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COVID-19 and Primary and Secondary Education: The Impact of the Crisis and Public Policy Implications for Latin America and the Caribbean

More than 144 million students in Latin America and the Caribbean have missed nearly five months of school due to public health measures taken by governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health crisis has meant a triple shock for children and adolescents, with the prolonged closure of schools, confinement due to lockdown measures and the loss of economic security in households. This triple shock has both shortand long-term repercussions that put the development of an entire generation at risk. Although governments throughout the region have implemented distance learning strategies intended to maintain a degree of continuity in children’s and adolescents’ learning and well-being, these solutions have been unevenly implemented and may even further exacerbate the education gaps that existed in the region before the pandemic. Addressing this educational emergency requires governments to focus on guaranteeing children’s and adolescents’ learning and well-being, working on four priority areas: 1) planning for the urgent reopening of schools; 2) developing a strategy to ensure learning for all students, in the new context where not all instruction will be in person; 3) preserving school’s protective role and providing services that have been disrupted; and 4) ensuring the emotional well-being of the educational community (teachers, families and students). Implementing these measures promptly requires the protection of education budgets in the region, promoting cooperation between countries, and coordination between the education sector and other sectors. This crisis could be an opportunity to rethink the current education system and build one that closes existing inequalities and enables all children and adolescents in the region to reach their full potential. Achieving this will require a long-term vision for managing the current emergency, with investment in rebuilding an education system that ensures access to learning for all students, particularly the most vulnerable. * Associate Professor, Escuela de Gobierno Alberto Lleras Camargo de la Universidad de los Andes (Alberto Lleras Camargo School of Government, The University of the Andes). Contact: sagarcia@uniandes.edu.co The author would like to thank Marcela Meléndez, María Laura Alzúa, Felipe Barrera, Adriana Camacho, Mariana Coolican, Ruth Custode, Yannig Dussart, Ariel Fiszbein, Luis Enrique García, Pablo Jaramillo, Hugo Ñopo, Maria Paula Reinbold, Claudio Santibanez, Miguel Urquiola and Denise Vaillant for their comments and suggestions for the drafting of this document. She would also like to thank Lucas Marín for his support in gathering information and analysing data, and for his comments on this document, and Freddy Carrillo for his support in gathering information.