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Crisis upon a crisis: COVID-19 and the education emergency
Zoe Cohen is the Secretariat Coordinator of the International
Parliamentary Network for Education (IPNEd), the first global
parliamentary network dedicated to education. IPNEd seeks to grow
and deepen political understanding of and commitment to inclusive
and equitable quality education for all.
In mid-April 2020, 1.6 billion children and young people found their
education disrupted. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic forced
schools and education institutions across the world to close, leaving
learners in over 190 countries to contend with severe interruptions to
their education.
As countries across the world have implemented pandemic-response
strategies, the return to, or continued closure of, schools has remained
contentious. The International Parliamentary Network for Education
(IPNEd) has been supporting MPs to navigate the implications of
COVID-19 for education. Whilst there is no zero-risk strategy for the
reopening of schools, a lot can be done to ensure they are safe places
to learn.
In Argentina, IPNEd member Diputada Brenda Lis Austin has led a
powerful campaign for the return of face-to-face teaching 1, and on
17 February 2021 children from five of Argentina’s regional districts
began to return to school for the first time in almost a year 2. In some
countries, school reopening was strongly prioritised in government
response plans. Sierra Leone, for example, supported by learnings
from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, authorised the reopening of all schools
by 5 October 2020 3.
However, for millions of children, the reopening of schools does not
mean a return to learning. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, 258
million children and young people were already out of school 4.
Characteristics including gender, disability and ethnicity have played
a significant role in children’s likelihood to attend and remain in
school. Moreover, 330 million children were in school but not learning
the basics 5.
Children affected by displacement, crises and emergencies face
additional and protracted obstacles to education. In 2019, over half of
all school-age refugee children were out of school 6.
Projections have found that the pandemic will substantially increase
the number of children out of school for the first time in decades. The
Malala Fund has estimated that half of refugee girls in secondary
school will not return to school due to COVID-19 7.
For most children around the world, COVID-19 presented an
unprecedented education emergency. For refugee and crisis-affected
children, disrupted learning is commonplace. For these children,
COVID-19 is a crisis upon a crisis.
Although the global recovery from the pandemic remains
unpredictable, education responses must build on lessons from
COVID-19 to strengthen education system resilience, implement
learner-centred remedial programmes, and retain a focus on the
children left furthest behind.
International support for and investment in Education Cannot Wait,
the only global fund dedicated to education in emergencies and
protracted crises, will also be crucial to securing an equitable return
to learning.
Political leadership at each of the national, regional and international
levels will be vital to ensuring a sustainable recovery from COVID-19.
IPNEd is supporting parliamentarians to champion education,
reaching across political divides, regions and the world. In the National
Assembly of Pakistan, for example, IPNEd Regional Representative for
Asia, MNA Mehnaz Akber Aziz, has been working with her colleagues
to advocate for the prioritisation of education and the furthest behind
in the COVID-recovery.
In a post-COVID world, the political will to ensure children can access
learning must be redoubled.
For marginalised children, and particularly those affected by crises
and emergencies, COVID-19 has not created an education emergency,
it has exacerbated a pre-existing one.
IPNEd is working with MPs to ensure that as the world recovers from
the global health crisis, the education emergency is not forgotten.
With less than a decade left to achieve SDG 4, a generation of children
may never return to school. The international community must come
together and redouble our commitment to ensuring the return to
school and learning truly is, for all.
1
twitter.com/brendalisaustin/status/1359294032376180738?s=20
2
batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/schools-in-argentina-finally-re-open-doors-for-students.phtml
3
snradio.net/ministry-of-basic-education-issues-official-school-re-opening-guidelines/
4
uis.unesco.org/en/topic/out-school-children-and-youth
5
report.educationcommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Learning_Generation_Full_
Report.pdf
6
www.unhcr.org/steppingup/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2019/09/Education-Report-2019-
Final-web-9.pdf
7
www.globalpartnership.org/blog/displacement-girls-education-and-covid-19
Article from Engage issue 22.
BY ZOE COHEN • July 9, 2021
Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.
The outlook for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on global education is far from rosy. But a gloomy future isn’t inevitable. Disappointing statistics are the result of political choices that can be shifted and there are thousands of youth, grassroots activists and civil society organisations across the UK advocating for global education to make these changes. We need more people involved to build the momentum, we need to make a difference in challenging circumstances. You can help! Here’s how; Making global education a UK priority The UK is an important donor and champion for global education. However, education has been gradually deprioritised on the development agenda. Global education spending has plummeted from 13.5% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2013 to just 3.5% in 2023, and education was one of the sectors hit hardest by the abandonment of the 0.7% gross national income (GNI) target for ODA. With Labour’s annual budget confirming another reduction in the aid budget, funding for global education is under threat of being cut even further unless we stand together to say this can’t happen. While education is a domestic priority for the new Government, it has yet to emerge as a strong theme in their development agenda. As the Labour Party continues to develop their approach there is a unique opportunity for advocates to connect these dots and make the case for why education must be a key part of the Government’s international plans. For the Government to take action it needs to hear demand for change. There are many issues MPs recognise are important, but if they do not hear about these issues from constituents it can be hard for MPs to be vocal about them in Parliament. Following an election where many parliamentary seats were won with tight margins, MPs need to hear from the people they represent that global education must be on their agenda. With over half of MPs elected for the first time this year, many are actively looking for a steer on what issues to work on. We can give them one! How to Get Involved Write to your MP about why global education needs to be a bigger priority for the UK Government and encourage members of groups you are a part of, such as your union branch or a local community group, to do the same. This can have a real impact on your MP’s interest and ability to act for global education. You can also connect with other grassroots activists and get resources for taking action from international development advocacy organisations like Results UK. You can learn more about Results UK’s grassroots network on our website. If you are a teacher, get your school involved in the Send My Friend to School Campaign (SMF). Send My Friend is a UK civil society coalition advocating for SDG4 which supports a mass UK schools campaign to amplify student voices calling for universal quality education in solidarity with their peers around the world. Free campaign packs are available on the SMF website for primary and secondary levels with everything teachers need to run the campaign in their school. Parliamentarians can learn more about education issues and how to act by joining the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education, a cross-party group that brings together Parliamentarians interested in the right to education and provides them with knowledge and resources to be champions of the issue. By joining our voices through collective action, we can make a real difference in moving the needle on this issue. Together we have a chance to rechart the course for the realisation of quality education for all. BIOGRAPHY Hannah Frisch is the Senior Policy and Parliamentary Advocacy Officer for Education at Results UK and a Co-Chair of the Send My Friend to School Policy and Parliamentary Working Group. She is a policy advisor for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education in the UK Parliament.
Last year the Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the work of The Federation of Drama Schools by providing financial aid to new graduates, enabling them to take part in an industry showcase at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The showcase is an annual event for Irish graduates who have completed a professional training at one of the Federation’s partner conservatoires in the UK, introducing young actors to the industry they hope to work in. The Federation of Drama Schools partners are institutions that provide conservatoire vocational training for those who want to be professional performers, theatre makers and technical theatre practitioners. The courses they offer are for students of eighteen years and over, who have completed their school level education. In November (2024) fourteen young Irish graduates took part in the showcase and the SSF provided financial support to two graduates who may not otherwise have been able to take part in this showcase, which is a bridge between training and their professional career. Melanie Lavery from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama is one of those who benefitted from this support. Melanie writes of her experience. I would like to say a huge thank you to the Steve Sinnott Foundation for the support I received, making it possible for me to take part in the Dublin Showcase 2024. The opportunity allowed me to work with graduates from across FDS schools and widen my contacts in the industry. Coming from a socio-economically deprived area, I’ve often missed out on opportunities available to my peers. I have had to spend a lot of energy during my three years in drama school working to support myself and this has meant I often don’t have time to follow up network opportunities. In receiving this sponsorship and taking part in the showcase I have been able to connect with other Irish creatives - the people I am acting opposite, directors, casting directors and agents in the industry. These industry showcases are so important for graduates. It gives us the possibility of networking with industry professionals and hopefully the opportunity of taking that first crucial step into the profession we have trained for. As I studied in Wales, it gave me the chance to return to Ireland and to reach out to creatives there. The Foundation gave me this amazing opportunity to kick start my career in my home country. On the day of the showcase, I had such pride watching my fellow Irish peers performing on stage at Ireland’s National Theatre. Working together throughout the rehearsal period, I got to know them individually and we all helped each other to grow as performers. This showcase has helped me to create my own community of actors around me. When it came to talking with other creatives after the show case, I became so much more aware of how large and welcoming the industry is in Ireland and how much work is being produced here. I think this show case is so important as it highlights how vibrant and growing the industry is in Ireland. I feel so lucky that I was able to take part thanks to the help of the Steve Sinnott Foundation. For more information on the Federation of Drama Schools, professional industry showcases, and it’s partner schools please visit www.federationofdramaschools.co.uk
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