Exploring Disruption Trajectories From COVID-19 on Education and the Impact of Policies

Abstract

The world has seen many pandemics; however, COVID-19 provoked global emergencies at an unprecedented scale in all aspects of life. Despite of recent advances in learning management systems and online education tools, one of the worst disruptions experienced was in the delivery of education. To keep students safe, most educational institutions were closed at the onset of the pandemic. At the peak of the crisis, ~90% of learners worldwide had their education disrupted. The policies were based on social distancing and the use of personal protection. However, the negative impacts of long-term isolation were not articulated. It is likely that there may be similar emergencies in the future. How can we use exponential technologies and innovations for the effective delivery of education? Guided by the lessons learned from the impact of school closures, assessment of remote learning, and the fact that education delivery should be continuous, the authors explore how different research perspectives and evidence gathered can help strengthen policy reflections and future planning for improving efficiency.