COVID-19 Response

Event
  • 01.04.2021

First KIX LAC International Conference - Teaching professional development in times of COVID: opportunities from innovation

Watch the replay here.

One of the principles of KIX LAC is responding to countries' needs and demands. On this ground, teacher professional development has been one of the topics that representatives have defined as a priority in the agenda for the next years. Therefore, KIX LAC has been organizing several activities that approach the topic from different perspectives, including a conversation led by one of the representatives aimed at analyzing the challenges from a practitioner's point of view, a webinar led by academicians and a workshop for teachers´unions leaders. It is also preparing a policy brief which digs into the topic in the region and a systematic review that will collect lessons and good practices in the field that are relevant for KIX LAC countries. This International Conference has the goal of discussing findings and mobilizing evidence with a broader public.

Format

The event will feature a presentation of high-level authorities and experts. The presentations will be followed by discussion with key actors from the region as Dr. Michael Fullan, the Global Leadership Director, New Pedagogies for Deep Learning.

Speakers

  • Dr. Michael Fullan, the Global Leadership Director, New Pedagogies for Deep Learning.
  • Ministers of Education of Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • Representatives from International Organizations implementing initiatives on teacher professional development.

The event will be broadcast in English, Spanish and French.

The agenda will be available shortly.

For more information about KIX LAC click here

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Event
  • 23.03.2021

Teacher unions and (education) crises: Effectiveness of social dialogue in Francophone Africa

Join us for a panel discussion on Teacher unions and (education) crises: Effectiveness of social dialogue in Francophone Africa at CIES Conference 2021. The discussion will be held in Zoom Room 128.

Please register here. The event is open to CIES members only. 

The discussion will be held in English and French with live transcript and automatic closed caption in English. 

*

This panel will explore various forms of social dialogue and the involvement of teachers’ unions in the development of education policies in Francophone African countries. By drawing lessons from different cases, this panel aims to problematise social dialogue while identifying issues on teacher participation in different countries and its relation to the different political economies. Additionally, the variety of cases may bring a sub-regional perspective of the context and aims to invite researches to deepen into this little-explored topic.

The different viewpoints and experiences include three complementary presentations. First, insights from an on-going research carried out by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 that will shed light on social dialogue in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, the FORSYNC project highlights practical approaches to foster unions technical capacities in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Third, a critical empirical case study from the Democratic Republic of Congo brings nuance to both lessons learned and innovative approaches by discussing the reality in a challenging policy context.

 

General presentation of the Panel

Rarely have education systems been subjected to such upheavals. The COVID pandemic has shutdown schools for many months, exams have been postponed, and many children, especially girls, will not be returning to school. The pandemic will most likely have long-term negative consequences for educational achievements and children’s well-being.

Teachers have acted as true leaders (UNESCO, 2020). From one moment to another, their work routine was interrupted, yet they were tasked with upholding education systems . and ensuring learning continuity. Where technologically possible, this happened in the form of distance education. Yet many teachers were also involved by helping to contribute to self-learning materials, radio programs and returning to school under very difficult circumstances to finalize the school year.

Under these conditions, dialogue between education authorities, teachers and parents is crucial in developing a consensual response in health and education to the pandemic and its impact.

Unions are the representative bodies for teachers that ought to advocate and fight for teachers’ rights. However, they are not always included in policy-making processes. The COVID pandemic offers a possibility to analyze to what extent teachers' unions are involved in the development of education policies in this particular crisis context? This panel will explore this question, focusing on various forms of social dialogue in Francophone African countries.

Education sector monitoring processes have been formalized since the inception of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in 2002, but the degrees of effective involvement of teachers' unions vary (Global Partnership for Education, 2017). For example, teacher unions are usually not sufficiently involved in joint sector reviews. The Civil Society Fund for Education (CSEF) facilitated an increased and more regular participation of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), in sectoral dialogue mechanisms (Universalia, 2018).

The UNESCO and Education International project “Improving support for teachers and their participation in local education groups” has enabled teacher unions to participate more effectively in social dialogue with some national governments. More recently, civil society actors, trade unionists and experts are also organized into a network to develop a teachers’ union training project (FORSNYC).

What is social dialogue?

As defined by the International Labor Organization (ILO), social dialogue includes all types of negotiation, consultation or simply exchange of information between representatives of governments, employers and workers, in various ways, on questions relating to policy, economic and social issues of common interest. In particular, the ILO (2020) stipulates that social dialogue aims to encourage the formulation of a consensus between the main actors of the world of work as well as their democratic participation. In education, effective social dialogue can meaningfully improve the education policy process and increase the effectiveness of education and the quality of education.

Magagi (2020) makes several points that are relevant for a discussion of teacher unions’ role in policy-making in Francophone Africa during and after COVID. First, unions have been strongly linked to the political/decolonization struggle. Second, in the wake of democratization in the 1990s, unions have been created and functioned in the shadow of political parties. Third, as a result, the number of unions has proliferated. In taking the example of Niger, Magagi argues that unions in Niger would need to distance themselves clearly from political parties to regain independence.

Indeed, many unions were created only to serve as a bridgehead for political parties to the labor movement. Personal interests and the disproportionate political ambitions of union leaders in political parties have done a lot of damage and created several divisions in the ranks of African trade unions. Offering one possible solution, several national trade union centers have succeeded in redefining the objective boundaries between trade unionism and political parties (BIT 2010).

Social dialogue during the pandemic 

Regarding the management of the pandemic, social dialogue has taken place, but many of the unions have expressed dissatisfaction with its outcomes. At the time of writing this article, little to no information has been collected in relation to this topic, except Education International undertook a survey of unions in 34 African countries. Indeed, despite 71% of unions having been consulted according to the COVID-19 and education survey (Education International Research, 2020), only 9% say their views have been fully taken into account. For 51%, their opinion was taken into account a few times while 11% said their opinion was ignored. A significant proportion of unions (28%) claim that they have not been consulted at all.

In addition to the dialogue with governments around the management of the pandemic, almost all unions (92%) have sensitized members around the pandemic. A significant portion (38%) invested in the development of tools for their members.

It is clear that in general (62% of cases) no measures have been taken to support teachers according to the Education International survey. Only 13% of governments have recruited more qualified teachers, posing the problem of managing additional classrooms, following the reduction in class sizes for the application of barrier measures. Note that 28% of governments have invested in the training and professional development of their teachers.

Given this background, this panel brings together different viewpoints and experiences to discuss policy and practice with regard to social dialogue between teacher unions, governments and other stakeholders in Francophone African countries.

Three complementary presentations come together to achieve this objective.

  • First, insights from past and on-going research carried out by UNESCO and by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 will shed light on a variety of experiences and lessons learned.
  • Second, the aforementioned FORSYNC project highlights practical approaches to foster unions technical capacities.
  • Third, a critical empirical case study from the Democratic Republic of Congo brings nuance to both lessons learned and innovative approaches by discussing the reality in a challenging policy context.


The panel will be chaired by Education International, and the international association of teachers’ union.

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Blog
  • 22.02.2021

A reflection on teachers’ experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic: Where do we go from here?

This blog has been written by Lisa E. Kim & Kathryn Asbury from the Department of Education, University of York, UK.

As schools around the world continue to adapt to and move on from COVID-19 we consider how teachers can best be supported.

The content of this blog is based a series of interviews we conducted with 24 primary and secondary teachers in England as part of a longitudinal research project “Being a teacher in England during the COVID-19 pandemic” funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. 

“Like a rug had been pulled from under you”.

Several of the teachers in our study used this analogy to describe their experience of an initial shock, and of being thrown into disarray, when the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly and unforeseeably affected their lives as teachers.

In England, teachers have worked through partial school closures in March 2020, re-openings for some year groups by mid-June 2020, full re-openings in September 2020, partial closures in January 2021, and are now preparing for possible phased re-openings in March 2021. We share some reflections on the stories teachers have told us about their experiences of being a teacher during the pandemic.

 

Teachers are overloaded and exhausted

Working under increased demands and with limited resources during the pandemic has taken a toll on the teachers in our study. One secondary teacher said to us in November:

“I feel like I'm on overload. My brain feels like a browser with 100 tabs open. There is so much to think about all the time.”

Part of this overload seemed to be associated with not knowing what lies ahead and how to prepare students for an uncertain future, including the handling of high-stakes national assessments.

Moreover, many teachers reported being physically and emotionally exhausted, which are well-known symptoms of burnout. Burnout is a consequence of prolonged experience of stress, and can have negative consequences for teachers, students, and educational systems, such as greater intention to quit the profession and poorer student outcomes. It is noteworthy that school leaders have reported more anxiety during 2020 than class teachers, which raises particular concern for this group and for the potential effects on leadership it could have.

 

Teachers are concerned for their pupils

The teaching profession is inherently a social one, involving interacting with pupils and their families. However, the pandemic has caused communication barriers, especially with some pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds who may have limited access to technology and broadband. As one primary teacher described:

“...some of those families, they're just incredibly hard to get hold of”.

Teachers told us that this lack of access to some pupils, especially those known to be vulnerable in some way, caused them significant concern for their pupils’ learning and wellbeing.

That said, teachers have shown themselves to be resilient and adaptive. To ensure pupils’ immediate learning and nutrition needs are addressed, some teachers reported delivering work packs, laptops, and food packs, where financially and logistically possible. They also told us that they called pupils and their families regularly, and created new communication channels through which they were most likely to engage with families, such as Facebook. As one primary school leader said: “As teachers we want to connect and we want to be there for the kids that we teach. And we want to keep those relationships going even when that's really tricky.”

 

Policy and practice recommendations

A recurring theme that emerged from the interviews was a need for clear direction on how to move forward. In light of all that has occurred in the last year, policy-makers, schools, and teachers are called to work together to collaboratively pave a path forward from the COVID-19 experience. These recommendations are in line with the Teacher Task Force’s Call for Action to support teachers.

 

  1. Government and the teaching community will both benefit from collaborative dialogues

    With a pressing need to respond rapidly to the ever-changing pandemic, governments have had to make difficult decisions quickly. However, participants told us that teachers have often felt excluded from contributing to decisions that directly affect them, making them feel less valued as a profession than before the pandemic. Creating channels whereby representative members of the teaching community can contribute to decision-making processes will be beneficial both for policy-makers — ensuring plans are practically feasible on the ground — and teachers — ensuring that their views are considered in decisions that affect them.
     
  2. Schools and parents will benefit from working together

    The importance of working together with families has been particularly highlighted in this pandemic. As one secondary school leader put it: “It's got to be... a partnership where you're in communication with parents on a regular basis. The parents know what you're trying to do, [but] they know their kids better than you do, and they can support you in trying to get the best for the children”. In the early months of the pandemic, we saw evidence of increased effort and success in establishing and strengthening school–parent relationships, and a feeling among teachers that parents appreciated them, even when they felt that the wider society didn’t. Schools and parents can benefit from sustaining this relationship to achieve the common goal of healthy development and wellbeing for their pupils and children.
     
  3. Teachers must support one another

    Social support is an important job resource that can buffer the effects of job demands, and providing this for one another can be beneficial. Teachers told us that it has been difficult not being able to meet each other, such as through corridor conversations and lunchtime breaks in staff rooms. In light of this, some teachers seemed to be finding alternative ways to connect with colleagues, such as via departmental virtual platforms and social media channels. Finding and using adaptive ways to receive social support, while still protecting work–life boundaries, is likely to help teachers manage stress.
     
  4. The general public needs to recognise teachers’ contributions

    In England, teachers are classed as critical workers and have worked throughout the pandemic. However, a common media portrayal of teachers has been that they are lazy and not working. Images and beliefs such as this must be corrected, as there is evidence that they can negatively affect teachers’ quality of instruction. As a society we must fully appreciate teachers, as they continue work to support the learning and welfare of pupils in their country during the pandemic.

    Teachers are foundational to our educational systems and it is vital that we listen to their experiences and support them as we move forward.

 

Here are some extra resources for policy-makers and school leaders supporting hybrid learning and the return to school:

NB.: The content of this blog does not reflect the views of the University of York or the ESRC but only that of the authors. Most project findings are currently published as preprints and may therefore change during the peer review process.

The authors thank the participants who generously shared their stories with them and the research assistants (Suzanna Dundas, Diana Fields, Rowena Leary, and Laura Oxley) for their contributions to the project.

Photo credit: Annie Spratt/Unsplash

 

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    Event
    • 05.02.2021

    Teachers on the frontline: lessons from COVID-19

    As the world continues to wrestle with COVID-19, teachers remain on the frontline to respond to education’s biggest disruption in history. From the start of the pandemic, teachers mobilized for their students to allow learning to go on. Yet, little is still known on how the pandemic has affected the education workforce and what will be long-term implications. Will the pandemic exacerbate pre-existing challenges facing the teaching profession? What needs to change for the education workforce to be better prepared and supported during crisis?

    Join us on 16 February 2021, 10am-12pm UTC for the next IIEP-UNESCO Strategic Debate with:  

    • David Edwards, Head of Education International,
    • Quenita Walrond-Lewis, Head of the Directorate of the National Centre for Education Resource Development, Guyana,
    • Swarnali Das, District lead from Dilshad Garden District Institute for Education and Training, New Delhi, India,
    • Moti Ram Phuyal, Senior Vice-President, Institutional School Teachers Union, Nepal.

    Barbara Tournier, Programme Specialist, IIEP-UNESCO, will moderate the debate. It will be accessible via streaming. 

    REGISTER TO ATTEND THE MEETING

    This event will be held in English with simultaneous interpretation into French. Follow the debate on Twitter with #StrategicDebate and @IIEP_UNESCO. 

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    Event
    • 28.01.2021

    TTF Regional and Constituency Virtual Meetings February 2021

    This event is for TTF Members only

    *

    The International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) will organise a series of virtual governance meetings with TTF members in early 2021. The aim of the meetings will be to provide TTF members with the opportunity to report back on activities carried out in their respective countries or organisations in 2020 and identify needs and potential new areas of collaboration in 2021. Members will also be able to discuss any new issues in relation to teachers and teaching arising from the COVID-19 crisis.


    The meetings will also serve to fulfil any governance functions, notably to review the 2020 Annual Report and the 2021 Work Plan, and elect representatives to the TTF Steering Committee who are due for rotation or re-election.


    The draft calendar is proposed as follows:

    Calendar

    Regional & constituency meetings (1-5 February)
    The Regional and constituency meetings will aim to bring together TTF focal points and members only, and aim to:

    • Discuss and report on issues and activities in 2020 in relation to teacher and teaching developments in their country/regions or constituency group;
    • Review the TTF 2020 Annual Report and 2021 Work Plan, and identify any existing or potentially new activities of particular interest to their respective region or group;
    • Discuss the development of the new 2022-2025 Strategic Plan and identify any issues to prioritise. Communicate with members that a consultation process will take place later in the year, and identify any members interested in being involved in the reference group for its development;
    • Take note of new members, updates in focal points. In the regions where appropriate, nominations will be communicated and elections of new Steering Committee representatives will take place.
    • Identify any other issues to be brought to the attention of the TTF Secretariat or Steering Committee, or for discussion during the Annual Meeting.

    For these meetings, invitations will be sent by the Secretariat, except for the CSO group with whom the Secretariat will liaise for organisation. Each Focal point will be invited to prepare in advance 2 slides to share with the group:


    1) Slide 1 – main challenges and achievements for teachers in 2020
    2) Slide 2– Suggestions for joint TTF activities in 2021 within the region, or globally (including documents that could be shared in the Knowledge Platform)

    The working documents for these meetings are here. 

    For more information on the TTF regional and constituency meetings go here, or contact ae.ruszkiewicz@unesco.org.

    *

    Photo credit: ProFuturo
    Caption: training session in Nigeria (Ekiti region), December 2020

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    Event
    • 28.01.2021

    TTF Regional and Constituency Virtual Meetings February 2021

    This event is for TTF Members only

    *

    The International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) will organise a series of virtual governance meetings with TTF members in early 2021. The aim of the meetings will be to provide TTF members with the opportunity to report back on activities carried out in their respective countries or organisations in 2020 and identify needs and potential new areas of collaboration in 2021. Members will also be able to discuss any new issues in relation to teachers and teaching arising from the COVID-19 crisis.


    The meetings will also serve to fulfil any governance functions, notably to review the 2020 Annual Report and the 2021 Work Plan, and elect representatives to the TTF Steering Committee who are due for rotation or re-election.


    The draft calendar is proposed as follows:

    Calendar

    Regional & constituency meetings (1-5 February)
    The Regional and constituency meetings will aim to bring together TTF focal points and members only, and aim to:

    • Discuss and report on issues and activities in 2020 in relation to teacher and teaching developments in their country/regions or constituency group;
    • Review the TTF 2020 Annual Report and 2021 Work Plan, and identify any existing or potentially new activities of particular interest to their respective region or group;
    • Discuss the development of the new 2022-2025 Strategic Plan and identify any issues to prioritise. Communicate with members that a consultation process will take place later in the year, and identify any members interested in being involved in the reference group for its development;
    • Take note of new members, updates in focal points. In the regions where appropriate, nominations will be communicated and elections of new Steering Committee representatives will take place.
    • Identify any other issues to be brought to the attention of the TTF Secretariat or Steering Committee, or for discussion during the Annual Meeting.

    For these meetings, invitations will be sent by the Secretariat, except for the CSO group with whom the Secretariat will liaise for organisation. Each Focal point will be invited to prepare in advance 2 slides to share with the group:


    1) Slide 1 – main challenges and achievements for teachers in 2020
    2) Slide 2– Suggestions for joint TTF activities in 2021 within the region, or globally (including documents that could be shared in the Knowledge Platform)

    The working documents for these meetings are here. 

    For more information on the TTF regional and constituency meetings go here, or contact ae.ruszkiewicz@unesco.org.

    *

    Photo credit: ProFuturo
    Caption: training session in Nigeria (Ekiti region), December 2020

    Read more
    Event
    • 28.01.2021

    TTF Regional and Constituency Virtual Meetings February 2021

    This event is for TTF Members only

    *

    The International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) will organise a series of virtual governance meetings with TTF members in early 2021. The aim of the meetings will be to provide TTF members with the opportunity to report back on activities carried out in their respective countries or organisations in 2020 and identify needs and potential new areas of collaboration in 2021. Members will also be able to discuss any new issues in relation to teachers and teaching arising from the COVID-19 crisis.


    The meetings will also serve to fulfil any governance functions, notably to review the 2020 Annual Report and the 2021 Work Plan, and elect representatives to the TTF Steering Committee who are due for rotation or re-election.


    The draft calendar is proposed as follows:

    Calendar

    Regional & constituency meetings (1-5 February)
    The Regional and constituency meetings will aim to bring together TTF focal points and members only, and aim to:

    • Discuss and report on issues and activities in 2020 in relation to teacher and teaching developments in their country/regions or constituency group;
    • Review the TTF 2020 Annual Report and 2021 Work Plan, and identify any existing or potentially new activities of particular interest to their respective region or group;
    • Discuss the development of the new 2022-2025 Strategic Plan and identify any issues to prioritise. Communicate with members that a consultation process will take place later in the year, and identify any members interested in being involved in the reference group for its development;
    • Take note of new members, updates in focal points. In the regions where appropriate, nominations will be communicated and elections of new Steering Committee representatives will take place.
    • Identify any other issues to be brought to the attention of the TTF Secretariat or Steering Committee, or for discussion during the Annual Meeting.

    For these meetings, invitations will be sent by the Secretariat, except for the CSO group with whom the Secretariat will liaise for organisation. Each Focal point will be invited to prepare in advance 2 slides to share with the group:


    1) Slide 1 – main challenges and achievements for teachers in 2020
    2) Slide 2– Suggestions for joint TTF activities in 2021 within the region, or globally (including documents that could be shared in the Knowledge Platform)

    The working documents for these meetings are here. 

    For more information on the TTF regional and constituency meetings go here, or contact ae.ruszkiewicz@unesco.org.

    *

    Photo credit: ProFuturo
    Caption: training session in Nigeria (Ekiti region), December 2020

    Read more
    Event
    • 28.01.2021

    TTF Regional and Constituency Virtual Meetings February 2021

    This event is for TTF Members only

    *

    The International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) will organise a series of virtual governance meetings with TTF members in early 2021. The aim of the meetings will be to provide TTF members with the opportunity to report back on activities carried out in their respective countries or organisations in 2020 and identify needs and potential new areas of collaboration in 2021. Members will also be able to discuss any new issues in relation to teachers and teaching arising from the COVID-19 crisis.


    The meetings will also serve to fulfil any governance functions, notably to review the 2020 Annual Report and the 2021 Work Plan, and elect representatives to the TTF Steering Committee who are due for rotation or re-election.


    The draft calendar is proposed as follows:

    Calendar

    Regional & constituency meetings (1-5 February)
    The Regional and constituency meetings will aim to bring together TTF focal points and members only, and aim to:

    • Discuss and report on issues and activities in 2020 in relation to teacher and teaching developments in their country/regions or constituency group;
    • Review the TTF 2020 Annual Report and 2021 Work Plan, and identify any existing or potentially new activities of particular interest to their respective region or group;
    • Discuss the development of the new 2022-2025 Strategic Plan and identify any issues to prioritise. Communicate with members that a consultation process will take place later in the year, and identify any members interested in being involved in the reference group for its development;
    • Take note of new members, updates in focal points. In the regions where appropriate, nominations will be communicated and elections of new Steering Committee representatives will take place.
    • Identify any other issues to be brought to the attention of the TTF Secretariat or Steering Committee, or for discussion during the Annual Meeting.

    For these meetings, invitations will be sent by the Secretariat, except for the CSO group with whom the Secretariat will liaise for organisation. Each Focal point will be invited to prepare in advance 2 slides to share with the group:


    1) Slide 1 – main challenges and achievements for teachers in 2020
    2) Slide 2– Suggestions for joint TTF activities in 2021 within the region, or globally (including documents that could be shared in the Knowledge Platform)

    The working documents for these meetings are here. 

    For more information on the TTF regional and constituency meetings go here, or contact ae.ruszkiewicz@unesco.org.

    *

    Photo credit: ProFuturo
    Caption: training session in Nigeria (Ekiti region), December 2020

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