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Supporting Continued Access to Education during COVID-19 - Emerging Promising Practices Issue 2

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Efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact the operation of education institutions around the world, with schools and universities remaining closed for three months or more in some places. UNESCO reports that as of mid-June 2020, over 67.7% (1.18 bn learners) of all those enrolled in education programmes are still affected by school closures. In many of the countries in which UNHCR works, schools and universities either continue to be closed or are not operating at full capacity. During this time refugee learners and teachers have had to adapt to new learning modalities to ensure that learning continues. At the same time, Ministries of Education and other actors are looking ahead and thinking about how to make schools safe for re-opening and how to compensate for the loss in learning time.

In this edition of “Emerging promising practices” we highlight the efforts that UNHCR and partners have taken to support refugee learners and students to continue their education and to support families and caregivers who have had to temporarily assume the role of teachers. Initial indications from needs assessments show that refugee families often lack the hardware needed to have meaningful access to national distance and connected education programmes implemented by governments. Continued disruption to learning and difficulties accessing services puts the gains made in refugees’ access to education at risk.

As schools begin to re-open in some countries, sometimes only for specific grades or in selected areas, many adaptations have to be made to the way in which schools are organized and operate to ensure better hygiene and implement physical distancing requirements. Schools in areas where refugees live often have poor infrastructure and are located in areas where access to water is not guaranteed and where classrooms are over-crowded. With the support of key donors and government authorities, efforts are being made to improve the quality of water and sanitation facilities at schools in refugee camps and hosting areas.

In addition, preparations for the safe re-opening of schools must also consider how to best support refugee students who may have fallen behind as a result of not being able to learn during school closures – additional classes, catch-up programmes and tailored support may be needed. The continued use of a mixed modalities for instruction that combine both in-school learning and the use of different materials and programmes for home-based learning offer an opportunity for elevating the quality of educational opportunities available to refugees.

A cornerstone of UNHCR’s education response has been its commitment to embed responses within national frameworks and work alongside other actors to ensure a harmonized response. UNHCR has contributed to the framework for the re-opening of schools issued jointly with UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the World Bank and the “Safe Back to School Guide” endorsed by the Global Education Cluster and Child Protection Area of Responsibility.