The global coronavirus pandemic thrust upon the world, a collective nightmare. It revealed the egregious deeply-rooted inequities across our societies. Those who were already marginalised and many living a subsistence life became even more vulnerable. The means of modern connectivity through technology were not (and are not still) readily available to the majority of children. The consequences for the hardest-to-reach continue to be severe. Further isolation from learning opportunities was undoubtedly the outcome for millions of children who were already out of school prior to pandemic related school closures.

The forced closure of schools and learning centres only served to deepen the chasm between those children who could access education and those without the resources to do so on their own.  Despite the disturbing reality of the situation, this experience presented opportunities to reflect on and to rethink nearly everything previously perceived as normal and taken for granted. However, in many cases, the pandemic prompted resilience and creativity in the face of enormous challenges, and as the world began to shut down, alternate means of education provision emerged.

This virtual event will be a moderated panel discussion, which will permit panellists from EAC-implementing partners the opportunity to offer their remarks, insights and answer context-specific questions about the efficacy of distance education and the respective roles of the community, parents and teachers. After every panellist has had the floor, the moderator will open a Q&A session that will be followed by closing remarks.