PART 1: Theoretical Knowledge

The World Health Organization declared on March 11, 2020, that the disease caused by Sars-CoV-2 could be characterized as a pandemic. In this unusual and odd situation, schools had to scale back and suspend activity in order to reduce infection risks. The pandemic has given everyone a chance to understand better how social inequalities can manifest within the educational sector. 

As several authors mention in the COVID-19 as a global challenge: towards an inclusive and sustainable future article (p. e312), COVID-19 also brought an education crisis, governments around the world have temporarily shut schools in an effort to enforce social distancing and slow viral transmission. The United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that 60% of the world’s student population has been affected, with 19 billion learners out of school across 150 countries. Studies have shown that loss of access to education not only diminishes learning in the short term but also increases long-term dropout rates and reduces future socioeconomic opportunities.