The president of Plan Ceibal and Fundación Ceibal, along with leading national education authorities and figures, present their reflections on the change in scenario that Uruguay experienced and the main challenges faced by Uruguayan education.

A New Scenario

The Uruguayan education system faced a major challenge as a consequence of a timely and speedy reaction to contain the potential health crisis that COVID-19 could cause in a health system that was not expecting a historic pandemic. As soon as the first cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Uruguay, in-person classes were cancelled and the population was urged to quarantine voluntarily. 

“This showed that what Ceibal brings and the spaces it occupies are a predominant aspect in the teaching and learning experience at all levels in the Uruguayan education system.”

A new scenario

After over seven months of the pandemic, in which Uruguay shifted abruptly from in-person to online classes, the country has progressively returned to the classrooms, and at this moment is evaluating the many consequences of this situation.

“Uruguay was able to continue education online, as it had accumulated investment in the educational innovation agency, Plan Ceibal, and broadened its scope during the pandemic, increasing connectivity.”

A New Scenario

During the pandemic we lost everyday contact, looking people in the eye, the corridors, but we gained the opportunity to connect through technology.

A New Scenario

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ANEP as a whole faced a challenge to optimize resources that already existed thanks to the Plan Ceibal but which—given that classes were cancelled—required new educational configurations for remote teaching during the pandemic situation.

A New Scenario

13 March 2020 will be remembered for the confirmation of the first cases of COVID-19 and the start of a national quest to address a highly complex situation and diverse social aspects. Public policies and educational institutions were stretched to the limit, necessitating responses within a limited time frame, with partial information and without knowing substantial aspects that made up possible scenarios of how the epidemic would develop.