In the various dialogues on public policies and programmatic actions that took place as part of the activities of the CIE's 2019-2022 Work Plan, and in the midst of a global health crisis that entailed the massive closure of schools at all levels, the CIE authorities voiced their commitment that education is a right and, as such, a commitment that the State cannot elude.
Effective and equitable educational recovery has been at the center of national and international debate. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), together with Education International (
OECD/IE, 2022), have recognized the challenges of these contexts and proposed 10 principles that can foster the collaboration of educational actors to face the detrimental effects of the pandemic in a coordinated manner. UNESCO (2020) has also published a
series of urgent measures on how to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the cost of achieving SDG4.
Following the line of work established in its methodology by the CIE authorities, and building on the current contexts, the results achieved and proposed lessons to be heeded are as follows:
- Create opportunities for countries to share successful initiatives to help advance the framework for action and public policies, by encouraging and supporting the design and implementation of post-pandemic public policies.
- Support, through technical cooperation and capacity building, the transformation mechanisms that education systems need to address the inequality gaps that have widened in recent years.
- By researching key issues, generate the inputs needed for public policy decision-making and programmatic action.
Expected outcome: Regional Mechanism of Scientific Dissemination for Public Education Policies in Contexts of Change (MEREDICI).
Themes and areas of action
- Universal policies for inclusion.
This encompasses inclusion policies for access, educational support mechanisms, and the prevention of high school dropout. They include, for example, scholarship programs, access to and distribution of educational materials, school meals, and care, above all, to include vulnerable groups (including those in human mobility processes) and people with disabilities.
- Educational innovation for transformation
This topic is related to policies and programs for the recovery of skills and the mechanisms that can be deployed to reinforce fundamental learning processes that have not yet been consolidated. It is essential for these actions to be evidence-based and that they build on the analysis of previous successful implementations and highlight the challenges encountered therein.
- Framework of action for the social-emotional development/coexistence in school of students, teachers, and the educational community.
This framework for action provides an overview of how to develop and/or strengthen, implement, and evaluate the compliance with, and effectiveness of, policies and programs that promote social and emotional development within a framework of access and permanence to quality, inclusive, and equitable education.