Keep Children Learning: Distance Education in No/Low Tech Areas.

• In Event: Reimagining Education for a Better Globalized World

Proposal

The overwhelming response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s global disruption of education was provision of online learning, with little focus on children with limited or no internet access, thus leaving millions of children without access to education [1]. This laid bare what some ignored, what some suspected, and what some of us already knew. Today’s conventional education systems are not capable of reaching all children. And, one size does not fit all! EAC’s partners and many others negated the assumption that education stops when school closes. Education does, and must, take place beyond the four walls of the classroom.

Recognizing the need for continued equitable learning opportunities, Educate A Child’s partner projects applied to keep the most marginalized children learning. This paper explores these approaches, identifies and profiles effective mitigation strategies, and describes lessons learnt and emerging or promising practices for better crisis preparedness and recovery aimed at supporting continued access to equitable education for the hardest-to reach [2] children during school closures.

This paper draws on three key sources to examine practical approaches to education and learning during COVID-19 across multiple countries with differing contexts and constraints:

1. A project-based webinar series, that analyzed the role of distance learning, communities, parents, and teachers in ten EAC partner projects, in order to Keep Children Learning during the pandemic.
2. The results from a case study of six selected partners [3].
3. Project technical reports and adaptation requests in response to the pandemic.

Partners employed a variety of low- and no-tech options, including radio, mobile phones, teacher visits, paper, and locally-made or available learning materials. Strategies employed ranged between self-learning and teacher-guided approaches. Under some approaches, children listened to lessons or completed learning materials at home, whereas others convened in person in small groups under the guidance of a teacher or facilitator.

Partners helped parents redefine their role as learning facilitators, ensuring capacity and confidence to monitor and motivate learning at home. The partners helped teachers adapt their roles and methods. Teachers and students engaging as learning co-creators allowed for individualized approaches based on each child’s level and pace.

Partners recognized the importance of leveraging existing project structures to launch these approaches quickly building on their community networks, thereby creating a model through which governments can work mobilize quick responses in emergencies.

EAC partners faced numerous difficulties. The challenges included:
1. Partners found measuring learning a challenge.

2. Health and safety concerns were predominant. Country systems and structures were ill-prepared and had to adjust immediately.

3. Appropriate technology varies from context to context.

4. Sensitizing communities, supporting parents, linking and coordinating with governments, and identifying strong organizational networks were all critical to create awareness and enabling successful interventions and continued learning.

5. Designing, training, and planning for pandemic learning approaches is complex, takes time and resources and comes with greater challenges.

6. Use of M&E to help make critical adjustments, for effective interventions helped demonstrate learning results and incentivize participation.

COVID-19 taught the importance of leveraging past experience. Those who were already focused on helping children overcome barriers to education were able to use the creative strategies already employed to reach the most marginalized to keep children learning during the pandemic.

The paper’s findings highlight:

• the need to redefine education systems from what takes place in and around school buildings to include the schools, teachers, parents and the community as co-facilitators of learning.

• the importance of training teachers to engage and work with parents and communities and to help children develop readiness to learn on their own.

• that parents are key participants in education, by ensuring their children attend school and supporting them at home.

• that distance education is not defined by the Internet—at least not for more than half of the world’s children! Radio is not obsolete, and that pencil and paper as forms of education technology can be just as powerful as a laptop or tablet.

One stark reality highlighted by the pandemic is the equity gap in services and accessibility for those already marginalized in society. Furthermore, we need to ensure that what is learned from COVID-19 education response can be adapted to future crises that may impact the learning of so many millions. While the pandemic forced a new reality, creative and committed education providers, teachers, families and communities sought ways to meet the challenges and adapt learning environments to continue providing effective education for children. The lessons learned need not end with the pandemic but instead prompt new thinking about effective ways to reach all children with equitable educational opportunities.

COVID-19 pandemic must be seen as a wakeup call to the world’s view of, and response to, education. Education systems must include more flexible teaching and learning opportunities for children so that they can learn where physically possible, at the appropriate level, and with the tools and technology available to them.


Footnotes.
1. UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank; Joint Surveys, 2020.
2. In this document, the term “hardest-to-reach” has been used with reference to the specific subgroup of formerly out of school children whose learning was disrupted by COVID-19, and who could not access learning opportunities (where/if they existed) delivered through digital platforms including TV and radio.
3. A technical partner (service provider, FHI360) was contracted to undertake this case study.

Author

• Noor Muhammad Ansari, Education Above All Foundation