Bibiam Aleyda Díaz
Ejecutiva Principal de Proyectos de Desarrollo Social de CAF -banco de desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe-
These unprecedented school closures at all levels in most Latin American and Caribbean countries are undoubtedly one of the most difficult decisions governments have had to take to curb the spread of COVID-19. UNICEF estimates that around 154 million Latin American children and adolescents—more than 95% of the enrolled—are out of school due to the pandemic.
Non-attendance in our countries is, in fact, one of the main barriers to learning, and this temporary closure will affect millions of students who already have fewer education opportunities, due to economic conditions of their families, or because they live in rural areas, among other reasons. This emergency puts many of them at risk of dropout, and affects not only their access to education but also vital programs for the most vulnerable families, such as in-school meals, full-day education and extra-curricular activities, among others.
Latin American governments are aware of this problem, and contingency plans have been activated in recent days with fresh funds to keep educational communities in touch, or to enhance the use of existing digital platforms and resources, which enable learning from home and thus ensure that most families have access to easy-to-use educational content.
In Colombia, the Aprender Digital platform is available with content for all areas and in various formats (apps, educational video games, miniseries, e-books, pedagogical guides and open online courses, content for the hard of hearing, among others). Similarly, partnerships with public television and radio stations have been established to broadcast special programming during the day such as 3, 2, 1 Edu-Acción and Profe en tu casa.
Argentina launched Seguimos Educando, a platform with educational and cultural materials and resources sorted according to core subjects, by educational level and for special education. The platform also contains guidance for online work for teachers and content such as Pakapaka broadcast on public television. In Uruguay, where 86% of elementary education students have a personal device, Plan Ceibal has offered an array of available resources for teachers and students, as well as remote programs, through the various platforms, many of them freely accessible, no registration needed, and with no data cost for use.
Perú has launched the Aprendo en casa strategy, to disseminate content by digital means, television and radio, and is also expected to develop materials in 10 native languages and sign language. On the Spotify channel of the Ministry of Education, people can access content in Spanish and in native languages, which will also be broadcast on national and regional radio stations. Ecuador launched the COVID-19 Education Plan and online classrooms have been opened, with secondary education content and to prepare for national tests. Pedagogical guides and materials have been provided for teachers, as well as educational content on television and radio.
But these are not the only efforts mobilized by the region’s educational communities. Volunteers from global organizations such as Teach for All in Peru created with the support of Peruvian professionals who volunteer as support teachers in a COVID-19 awareness campaign, producing videos in indigenous languages to disseminate recommendations on personal care and hygiene and on how to talk to children about the situation. In Panama, young university students are promoting the Fundación Ayudinga YouTube channel, and have agreed with the Ministry of Education to stream live math, physics and chemistry classes, and have uploaded hundreds of videos on this platform and on social networks. Similarly, groups of academics such as Baikal, promoting learning of natural sciences and arts, publish daily content and didactic activities that can be performed with children at home.>
The challenges are huge and every week countries are required to reinvent and extend efforts to provide learning opportunities for all students. Three elements should be at the top of public and private agendas to address this crisis from the education standpoint. The first is, of course, the effective mobilization of all available online learning resources. A significant number of families can access this content if the platforms are made available to everyone without access restrictions, or the need for registration. Many international companies have given free access to their repositories during this emergency, and thus, effective curatorship of educational content with simple indications for use is a key tool for teachers and families. With the limited connectivity of families with scarcer resources or living in remote rural areas, the use of television and radio becomes a viable option for schools and an alternative to the distribution of printed and offline materials.
The second is permanent communication with teachers, and teachers with students and their families. The activation and/or strengthening of networks of regular and direct contact with young people, and their parents in the case of younger students, is essential to facilitate not only access to work guides for permanent support to teachers and parents, but to strengthen reliable information lines that guide not only learning activities that can be performed at home, but also healthy living and prevention habits, which must be reinforced. Text messages, information on local television and radio networks, WhatsApp groups and social networks, are the most accessible, greatest-coverage resources.
Lastly, focusing on those most vulnerable students and families will be key, as closure affects them not only due to class suspension, but because it makes it difficult for them to access food and healthcare. Local and national governments are acting creatively, deploying solutions through the use of school transportation, or in partnerships with local providers, to help families who need it most receive statutory breakfasts and lunches in these critical weeks.
In a crisis with uncertain short-term solutions and predictably profound effects in the medium and long term, education systems will have to respond to day-to-day challenges, and consolidate responses to mitigate the effects of the emergency, while working on recovery actions, for and through education.>/p>
