Over the past decade, the industry for education technology – commonly known under its portmanteau ‘EdTech industry’ – has grown steadily. A recent market review also suggests that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a positive impact on EdTech, even though overall spending on education and training has taken a hit during the crisis. (OECD Education and Skills Today)
UNESCO’s new publication Towards inclusion in education: status, trends and challenges: the UNESCO Salamanca Statement 25 years on looks at the past, present and future to guide the further development of inclusive national policies and practices. The publication recommends actions to strengthen national policies, curriculum, assessment, teacher education and budgets. (UNESCO)
Many of the largest education gaps are found in crisis-affected settings, it is estimated that 75 million children aged 3-18 years living in 35 crisis-affected countries are in the most desperate need of educational support. In order to achieve SDG 4, education systems must respond to these challenges. Better data and evidence for education in emergencies is a vital part of this response. (UNESCO)
Celebrating the central role of teachers to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s World Teachers’ Day (5 October) highlights the need for better training, professional development and leadership skills to mitigate learning disparities and support inclusive education at all levels through the recovery and beyond. (UNESCO)
The OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) identifies collaboration as one of the five pillars of teacher professionalism. TALIS helps to identify the prevalence of teacher collaboration in different parts of the world and what it means for the wider dimensions of teachers’ work. (OECD Education and Skills Today)
Developed by UNESCO IIEP, this online platform allows planners and policy-makers to access free of charge more than 500 policy options for educational management and planning, based on the needs identified in their country. The tool facilitates the development of education sector plans and the formulation of evidence-based policies. (UNESCO IIEP)
While global leaders address remotely the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, UNESCO calls on the international community to prioritize building resilient education systems at a high-level side event “Education During Covid-19 and Beyond: The Global Education Coalition in Action”. The event brought together Heads of States and intergovernmental organizations, ministers, teachers, learners and representatives from the private sector from across the global community to outline best responses to the short and long term challenges. (UNESCO)
Today, over 875 million of the world’s students remain affected by the COVID-19-related school closures, with the majority in Sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, UNESCO estimates that 23.8 million learners from pre-primary to tertiary education may be at risk of not returning to school, including 11.2 million girls and young women. (UNESCO)
UNESCO will host a virtual presentation and discussion of the measures, best practices and achievements implemented by its newly created Global Education Coalition in helping countries ensure education continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic, on 25 September, 10am to 11:30am, New York time (UTC-4). The event will present the progress report about UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition achievements and discuss lessons learned in responding to requests from more than 70 countries during the pandemic. (UNESCO)
COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented context that has brought to the fore teacher leadership, creativity and innovation. Globally, in contexts ranging from places where teachers and learners have no computers, or internet access, to others where online learning took a great leap forward, teachers have worked individually and collectively to find solutions and create new learning environments for their students. (UNESCO)
The COVID-19 education disruption has been dramatically exacerbating learning inequalities across the globe. The Global Education Coalition is a platform for collaboration and exchange to protect the right to education during this unprecedented disruption and beyond. It brings together more than 150 members from the UN family, civil society, academia and the private sector to ensure that learning never stops. (UNESCO)
While the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge for educational systems worldwide, it also brought much needed attention to the importance of connectivity and the use of digital technologies for teaching and learning in an open schooling context. A new report published by the Broadband Commission looks into connecting primary and secondary schools to the Internet. (UNESCO)