The Impact of COVID-19: How are Universities Three Years After the Pandemic? | Observatory IFE | #InThePress

Now that the education system seems to return to normal after the pandemic, it is time to follow up on its impact after almost three years of disruption. With this in mind, last year, UNESCO published the report Resuming or reforming? Tracking the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education after two years of disruption. Dana Abdrasheva, Mauricio Escribens, Emma Sabzalieva, Daniele Vieira do Nascimento, and Clarisa Yerovi, authors of the report, point out that the impact of the pandemic has been “diverse, profound and varies from one institution to another and from one country to another. Higher education institutions (HEIs), students, faculty, and staff have shown great effort to be resilient and quickly adapt to systemic changes.” For the researchers, the purpose of this publication is to detail the lessons learned and conclusions that may be useful for the future.

Most educational institutions are reassessing their role concerning the well-being of their community. When the outbreaks of the virus began to increase, the first response of the schools was to close their doors and rely on existing technologies to continue with their activities, prioritizing pedagogical continuity and ensuring the health and well-being of students, teachers, and staff.

The UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO IESALC) has closely followed the impact of the pandemic on higher education around the world. It has published results from more than 100 surveyed Latin American universities in May 2020, July 2021, and now 2022. Part of their purpose in sharing these findings is to inform the academic community of the current impact of the pandemic, including reopening strategies in the region, and to map how they opened their doors in 2021. It also includes observations that may be useful to guide future actions.

Continue reading the article here: https://observatory.tec.mx/edu-news/impact-of-covid-19-higher-education-unesco/