2022-04-10-联合国教科文组织-2022年全球教育危机报告（EN）_56页_3mb

Summary of The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery

Overview

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a severe global education crisis, resulting in substantial learning losses and exacerbated inequalities. This report by UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank synthesizes evidence on pandemic-related school closures and offers strategies for recovery, emphasizing equitable, evidence-based learning programs to address lost learning and build resilient systems. Key findings highlight that learning losses were extensive, reached up to 17 trillion dollars in lifetime earnings lost in present value, and disproportionately affected low-and-middle-income countries and marginalized groups, including girls, younger students, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Immediate policy responses varied in effectiveness, with schools reopening but often providing inadequate learning continuity. Recovery requires a coordinated approach, including investments in teachers, diverse data collection, and sustainable financial allocations to restore equity and learning gains.

Learning Losses

Evidence indicates substantial learning losses in core subjects like math and reading across high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Remote learning, while innovative, proved insufficient in many contexts due to disparities in access to technology, connectivity, and digital skills. The crisis caused long-term damage to children's educational attainment, skills, and future productivity. Specific losses include:

• Context-specific examples: Brazil showed learning losses equivalent to nearly a year and a half of schooling in science literacy for eighth graders, while India's Karnataka state reported a decline in second graders' ability to perform basic subtraction, spilling over grades and potential future earnings.
• Subject variation: Greater losses were often observed in math than reading, but factors like age and digital familiarity influenced outcomes. Learning gaps widened, with girls reporting higher reading loss in some regions like South Africa and rural Pakistan, and younger children experiencing poorer results globally.

Exacerbation of Inequality

The pandemic deepened pre-existing educational disparities. Marginalized groups, including those in rural areas with limited resources, experienced worse learning outcomes due to inequitable access to remote learning, social exclusion, and economic hardships affecting household support. Girls faced intersecting barriers, such as reduced parental engagement in learning and increased domestic responsibilities. Additionally, school closures led to increased dropout rates and stunted developmental milestones for children, particularly in early childhood, which risks lifelong equity issues.

Policy Responses and Effectiveness

Responses varied broadly across countries, with some prioritizing remote learning modalities like online platforms, broadcast media, and take-home materials, while others focused on partial reopenings. Effective strategies included targeted professional development for teachers and structured pedagogy interventions. However, many policies were hampered by:

• Inequities: Remote learning coverage was poor in low-resource settings, with only 46% of low-income countries having sufficient soap, masks, and water for hygiene. Girls and students from lower-income households had limited access to digital tools.
• Gaps in support: Teacher training was insufficient in many LMICs, and vaccination priorities often excluded educators, undermining their role in recovery. Examinations were modified or canceled, but the lack of standardized assessments hindered targeted recovery efforts.

Building Resilient Education Systems

To recover lost learning, the report endorses evidence-based accelerated learning programs, such as curriculum consolidation, extended instructional time, and improving teaching efficiency through methods like targeted instruction and tutoring. Key recommendations include:

• Enhancing data gathering: Strengthen learning assessments for all students, with disaggregated data for equitable targeting.
• Investing in teachers: Providing training for remote and hybrid teaching and ensuring their inclusion in vaccination efforts.
• Prioritizing education finance: Governments should allocate more resources to education, with a share of stimulus packages ensuring efficiency in learning recovery.
• Hybrid learning: Adapting to digital and multimodal learning approaches to balance continuity with in-person instruction, while addressing the digital divide through inclusive policies.
• System diagnostics: Countries must engage in risk assessments, school readiness evaluations, and stronger collaborations to rebuild education systems for future shocks.

Call to Action

Urgent, coordinated recovery measures are essential to mitigate the long-term impacts of the crisis. This includes expediting school reopenings, implementing learning recovery programs for all children, and embedding equity-focused reforms into education systems. Failure to act risks permanent learning deficiencies and widened inequalities, emphasizing the need for global solidarity and investment.

Reference

U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and World Bank. The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery. © 2021 UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank.