Education in Emergencies & Health Crises

Health emergencies interrupt learning for millions of children and young people.

Disruptions in learning can severely impact children and young people’s ability to learn. The longer children and young people from disadvantaged groups are out of school, the less likely they are to return. These negative impacts are more pronounced for those living in settings affected by conflict and other protracted crises, refugee and displaced children and young people, minorities, children living with disabilities, and children in institutions.

Health emergencies affect the mental health of children and young people, and their families—EiE can support their overall wellbeing.

During health emergencies, children and young people may worry about the health or economic wellbeing of their families, or feel anxious about the uncertainty of the future, experiencing mental distress. Schools may help them stay connected to friends and teachers, access basic psychosocial support and refer those who need specialised services.

EiE can support responses to health emergencies.

For example, to support health and nutrition outcomes, education actors can distribute meals or food baskets during school closures, as well as micronutrient supplements, food vouchers and cash-based transfers to families with school-aged children. They can also disseminate life-saving public health messages and training.

Inclusive, remote learning strategies have the potential to help children and young people learn during health emergencies.

The COVID-19 crisis demonstrated that innovation and transformation are also possible in education. When carefully planned, adequately resourced, and inclusively designed, digital and remote learning strategies can support learning continuity in the face of future school closures.

Children and young people educated today might be the health workers, teachers, entrepreneurs, scientists and politicians dealing with crises tomorrow.

Investing in quality and inclusive education is investing in future health emergencies’ preparedness. Moreover, post-emergency developments in EiE can mitigate the impact of health emergencies on schools and learning in emergency contexts in the future. 

Keep school closures to a minimum and ensure learning continues for all.

Decision-makers must assess how learning and wellbeing can best be supported in each context, considering in particular the benefits of classroom-based instruction vis-à-vis remote learning. In any case, learning strategies, including those in humanitarian contexts, must be inclusive of all children and young people, including those with disabilities, girls, minority groups and children in rural areas.

Invest in the inclusive and holistic recovery of every child and young person. 

Address both the academic and wellbeing needs of children and young people. Prepare teachers and schools to respond to MHPSS and socio-emotional needs. Once schools reopen, reinstate the provision of essential school health packages, promote catch-up vaccination plans (where applicable) and implement return-to-school strategies, especially targeting those children and young people at risk of dropping out. Prioritise child protection actions in recovery plans, including ensuring the continued functioning of child-friendly helplines.

Measure learning loss and introduce evidence-based recovery programmes.

Allocate resources to measure learning losses to identify the most affected areas and groups and to create a baseline against which recovery efforts can be measured. Incorporating this knowledge, and the lessons from the crisis, enable the design of evidence-based accelerated learning and academic remedial programmes.

Invest in digital inclusive learning strategies for all students.

This includes investing in further developing the technology, the pedagogy, and the skills of teachers and students to use digital solutions in support of learning in emergency settings. It also involves making the internet safer for children and young people, closing the digital divide between the connected and the disconnected, and increasing access to electricity, internet connectivity, affordable devices and maintenance.

Prepare for future health crises through crisis-sensitive planning and crisis management.

Crisis-sensitive planning in education aims to strengthen education planning and delivery before, during, and after a crisis. It involves institutionalising crisis and risk management in education systems by having a policy framework, a dedicated team, and strong coordination mechanisms, including with the health sector, in place at all levels of the system.