Across the world, disease outbreaks have negative impacts on children’s learning, safety and wellbeing. As the Covid-19 pandemic draws on, the education sector must urgently learn how to mitigate its effects on learners in a wide variety of countries. Our Principal Consultant, Joe Hallgarten, reflects on evidence from the Ebola crisis in West Africa and the lessons that can be applied in the context of Covid-19.

In the face of Covid-19, school closures and lockdowns are affecting children all over the world. At Education Development Trust, we are working hard to support governments and school system leaders to help mitigate the effect of the Covid-19, not only through our research and consultancy services, but also through our existing programmes. In Rwanda, our Building Learning Foundations programme has rapidly adapted to help support pupils in this unusual time.

School closures and remote learning are highlighting issues of digital inequality, both in the UK and globally. Schools have a critical role to play in supporting disadvantaged pupils and their families, and London CLC is using its expertise to provide them with timely advice to on how to tailor their support to bridge this digital divide and mitigate its impact on children’s learning.