Educational Development (News and Research 294)

Kosovo: Minister Nagavci: Grateful for the support of the World Bank in various projects in the field of education  The Minister of Education, Arbërie Nagavci together with the leader of the Education Global Practice at the World Bank Jaime Saavedra discussed the priorities of the ministry in reducing the consequences of the pandemic on student outcomes. Nagavci said that she is grateful for the support of the World Bank in various projects in the field of education, EkonomiaOnline reports. “On the sidelines of the World Education Forum, in London, in a friendly and productive meeting with Mr. Saavedra and World Bank representatives discussed our further cooperation. Digitalization, evaluation of teachers’ performance, and networking of schools were some of the topics of meeting and exchange of experiences. Grateful for the support of the World Bank in various projects in the field of education,” Nagavci wrote.

World Bank to provide $25 million loan for Education Improvement Project in Armenia  The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a $25 million loan for Additional Financing of the Education Improvement Project (EIP) in Armenia. The project will further assist the Government in improving school readiness of children entering primary education, the physical condition and availability of educational resources in general education, and quality and relevance in higher education institutions in Armenia.

How much did children really learn with remote classes during the pandemic?  Middle- and high-school students in São Paulo, Brazil, learned only 40% in Portuguese and 20% in math classes relative to the in-person equivalent. Student dropouts might have increased from 10% to 35%. Schools closed all over the world in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving over 1.6 billion children without in-person classes. For many countries, that was the case for a very long time; in Brazil, schools were closed for over 700 days. Dramatically, by end of March 2022, 23 countries were still to fully reopen schools — affecting over 400 million children worldwide. By now, it is clear that learning losses during the pandemic were tremendous, and that such losses were larger in countries that kept schools closed for longer…

COVID derailed learning for 1.6 billion students. Here’s how schools can help them catch upThe pandemic is the largest disruption to education in history. But research has identified ways to help children make up lost ground. Will they work in classrooms around the world?

Costa in Ukraine: PM pledges Portugal’s help for a much better future | Reconstruction of schools; technical support towards EU membership, €250 million

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Event

Education Impacts of the Covid-19 School Closures | Mitigating the Learning Losses Caused by the COVID-19 School Closures | Conference jointly organized by World Bank and IDEA at CERGE-EI | 21 June 2022, 13:00 – 18:00 (Central European Summer Time – UTC +2) | Prague, CERGE-EI (The Schebek Palace, Politických vězňů 7, Prague 1) | Format: Hybrid: online and in-person | Register Now | The objective of this conference is to document the size and determinants of the learning loss brought about by school closures, identify policy options to reverse these losses, and setting the bases of a more resilient education system. The Conference is divided into three parts: (1) An overview of the pre-pandemic global learning crisis and the mechanisms through which this was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) The elements of a “Learning Recovery Plan” based on recent evidence of interventions that have proven to be effective to improve learning, particularly among disadvantaged students; and (3) Lessons that can be drawn from the COVID-19 pandemic in the road towards the construction of a more resilient, efficient, and equitable education system. The Conference will be concluded by a panel summarizing a call to action. (Confirmed speakers: Daniel Münich (IDEA at CERGE-EI), Nuno Crato (University of Lisbon), Maciej Jakubowski (University of Warsaw), Gunda Tire (Finland), Lenora Chu (Christian Science Monitor), Lucas Gortazar (EsadeEcPol), Vaclav Korbel (IDEA at CERGE-EI). Thierry Rocher (Ministère de l’éducation nationale and Université Paris X Nanterre), Hjalte Meilvang (Ministry of Education, Denmark), Rafael de Hoyos, Harry Patrinos (World Bank).