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Mapping the recovery and transformation agenda

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for years to come. With 1.5 billion students affected and at least 463 million without access to distance learning, education inequalities are widening and young people around the world suffer more from their studies than would have been expected without the disruption to schooling. No wonder it lags far behind. Of course, because schools offer more than academics, children’s mental and physical health also suffer. Schools are a place to connect with peers and other adults in the community, and where many receive much-needed nutritional support. It has been on the global agenda for months. The UN Secretary-General has called for 2022 to be the year when the UN General Assembly will convene the Transforming Education Summit (TES) this September and turn attention to transforming the education system in the wake of the pandemic. Take advantage of this political moment.

However, in order to keep education on the global agenda after TES, the global education community needs to understand the importance of education and, more importantly, how education stakeholders can work together in education jurisdictions around the world. We must unite around a shared story about how we can work together and meet the challenges at hand. From the climate crisis to the rise of violence and conflict, to rising economic inequalities, to the spread of fake news through increasingly sophisticated technologies, there are many key priorities that are trying to get the attention of heads of state and finance ministers. A broad, inclusive, and relevant education system that helps develop academic, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills can help address many of the world’s crises and stay ahead of the current pace through climate change and digital literacy education. essential to prepare those left behind. Above all, economic progress in the world of work. Ensuring that this message is heard consistently by national leaders around the world is an essential part of transforming the energies leading up to the TES into lasting change afterward.

To achieve this, to facilitate discussion among stakeholders in the global education ecosystem, and to unite to make the most of this political moment for change, the Center for Universal Education: We have mapped the various topics and discussions raised by stakeholders. At TES pre-meetings in Paris and beyond. Different actors working on different agendas is a sign that the education sector is rich, not a problem in itself. The problem is that educators in countries and jurisdictions around the world compete for attention and resources, diluting the clear urgency of senior leadership and lacking the energy and momentum needed to embark on a profound educational transformation. Occurs when you risk fragmentation. Sustainable education system change requires deep partnerships across many levels, including actors working on complementary agendas.

The mapping found a difference between those working on post-pandemic recovery as their most urgent priority and those working towards the broader transformation agenda. Clearly you want both, but comparing one vision to the other ultimately doesn’t help. Fortunately, there is precedent in the global education community coming together to create shared narratives that accommodate different visions. This brief starts here. In the first section, more than a decade ago, the global education community identified those most concerned about the unfinished business of increasing access to education and those most interested in tackling poverty. To make the connection, I’ll take the process that created the shared narrative of Access and Learning. Learning outcomes of students already in school. The second section turns to discussion of some of the agendas that have been prominently discussed in relation to the TES process. While there are many important agendas and it is not possible to cover them all in this brief, we have focused on those that have been repeatedly discussed and around them. Finally, hoping to help consolidate the discussion of recovery and transformation, the final section presents his three main points for stakeholders in the global education ecosystem to consider and consider for further discussion. I suggest a point.

Ultimately, bringing diverse educators together on shared priorities is critical to ensure that this moment is not wasted, and will instead be supported in the years to come. It will be used for real work of education system transformation.

Read the full policy brief »

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