Education as the path to a sustainable recovery from COVID-19
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Education as the path to a sustainable recovery from COVID‑19 Radhika Iyengar1
© UNESCO IBE 2020
Abstract COVID-19 has disrupted education for millions of children across the globe. The education community is re-imagining and re-designing to build back better. This Viewpoint takes the principles behind UNESCO’s Futures of Education initiative to highlight their importance in post-COVID-19 recovery. The pandemic has shown how communities can come together to educate children. The article argues that, post-COVID-19, education systems should recognize community-driven support systems, use technology to overcome the digital divide in learning, and focus more on SDG 4.7 and its links to climate crises. Keywords Sustainable development · SDG4 · Crisis · Community Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, many children in developing countries, especially middle school girls, will probably never return to school. Even if health ministries flatten the COVID-19 death rate, we can expect the broader learning crisis to peak for many countries. However, many in the education community treat COVID-19 as an opportunity to build back better—to re-imagine and re-design education for the future. For example, at UNESCO’s Futures of Education Commissioners meeting on June 19, 2020 (Juneteenth, a US holiday commemorating the end of slavery), global education leaders discussed the growing role of digital technology, how to reach the most vulnerable students, and how to design a meaningful curriculum for the future, one grounded in global citizenship and sustainable development. Sahle-Work Zewde, the visionary President of Ethiopia, co-presided over the meeting with UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education, Stefania Giannini. Their efforts give further evidence that good things are bound to emerge when women lead. The world would greatly benefit from more women leaders. The nine guiding
* Radhika Iyengar [email protected] 1
Center for Sustainable Development, Earth Institute, Columbia University, 61 Claremont Avenue #1040, New York, NY 10027, USA
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principles presented by the Commission on UNESCO Futures of Education formed the framework for the meeting. All the Commissioners agreed with these principles. In this Viewpoint I present several of these principles and some community-based practice examples, along with suggestions on how to move forward. First, the Commissioners agreed that we have not utilized digital technology’s full potential (Principle #6, UNESCO 2020). The Digital Divide is real, but digital technologies can be a great unifier if there is universal access to connectivity and digital tools. All children must be ensured access to the digital world. Broadband connectivity must thus be made available to all schools, free of charge. UNESCO’s ITU Broadband Commission must ramp up its efforts immediately to include all major technology companies in this project. The costs of coverage for schools must be slashed to enable universal coverage. Every village must have the electrici
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