What’s next? Lessons on education recovery: findings from a survey of ministries of education amid the COVID-19 pandemic

This report presents key findings from the 3rd round of the UNESCO-UNICEF-World Bank-OECD survey, although in some cases, data from the previous two rounds and some other sources were also used. In total, 143 countries responded to the questionnaire. The questions covered four levels of education: pre-primary, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary. The report has eight sections. Section 1 addresses the potential learning losses implied by school closures and policies related to school calendars and curricula. Section 2 investigates various policy adjustments on learning assessment and examinations. Section 3 addresses distance learning modalities deployed and the policies and strategies implemented to ensure equity and boost access to and effectiveness of online learning. Section 4 addresses policy implementations to support teachers and education personnel. Section 5 addresses school reopening management and health protocols for all students. Section 6 addresses system-level responses in education financing. Section 7 investigates the locus of decision-making of public institutions during the pandemic. Finally, section 8 provides an overall conclusion.