Infection rates fluctuate across communities, as does capacity of healthcare systems education systems vary in both structure and performance and different communities have distinct cultural values that inform decision making. There isn’t one right set of answers to these questions.
New forms of collaboration and communication may also be needed with other government agencies, with nongovernmental organizations, and-importantly-with parents. Maintaining a crisis nerve center through the process and beyond can enable a coordinated response through strong leadership, effective operations, and systems for ongoing data-processing and monitoring. These tasks will require resources and capabilities that many systems lack. Preparing means being ready for multiple waves of closures and reopening, which will entail blending remote and in-person learning. Systems must also plan for local or national viral resurgence. Students who lacked devices, internet access, or parental support-or who were already behind when the crisis began-will likely need the most help. Students who do return to school may need significant work to catch up on academics, especially in school systems that struggled to roll out effective remote learning. Previous crises suggest that girls in developing countries are especially at risk of not returning to school. As schools reopen, some students may not return to class, for instance, because of parental concern about ongoing health risks, student leakage to the workforce to support financially struggling families, or student disengagement after frustrating remote learning experiences. New partnerships may help build capabilities for these tasks. What health and safety measures should schools adopt on reopening?īesides safely reopening schools, education systems will have a daunting task in reenrolling students, helping students recover lost learning, and preparing for viral resurgence.
Parents and teachers are understandably wary. However, reopening schools carries the public health risk of viral resurgence. Schools provide not just learning and social support for students but also, crucially, childcare, without which many parents cannot return to work. In geographies beginning to emerge from the first wave of COVID-19 cases, the question of reopening schools is front of mind for many stakeholders. Countries around the world remain at very different points of the COVID-19 pandemic, which means they face varying challenges, from overwhelmed healthcare systems to growing economic despair.