation of MHPSS Activities for Children, Adolescents and Families.
- UNICEF EAPRO (2020) COVID-19: Integration of Child Protection in Return to School. Tips for Teachers and School Management
