Education and coronavirus: Ceibal Foundation surveys information and promotes cooperation in Latin America

Faced with the education crisis resulting from the suspension of classes due to the coronavirus pandemic, which affects Latin America, Ceibal Foundation played a key role in surveying the current situation in Uruguay and other countries, in addition to creating opportunities for regional cooperation and analysis.

Ceibal Foundation, together with the Alliance for the Digitization of Education in Latin America (ADELA), whose coordination the Foundation is in charge of, carried out a survey of the situation and main challenges in the countries in the region. The findings were presented at the webinar “Continuidad pedagógica ante el coronavirus: perspectivas desde Latinoamérica” (Pedagogical continuity in the face of coronavirus. the outlook from Latin America) on March 27, held jointly by both organizations. The event was attended by policy makers from the region, specialists from the Foundation and representatives of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) – Canada’s international cooperation agency – and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the institutions responsible for financing and creating the network, together with Ceibal Foundation.

Regional survey

The following are some of the main findings of the survey carried out on the basis of the perceptions of representatives of digital education and innovation bodies in the areas of education of the governments of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay, and think tanks and foundations of Argentina and Paraguay (CIPPEC and Paraguay Educa):

• The respondents stated that at least 50% of the student population in all the countries has access to distance learning mechanisms.
• The perception of the amount of content that is available and can be shared is high.
• Only 25% say they have an LMS (learning management system), which is key to distance learning, and none of the countries is in a position to share it with others.
• The main needs found are related to IT infrastructure and management (due to increased traffic) and content for non-digital media aimed at vulnerable sectors.

Contingency plans in the region

The main features of the contingency plans implemented by the countries in the region and presented at the webinar organized by Ceibal Foundation include disseminating and making available existing digital content through all possible digital media, including mobile telephony and radio and television, particularly in countries with low internet penetration. Some countries have initiatives in place for the distribution of content on a weekly or daily basis by level and year group to contribute to a systematized organization of resources in a centralized manner.

After the meeting, the Director of Ceibal Foundation, María Florencia Ripani, stressed the significance of the initiative in helping to meet pending challenges through a critical analysis of the situation and the creation of opportunities for cooperation. “Latin America is the most uneven region in the world and requires a range of resources and strategies to open up opportunities for pedagogical continuity in all households, with a focus on the most vulnerable populations,” she said.

The participants in the meeting were Ben Petrazzini. IDRC’s Senior Program Specialist; Marcelo Pérez, Lead Education Specialist in the IDB Office in Uruguay, and part of the Ceibal Foundation technical team: Alessia Zucchetti, Ceibal Foundation’s Project and Research Coordinator, and Camila Gottlieb, Analyst.

Contingency educational plans for the region were presented by: Diana Silva, Head of Educational Innovation of Colombia’s Ministry of Education; Andrés Bedón, National Director of Education Technologies of Ecuador’s Ministry of Education; Germán Ruiz Méndez, Director of the Digital Educational Agenda Area of the General Office of Educational Television @prende in Mexico; Alfonso Accinelli, Director of Technological Innovation in Education of Peru’s Education Ministry; and Mariana Montaldo, Institutional Liaison Officer for Uruguay’s Ceibal Plan.