A joint proposal by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and the African Union – International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) with the technical support from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) has been selected to develop an observatory that will produce evidence about COVID-19 education responses in primary and secondary education. This will inform policy and practice in GPE-member countries in Africa.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, education systems around the world have been seeking evidence and solutions to support children’s learning, address negative consequences of school closures, and prepare for school re-opening. There has been an acute need for such evidence and solutions on the African continent, where the pandemic is expected to roll back recent gains in education access and quality and compound existing educational inequalities, especially for girls and members of other vulnerable groups.
Acting as an observatory of COVID-19 policy responses and emerging research, the project will fill in evidence gaps by collecting, synthesizing and mobilizing information so that it is available for the immediate use by policy makers on the continent. The project will collect and share evidence on issues pertaining to the operation of education systems and the well-being of learners. It will also examine promising practices, especially those that promote gender equality and consider the needs of vulnerable groups. Lastly, it will develop recommendations to inform future crisis preparedness and education system resilience on the African continent.
The project is part of the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX), a joint endeavor between IDRC and the Global Partnership for Education, that seeks to strengthen national education systems and accelerate educational progress in the Global South.
* This project will officially commence following the completion of the grant agreement.
