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Informing education policy and practice in African countries during the pandemic

 
The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Information Exchange (KIX) Observatory has published a set of five reports reviewing policy and practice responses in education systems in more than 40 African countries during the pandemic.
A teacher writes at the blackboard during an English lesson in Rwanda
GPE
A teacher writes at the blackboard during an English lesson in Rwanda

The reviews and recommendations from the GPE-KIX Observatory synthesize available evidence on policies and practices from sub-Saharan African countries under five focus areas: education financing, the well-being of schoolchildrenschool re-openings, teacher training and support, and learning assessment.  

The common goal: build evidence about the pandemic’s impact on the operation of education systems and the well-being of learners and use this evidence to inform education policy and practice responses. 

The Observatory on COVID-19 Responses in Educational Systems in Africa started collecting, synthesizing and mobilizing evidence about COVID-19 responses in primary and secondary education in Africa in 2020. The aim is to inform decision-makers, education practitioners and donors with emerging evidence on policy and practice during the pandemic. It is overseen by a consortium composed of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa and the African Union International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa, with technical support from the African Population and Health Research Centre and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. 

The Observatory’s work is not over yet. It is also expected to release case studies of successful practices in supporting the well-being of learners, teacher training and school reopening later in 2022, as well as a report featuring perspectives from local education stakeholders about the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in African countries. 

The Observatory is one of several projects under GPE-KIX. A joint endeavour of IDRC and GPE, KIX aims to connect expertise, innovation and knowledge to support low- and middle-income countries to build stronger education systems and accelerate progress toward ensuring quality education for all.