The COVID-19 pandemic caused a large-scale education disruption, prompting global school closures. The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) provided grant support, unprecedented in scope, size and experimentation, to 66 low and middle-income countries (LMIC) to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on learning. Emergency responses often struggle to balance swift implementation with relevance and equity. Given the escalating frequency of crises and limited evidence on what works, analysing COVID-19 support is crucial, especially from an equity perspective. This study, based on the evaluation of GPE’s COVID-19 support, focuses on mechanisms to ensure relevance and sustainability for LMIC countries and vulnerable groups. The research involved a portfolio analysis of data from three GPE grant mechanisms and 10 country case studies. The study identified several mechanisms that GPE designed for relevance to LMICs and inclusiveness of vulnerable populations throughout grant implementation. Grants screening processes checked for alignment with emergency response plans but did not assess suitability to countries’ technological capabilities, which led to some unsustainable learning solutions in low-connectivity areas. For the first time, grant screening required details on how the needs of vulnerable groups would be addressed, resulting in nearly all grants incorporating specific activities. Additionally, GPE allowed ongoing adaptation throughout implementation, though most changes were not related to changing activities’ scope or type, raising concerns about sustained relevance. The conference presentation will describe how GPE COVID-19 support managed to balance quick roll-out and quality assurance with relevance and inclusivity, proposing lessons learned that can support sustainability and equity for future crisis responses.

Authors:
Elizaveta Rusakova, Learn More, Italy
Lorenzo Newman, Learn More, Italy

About the Presenter(s)
Elizaveta Rusakova is a researcher specializing in education policy analysis with international experience in research for UN organizations and GPE. She is currently a Consultant at Learn More, learning systems research center in Italy.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizaveta-rusakova-198467214

Additional website of interest
https://learn-more.eu/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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