Regional perspectives on education system resilience: Insights from the Pacific, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

With the decline of the COVID-10 pandemic and schools reopening, many educational stakeholders have renewed the call to build back better by strengthening education system resilience. This renewed focus aims to prepare education systems for future shocks and disruptions arising from a wide range of sources, including public health emergencies, climate change, globalization, demographic shifts, prolonged political conflicts, population displacement, emerging educational technologies, and artificial intelligence. In response to these growing challenges, education policies and programs have increasingly adopted the concept of resilience to help education systems respond to and recover from crises and adapt to evolving conditions (Kelcey et al., 2023). Yet, despite its growing prominence—particularly in international development discourse following the COVID-19 crisis—there remains little consensus on what education system resilience actually means, both in theory and in practice (Cameron et al., 2024). This conceptual ambiguity presents significant obstacles for policymakers and practitioners seeking to implement meaningful resilience-building initiatives.

In existing literature, terms such as ‘crisis-sensitive educational planning’ and ‘disaster risk reduction’ tend to be more common than education system resilience. However, despite the varied terminology, there is broad consensus that effective crisis planning is a key feature of resilient education systems (Cameron et al., 2024). Policies that integrate disaster risk reduction, crisis-sensitive planning, and climate change considerations are generally seen as evidence of education system resilience. The literature also distinguishes between different levels of resilience. At the individual level—particularly in psychological research—resilience refers to a person’s ability to cope with and recover from adversity. Education is seen as instrumental in fostering this kind of individual resilience among children and youth through respective education practices. At the systems level, resilience takes on a broader scope. It emphasizes the responsibility of systems stakeholders to ensure that all learners have access to the resources and support needed to build their own resilience. This systems approach acknowledges that individual resilience cannot develop in isolation; it depends on institutional structures and supportive environments.

In practice, education system resilience remains a developing and evolving concept. The COVID-19 pandemic marked a key turning point, raising awareness and deepening understanding of the need for resilience—even though many countries had already implemented relevant measures in the past. Research shows that in low- and middle-income countries there is a wide range of measures, whether currently in place or lacking and required, that countries consider key to building the resilience of their education systems (Cameron et al., 2024). These measures mostly focus on responding to crises and emergencies, particularly natural disasters and conflict. However, efforts to build resilience are often constrained by immediate challenges. Many countries prioritize short-term responses over long-term planning, and there is typically limited capacity for anticipating and preparing for future disruptions. As a result, risk planning remains weak. Additionally, research highlights a lack of attention to marginalized groups in planning processes and policy documents, suggesting that resilience efforts often overlook equity considerations.

This panel seeks to contribute to addressing the above gaps by presenting findings from a large, multi-country research initiative—the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX) Observatory on Education System Resilience—that aims to examine the meanings and practices of education system resilience in low- and middle-income countries. Drawing on the review of different education documents and primary data collected from key relevant education stakeholders, the panel will share findings from GPE partner countries from three regions—Latin America and the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. It will highlight Southern and Indigenous perspectives on education system resilience, as well as whether and how the needs of marginalized groups are considered in relevant policies and practices. By bringing together insights from diverse regional contexts, the panel will provide rich, multi-regional perspectives on the evolving concept and implementation of education system resilience.

Sub Unit

• Environmental and Sustainability Education SIG

Chair

• Laurence UWERA, IDRC

Individual Presentations

• Cultural perspectives in building education system resilience in the Pacific - Krishneel Reddy, Pacific Community; Elizabeth Anne Cassity, Australian Council for Educational Research

• Analyzing resilience in South and Southeast Asian education systems: Addressing structural inequities alongside ecological and political disruptions - Vu Phuc Phuong Dao, University of Minnesota; Joan DeJaeghere, University of Minnesota

• Education system resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean - Santiago Cueto

Discussants

• Moira V Faul, NORRAG, Geneva Graduate Institute

• Martin Benavides