Education policies during the Covid-19 global pandemic, with a focus on tertiary education
Branko Malaver-Vojvodic
20/07/2020
Most OECD countries defined broad guidelines to inform schools on the implementation of distance learning with different emphasis.
IrelandFor instance, the guidance published by Ireland’s Department of Education and Skills highlighted priority themes such as schools’ responsibilities, the importance of co-operation between practitioners, and the necessity to maintain communication and well-being in a short document, with links to additional resources for further information and regular updates published online (Department of Education and Skills, Ireland, 2020[41]).
In Ireland, the guidance published by the Department of Education and Skills on continuity of schooling was informed by three surveys of schools and practitioners conducted by i) the Inspectorate, ii) Maynooth University on behalf of the Irish Primary Principal Network, and iii) the Education and Training Board, Ireland on behalf of the post-primary institution management bodies (Department of Education and Skills, Ireland, 2020[41]; OECD, 2020[39]).
RussiaThe Russian Federation published comprehensive guidelines for the implementation of educational programmes using e-learning and distance learning technologies to inform schools at all levels of school education of the basic measures they should take, such as communicating with parents, forming a timetable and planning for alternatives methods of teaching, student support and assessment (Ministry of Education, Russian Federation, 2020[51]).
FranceIn France, a ministerial memorandum was published a few days before school closure to outline the strategic principles for pedagogical continuity during school closure and the main responsibilities of sub-national authorities and schools to implement remote learning (Ministère de l’Éducation Nationale et de la Jeunesse, France, 2020[52]).
FinlandThe Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland, at the foremost of its communication on the impact of coronavirus on education and culture, managed to emphasise the educational rights to every child, despite the closing of school premises. It also reaffirmed as a top priority health of children, young people, teachers and staff (Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland, 2020[56]).
KoreaIn Korea, the Ministry of Education stated three guiding principles for its response to COVID-19: “Openness, transparency and democratic process”, describing its response as the result of “a whole nation working together with a high level of civic responsibility, thoughtfulness and a sense of solidarity” (Choi, 2020[15]). The Ministry of Education facilitated the creation of a support network of digitally savvy teachers who volunteered to mentor their peers and help them use digital tools before the academic year started again online (Ministry of Education, Korea, 2020[57])
New ZealandImplementation of the “Learning from home” online platform and its Maori equivalent which provides advice for teachers to plan lessons and teach remotely, as well as up-to-date guidelines to continue education in coherence with the national level (Ministry of Education, New Zealand, 2020[47]).
MexicoTo help teachers develop their capacity to teach remotely and plan their lessons, Mexico built on existing platforms online (aprende en casa) and on television (CapacitaTV). Teachers are encouraged to take online Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and attend online conferences on digital tools and teaching online, and to watch pedagogical programmes on educational TV channels to update their lesson plans (Worldbank, 2020[58]; Secretariat of Public Education, Mexico, 2020[59])
IcelandIn Iceland, the Ministry established a co-operation committee, composed of 70 members from throughout the school system (Ministry of Education, Iceland, 2020[38]; OECD, 2020[39]). The Ministry also opened a hotline to support principals in case of infections and quarantine issues at their schools (Ministry of Education, Iceland, 2020[38]; OECD, 2020[39])
USAIn Kentucky, USA, the Department of Education created an Education Continuation Task Force to work on issues pertaining to the pandemic, provide strategic advice, and contribute to a global communication strategy (Department of Education, Kentucky, USA, 2020[40]). Such groups may bridge the gap between the government and stakeholders, especially if different representatives of the educational landscapes are selected, and inform the work by sharing different perspectives.
WalesIn Wales, UK, a technical advisory cell has been established where a children and education sub-group consults on best approaches, while other consultation stakeholder groups have been participating in shared decision making (Education Wales, 2020[42]; OECD, 2020[39]).
Source: 
[July 10, 2020]
Policies to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on education
ArgentinaArgentina’s Seguimos Educando program began broadcasting educational content on April 1, 2020. It airs 14 hours a day of television content and 7 hours a day of radio content specially produced for students as a result of school closures. Each broadcast lesson includes a teacher and a conductor (journalist, artist, scientist), in addition to the dissemination of teaching materials. For students without access to technology or connectivity, this television and radio programming is supplemented with “notebooks” packed with learning resources that have been delivered to student homes. The program also makes available a collection of on-demand digital educational materials and resources on the Ministry of Education’s Educ.ar website. A section on the website, called “the class of the day,” provides a comprehensive daily plan for student learning aligned with the television program and printed notebooks. It also has a section on virtual reality that provides a collection of videos in 360° format to give the user an immersive educational experience.
IndiaIndia’s multimodal approach includes multiple platforms. The DIKSHA portal contains e-Learning content for students, teachers, and parents aligned to the curriculum, including video lessons, worksheets, textbooks, and assessments, in multiple languages. QR codes in textbooks encourage students to go beyond the book. The application is also available for offline use. Then there is e-Pathshala, a learning application for classes 1 to 12 in multiple languages, which provides books, videos, audio, etc. aimed at students, educators, and parents. The learning platform Swayam hosts 1,900 complete courses, including teaching videos, weekly assignments, exams, and credit transfers, aimed both at school (classes 9 to 12) and higher education (undergraduate and postgraduate) levels. Swayam Prabha is a group of 32 direct-to-home channels devoted to telecasting of educational programs round the clock and accessible across the country. The channels air courses for school education (classes 9–12) and higher education (undergraduate, postgraduate), as well as for out-ofschool children, vocational education, and teacher training.
KenyaKenya is rapidly innovating. In addition to radio and TV, education programming is made available as both livestream and on-demand content via EduTV Kenya YouTube channel. In partnership with the Kenya Publishers Association, the government has made electronic copies of textbooks available for free on the Kenya Education Cloud for all students. To provide wider internet coverage to all students and families, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, in partnership with Alphabet Inc. and Telkom Kenya, has deployed Google’s Loon Balloons carrying 4G base stations over Kenyan airspace. A single balloon can provide internet connectivity across an 80km-diameter area.
It is estimated that over 220 million postsecondary students globally have had their education disrupted due to COVID driven closures. The shocks are reverberating through tertiary education much as they do through school education, and policy will have to respond in analogous ways.
Impacts of closures of tertiary institutions:
- Health and safety Impacts: With campus closures, there have been mass displacements of tertiary students, including repatriation of international students and staff. Student support networks and access to vital services have been greatly diminished. Students (and staff) are experiencing the physical and mental-health impacts of the disruptions.
- Learning losses: Academic activities (coursework, examinations, awarding of degrees) and research operations (campus laboratories and facilities, field work, conferences, and external research collaborations) have come to a halt. Many students may drop out.
Policy responses for the tertiary education system mirror potential strategies for school education, with three overlapping phases:
- Coping policies: Introducing rapid technology and student welfare assessments, messaging to students and staff; keeping at-risk students engaged, including through dedicated tutors and customized work programs; and mobilizing emergency remote learning through available technologies and platforms. On remote learning, it is important to design for scale, give instructors autonomy, engage multiple stakeholders, and rely on data/analytics. Systems will also need to adjust curriculum and examinations for the current academic year. On the research front, supporting migration of research to remote platforms and enabling researchers to maintain access to networks and materials remotely would help maintain research continuity.
- Policies for managing continuity: Expanding rapid skilling options for affected tertiary students; expanding internationalization efforts; adapting quality assurance regulations for a more flexible approach; and introducing scholarships and fee-forgiveness to maximize student retention.
- Policies for improvement and acceleration: Improving and sustaining remote learning, accelerated training, and student support solutions that work; diversifying financing sources; improving student loan and grant programs; and sustaining the more agile examinations, curricula, and quality assurance mechanisms developed during the crisis.
Source: 
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/33696/148198.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y
[May 2020]
Relevant Statistics: The impact of Covid-19 on higher education around the world
Two-thirds of HEIs reported that their senior management and faculty have been consulted by public or government officials in the context of public policy development relating to COVID-19.
➢ Almost half (48%) of respondents indicated that their government/ministry of education will support their institution in mitigating the disruption COVID-19 is causing. The most common support being assistance to complete the academic year.
➢ As far as partnerships are concerned, 64% of HEIs reported that COVID-19 would have a variety of effects. Half of them reported that COVID-19 weakened the partnerships, while only 18% reported that it strengthened them. However, for 31% of respondents, the COVID-19 pandemic created new opportunities with partner institutions.
➢ At almost all HEIs, COVID-19 affected teaching and learning, with two-thirds of them reporting that classroom teaching has been replaced by distance teaching and learning. The shift from face-to-face to distance teaching did not come without challenges, the main ones being access to technical infrastructure, competences and pedagogies for distance learning and the requirements of specific fields of study.
➢ COVID-19 has had an impact on international student mobility at 89% of HEIs. The type of impact is diverse and varies from institution to institution, but everywhere it has been negative.
➢ Fortunately, the majority of HEIs have contingency plans in place to mitigate this impact.
➢ At the same time, 60% of HEIs also reported that COVID-19 has increased virtual mobility and/or collaborative online learning as alternatives to physical student mobility. This may safeguard internationalization to some extent but this shift will have to be analysed in more detail.
➢ A bit more than half of the HEIs are planning to carry out exams for the semester as planned, although the majority of them through new measures. However, there is substantial regional variation with 80% of HEIs in Europe planning to carry out exams, while exams are at risk of being postponed or cancelled at 61% of HEIs in Africa.
➢ As far as research is concerned, 80% of HEIs reported that research has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic at their institutions. The most common impact of COVID-19 has been the cancelling of international travel (at 83% of HEIs) and the cancellation or postponement of scientific conferences (81% of HEIs). Moreover, scientific projects are at risk of not being completed at a bit more than half of HEIs (52%).
➢ Only 41% of HEIs are involved in COVID-19 research, but at almost all of them researchers contribute to current public policy development. Three quarters of institutions are contributing to public policies either through their institutional leadership or through their researchers. A quarter of HEIs are considered important stakeholders for public policies development by their governments, both as institutions as such that need to be consulted, and for their expertise in research.
Source: 
https://www.iau-aiu.net/IMG/pdf/iau_covid19_and_he_survey_report_final_may_2020.pdf
[May 2020]
How countries are managing
Many client countries are implementing various forms of these strategies, including:
Enhancing preparedness while keeping schools open: This involves enforcing and supporting preventive actions in schools (Afghanistan); establishing protocols for schools’ handling of illnesses and potential cases (Egypt, Russia, Belarus); using the education system’s infrastructure and human resources to address the spread of infections in communities (Liberia and Sierra Leone); and limiting physical contact by reducing social and extra-curricular activities (Singapore, Russia)
Selective closing of schools: Choosing to isolate treatment areas, some governments have opted for localized school closures as an interim measure (for example India). In half the cases thus far, we have seen these localized approaches subsequently expand geographically (Brazil, India, Canada, Australia).
National closing of schools (the most used option globally): As the virus has spread, many countries are announcing national school closures. Many are concerned that children and youth, while seemingly less susceptible to the virus and have a much lower case-fatality ratio, may serve as carriers for the disease, putting at risk older family members in communities across the globe where multi-generational households are the norm.
Using remote learning and education resources to mitigate loss of learning: Many countries have turned to distance learning as a means of mitigating for lost time in school (fully online in China, Italy, France, Germany and Saudi Arabia; mobile phones or television in Vietnam, Mongolia). In addition to infrastructure and connectivity, teachers’ and administrators’ familiarity with the tools and processes are also key factors in providing distance learning (Singapore). Other countries send kids home with lessons as homework (Lebanon). In Bulgaria, more than 800,000 accounts have been created for all teachers and parents, publishers have been mobilized to open the digital textbooks and learning materials for grades 1 to 10, and two national TV channels will broadcast educational tv. As more countries close schools, more creativity will be needed. For instance, adapting existing platforms for use in smartphones, and/or agreeing with telecom companies to eliminate the cost of accessing material from a Ministry of education site could be part of the mitigation efforts.
Source: 
[March 18, 2020]
Immediate Actions/Considerations:
Institutional Closures:✓ Establishing protocols for transparent, timely, and consistent communication with the community (students, staff, stakeholders) regarding imminent closure needs and the steps being taken to ensure smooth transitions
✓ Deliver messages to create a sense of shared urgency—allow the community (academic and administrative staff, students, local community government) access to the information and decision-making underpinning actions being taken
✓ Delegate procedural decision making to Faculty Deans and Academic Chairs as early as possible: they know the complexities of their day-to-day operations best and are best positioned to support their staff in adapting and suspending their teaching and research, as needed
✓ If not done yet, conduct rapid technology assessment—how great is the technical ‘debt’ and what would it take to sustain continued teaching and learning (including infrastructure/equipment, connectivity, etc.)?
✓ If not done yet, conduct rapid student welfare assessments—how to evacuate and transport students safely away from residential facilities (where relevant), how to ensure students have the requisite supports and services when remaining in place (where relevant), and that institutions have the information required to address student needs
✓ Identify weaknesses in infrastructure—including power and broadband – and equipment to strengthen when possible or work around when not (e.g. through providing access to hotspots, tablets, etc.)
✓ Engage financial management and procurement teams as early as possible, to understand the opportunities and constraints related to purchasing of technology, licensing, hardware and software for students and academic staff, etc.
✓ Reach out to suitable private sector and other partners (e.g. foundations) who can help addressing the technical‘debt’
✓ Assess and plan for security issues related to empty buildings filled with expensive technology and laboratories
✓ Account for all staff and students, particularly those who were engaged in any mobility programs away from their home institution; work to bring or return staff and students to their home countries
- Course Delivery:
✓ Train instructors on how to teach remotely: tailoring the training to allow each academic staff member to define their own plan for content, goals, and learning assessment within the new modality
✓ Seek and adapt existing online/remote platforms where creation of new online courses out of traditionalin-person instruction is not feasible
✓ Survey students on their capacity to engage in remote learning—equipment, family responsibilities, home environment, etc.—to understand how realistic it for students to adapt to instructors’ plans for delivery and to work with instructors to adapt according to student capacity to partake in distance learning
✓ Coach and support students on how to learn remotely
✓ Provide hardware to students and instructors where feasible
✓ Determine an institutional policy for assessing current term student performance (as relates to progression and grading, e.g. making all courses pass/fail)
✓ Determine an institutional policy for teaching assessments and course evaluations
✓ Review and determine graduation requirement for this academic year (2019-20)
✓ Assess adequacy of provision of financial and material support for at-risk students and institutions
✓ Develop and implement program to keep at-risk students engaged, including through dedicated tutors/point persons and customized work programs/schedules
- Research (where relevant):
✓ Support to academic staff to transition, where possible, their research to remote platforms/contexts
✓ Provide support to allow research fellows and staff to maintain access to networks, materials, technology, and any virtual laboratories and simulators, to provide some level of research continuity
✓ Consider shared maintenance programs across institutions and centers for equipment and facilities, to limit exposure during pandemic-related closures
✓ Create plans for animal and human subjects, for safest and most humane options in a context where their safety may be impossible to ensure/maintain.
✓ Maintain lists of essential research spaces and materials to develop a rapid response and minimal maintenance plan in case of emergency.
✓ Consider options like virtual reality for conducting experiments and research
- Preparing for the Next Academic Year:
✓ Develop action plans for two scenarios: one prepared for an extended period of distance provision and one focused on re-opening and resuming normal operation
✓ Determine adaptations of admission and examination protocols for the incoming class (Fall 2020)—what alternative admission practices can be adopted in lieu of exams?
✓ Constantly assess the effectiveness of remote course delivery and adapt and resolve challenges
- Maintaining Organizational Operations:
✓ Seek suspension of required payments or delay non-essential expenditures
✓ Adjust stipends and other funding schemes as needed
✓ Seek suspension of compliance deadlines for quality assurance requirements of existing programs, including accreditation and re-accreditation requirements
✓ Establish regular and consistent meeting times with essential staff, to ensure engagement in the management of the institution is ongoing and evolving according to current circumstances
✓ Liaise regularly with key operational staff to monitor and address regular and crisis-related operational challenges at all levels of the organization—academic and administrative departments, facilities, etc.
Source:
[April 9, 2020]