Vocational education and training - VET

to mitigate lasting, multi-generational damage to economies and communities across the continent it’s urgent we begin looking ahead to how African economies can rebuild and rebound even as the pandemic waves keep crashing over the coming months or years.

We are living in an unprecedented time in history. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting nearly every aspect of our lives and has demanded abrupt changes in the status quo. Nowhere is this more evident than in education. Schools closed virtually overnight and went online for many students. These changes, however, offer an opportunity for policymakers, scientists, and educators to rethink how we might create a system that is designed for the 21st rather than the 20th century—one that will equip students for the jobs of tomorrow and address systemic inequalities.

The impact of COVID-19 on the right to education is felt worldwide. From 1.5 billion learners out of school in March, nearly 1.1 billion learners in 146 countries are still affected today. As many countries have begun phased processes of reopening schools, it is time for civil society organizations (CSOs) to pause and reflect on what happened.

Most of us have been living with closed schools and some version of lockdown for four months now. For all the reimagining of education in the 21st century, nobody predicted that the greatest disruption of all would come from a virus. As education policymakers all over the world grapple with distance learning provision and safe school reopening, they will no doubt also be thinking about what the pandemic means for education in the longer term. We examine six ways COVID-19 is likely to shape the future of education.