Education
Relevant sources: ICCPR Art. 18(4); ICESCR Arts. 13-14; CEDAW Arts. 10, 14(2)(d); CRC Arts. 23(3), 28-29; CRPD Arts. 9(1)(a), 24, 26(1), 27(1)(d); ICERD Art. 5(e)(v); ICRMW Arts. 30, 43(1)(a), 45(1)(a), (2)-(4); UDHR Art. 26
Core elements of the guarantee during the COVID-19 pandemic include:
- Assess the causes and consequences of the disproportionate impact of the “education crisis” on “the most vulnerable and marginalized” including those facing intersectional discrimination on the basis of “economic and social status, sex and gender, ethnicity, geographical location, disability and health status” including by recognizing the “backdrop of entrenched, recognized structural inequality” (UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education)
- Utilize the framework of “availability, accessibility, acceptability and adaptability . . . as a policy guide throughout the education system at all levels” (UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education)
- Put into place “special, targeted measures . . . to address and mitigate the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable groups, as well as on communities and groups subject to structural discrimination and disadvantage” (UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education)
- Ensure that “distance learning tools . . . make use of high-quality content that is adapted to local contexts and, in particular, local languages” (UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education)
- Ensure safety including regarding “the timing, conditions, and processes for reopening education institutions” (UN)
- Include all relevant actors including parents, caretakers, teachers, and communities and education stakeholders as well as health experts in consultations and planning on re-opening of educational institutions (UN)
- Ensure that technology and digital solutions “put equity and inclusion at their centre, to ensure all children may benefit from them” (UN)
Further guidance can be found here: UNESCO: COVID-19 Response, Education in a Post-COVID World; Lessons on Education Recovery; OAS
Structural and Systemic Change through COVID-19 Human Rights Measures
The “Structural and Systemic Change through COVID-19 Human Rights Measures” Briefing Paper highlights measures that explicitly aim to create structural and systemic change, including by emphasis on the concept of doing things differently than previously. In putting into place such measures, States have sought to demonstrate a commitment to transformative, structural, and long-term change.
Show me all types of advances during COVID-19
| Measure | Country |
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| Providing School Meals During the Coronavirus Pandemic | United Kingdom |
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Updated guidance contains provisions for providing meals during the pandemic, including among other categories: “providing meals for pupils attending school,” “support for pupils who have to stay at home,” “providing… |
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| National Policy on Radical Inclusion in Schools | Sierra Leone |
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The National Policy on Radical Inclusion in Schools, under the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education “provide[s] a roadmap for the day-to-day operations of schools and the Ministry of… |
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| Hundreds of Thousands More Laptops to Support Disadvantaged Pupils Learn at Home | United Kingdom |
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As “[p]art of the Get Help with Technology Programme,” an additional 300,000 laptops and tablets, in addition to the already “700,000 laptops and tablets . . . delivered to schools… |
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| Minister of Education Launches Television and Radio Education Series (Ministra de Educación Lanza Franja Educativa de Televisión y Radio) | El Salvador |
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The Minister of Education announced the launch of an educational program “Let’s Learn at Home” broadcast on weekdays “to guarantee educational continuity, at a time when, given the COVID-19 emergency,… |
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| Access to Zero-Rated Websites – Additional Institutions | Jamaica |
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The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information partnered with Digicel Jamaica to “facilitate access to the internet through the provision of a subsidized data plan and zero-rated data access to… |
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| Public Schools’ Remote Learning Programme Resumes on Monday | Bermuda |
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The Commissioner of Education issued a press release highlighting elements of “public schools’ remote learning programme” including “to ensure that educational activities continue through the extension of irregular school closures,”… |
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| 65,000 Tablets Being Procured for Schools, Teachers | Jamaica |
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According to the “Chief Executive Officer of e-Learning Jamaica,” Cabinet “approved the procurement of 40,000 tablet computers for students and 25,000 devices for teachers, under the Tablets in Schools Project”… |
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| COVID-19 Response Plan for Ministry of Education | Bhutan |
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The Ministry of Education of has “carried out” a “preparedness and response” plan that followed a Plan outlined by the “Education Disaster Response Coordination Mechanism (EDRCM).” Elements of this plan… |
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| Free School Meals Payment Scheme | United Kingdom |
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The Communities Minister and Education Minister announced a scheme to address free meals during school closures that “will see the introduction of direct payments to families whose children would usually… |
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| I Learn at Home: Online Educational Materials and Resources (Aprendo en Casa: Materiales y Recursos Educativos Online) | Spain |
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The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training has launched a website “I Learn at Home” that provides a range of educational resources, tools, and applications aimed at teachers, families, and… |
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| Kenya Approves Roll Out of Google Loon 4G to Mitigate Coronavirus Disruptions | Kenya |
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President Kenyatta “announced the approval of Google Loon Services in Kenya to enable universal 4G data coverage in the country,” a measure intended to “respond to the disruptions caused by… |
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| Questions and Answers on Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak | United States |
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This document addresses “states’ responsibilities to infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities and their families, and to the staff serving these children.” Questions and answers address: obligations of local educational… |
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| Revised Guidance for Schools in Wales: Supporting Children Eligible For Free School Meals | United Kingdom |
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“This guidance sets out what schools should do to help ensure that pupils who receive free school meals continue to be provided with access to food whilst their statutory education… |
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| Secretary Perdue Announces Proactive Flexibilities to Feed Children When Schools Close | United States |
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This announcement addresses student access to food during the pandemic including through “proactive flexibilities” that will “allow meal service during school closure to minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus.” |
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| Senate Bill No. 117, Chapter 3 An Act Relating to Education Finance, and Making an Appropriation Therefor, to Take Effect Immediately, Bill Related to the Budget | United States |
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This California bill addresses “Education finance: average daily attendance and timeline waivers: protective equipment and cleaning appropriation.” Among other measures, the bill would: “prevent the loss of funding related to… |
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| Students to Continue their Learning by Making Full Use of the Available Digital e-Learning Platforms | India |
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The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister “asked students to continue their learning by making full use of the available digital e-Learning platforms during the period the educational institutions are… |
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| We Continue Educating (Seguimos Educando) | Argentina |
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The Ministry of Education, through its “We Continue Educating” website made available a collection of digital educational materials and resources. The resources are organized by educational level, format, and subject… |
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