Distance education in the context of COVID-19: accomplishments and perspectives in sub-Saharan Africa

In March 2020, education systems around the world were caught off guard by [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19, despite warnings from countries in Asia, which had been hit by the virus as early as December 2019. After a period of shock, the decision was made to close schools - from pre-schools to universities - starting in mid-March. In-person classes were suspended, in what became an unprecedented situation, affecting 1.29 billion students in 185 countries - i.e. 73.8 per cent of the student population worldwide, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural...  [+] Show more

In March 2020, education systems around the world were caught off guard by [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19, despite warnings from countries in Asia, which had been hit by the virus as early as December 2019. After a period of shock, the decision was made to close schools - from pre-schools to universities - starting in mid-March. In-person classes were suspended, in what became an unprecedented situation, affecting 1.29 billion students in 185 countries - i.e. 73.8 per cent of the student population worldwide, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). On the African continent, an estimated 297 million students have faced school closures due to the pandemic. In the face of the crisis, education officials at the ministerial level have had to reorganize and find alternatives to the in-person model to ensure continuity in education. The objective of this note is to examine concrete measures put in place in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries to ensure educational continuity. It also analyses the challenges that have arisen when it comes to maintaining quality education for all students, in order to reflect on other solutions for the future and to consider how actions could be improved.

In an effort to gather information on mechanisms put in place for students and teachers, a questionnaire was drawn up and sent to stakeholders in education systems in 34 countries across the African continent in May 2020. More specifically, the purpose of the questionnaire was to collect feedback on the systems put in place in African countries, identify initiatives that promote educational continuity, and pinpoint the challenges encountered by stakeholders in their efforts to provide distance education despite the obstacles thrown up by the pandemic. In addition to drawing on the feedback received, this note also uses findings from the e-forum organized by IIEP - 'Planning and managing education in the context of COVID-19' - and on other e-forums and webinars held in May and June 2020 on topics related to distance education in the context of COVID-19 to assess what is actually happening in the field. The note first analyses the different media chosen by countries, and their limits. Second, it identifies the students most likely to benefit from distance education programmes, who may be too few in number. The third section provides an overview of the attention paid to the quality and use of available content. The fourth section addresses the issue of funding for distance education initiatives. The note concludes by identifying a few avenues for improving distance education, based on promising initiatives.

Excerpts from publication.