Global

Ezekial Jacobs, a 33-year-old school teacher from Nigeria is no stranger to crisis. Civil armed conflict and violence has gripped Ezekial’s home in the North-East region since 2009, forcing more than 1 million children out of school , damaging over 400 schools and resulting in the deaths of over 2,295 teachers. With the region gradually recovering…

This report defines and takes the pulse of five vital elements of digital learning. It contributes to the ongoing yet urgent aim of transforming education, and offers steps to recovery through child-centered, equity-driven, and innovative solutions. The five vital elements covered are ICT in Education policies and financing, digital learning…

The following guides have been developed in line with UNICEF’s commitment to support Ministries of Education and education decision-makers to effectively monitor the status and implementation of education delivery and learning, including in emergency situations: Conceptual Framework for Monitoring Hybrid Learning Delivery Toward Long-term System…

To help you provide your students with a safe and supportive learning environment, here are some ways to support your student’s well-being. Did you know? During times of stress and crisis, children observe adults’ behaviours and emotions for cues on how to manage their own., Emotional check-ins, Returning to school can be an emotionally trying time for everyone and children can be greatly impacted in a number of ways. Conduct routine emotional check-ins with your students. To check-in emotionally is to ask children “how they are” in a direct or indirect way. One method is to ask children "What colour do you feel today?" Ask children to…, Identifying signs of distress, Children have different reactions to adverse events in their environment. Culture influences the ways in which we express emotions. In some cultures, for example, it is not appropriate to show strong emotions like crying loudly, while in others it is widely accepted. Based on the culture you work in, be alert for signs that children are not doing…, Activities to reduce stress and support student well-being, These activities can be done with students in order to help reduce stress, support well-being and provide them with positive coping strategies. These activities are also beneficial for you, and you and your students can do them together.   Belly breathing Often when we are stressed our breathing becomes shallow, high in our chests, and we forget…

Teaching can often be a highly stressful career. However, there are steps you can take to help cope with the pressures of the job and manage stress levels. As a teacher, you might be exhausted juggling work and family obligations, and concerned about how best to help your students make up for learning lost from school closures during the COVID-19…, Ways to cope, While people react differently to stress, people often do better over the long-term if they: Feel safe, connected to others, calm and hopeful Have access to social, physical and emotional support Regain a sense of control by being able to help themselves If you recognize signs of stress and how they affect different aspects of your well-being, you…, What is self-care?, The World Health Organization defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.” Self-care is any activity that we do intentionally in order to take care of our mental,…, What is burnout?, One of the negative consequences of accumulated stress is burnout. Burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that results from prolonged exposure to job stressors or work situations that are emotionally demanding. It is emotional exhaustion and can result in a sense of reduced personal accomplishment. Burnout includes many…, Making time for self-care as teachers, Too many people work until they can't go on or they view rest and sleep as something which is not important. It is important to view rest as an essential tool for maintaining well-being. Resting can be as simple as just turning off the lights in your classroom for a few minutes after your students have left. Or try and limit the time you spend…, Hope and well-being, It is important to remind yourself and your students that you have control over different aspects of your life and that you can bring about change. When you are facing challenging times, it can be difficult to feel hopeful that things can improve. When we feel hopeful, it helps us to focus on change, look to the future, and actively look for…

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted education around the world. School closures due to the pandemic have affected around 1.5 billion children. Teachers have gone above and beyond to support their students and to help them keep learning by whatever means possible. Many have embraced new ways of teaching, including online, over radio, television or…, Afghanistan, “Let’s come together, help our children and provide them with quality education.” Latifa Shafahi is a teacher in Bamyan, Afghanistan, where children are coping with the threat of conflict and COVID-19. Latifa notices the psychological impact these have on her students and tries to make classes engaging and friendly. Under national school safety…, Ghana, “I do not want the children to suffer the same as I did.” Musah Samata could not complete her basic education while growing up in Ghana. Today, as a volunteer mother she helps children learn during the pandemic by assisting in classrooms and care centres. Her goal is to ensure children don't lose out on their education during school closures. In…, Turkey, “Their desire to learn … [was] the most important factor encouraging me to continue my effort.” Aylin Tufan is a guidance counsellor in Turkey who helps Syrian refugee children and adolescents through issues such as discrimination, child labour and child marriage. When she heard that one of her students was being forced into marriage, she was able…, Uganda, “We try to get the children to inquire and discover on their own.” When schools closed in Uganda, school teacher Irene Nyangoma saw some of the challenges parents were facing in keeping children learning. She thought that seeing teachers on a television screen might help them stay engaged and helped launch a TV show to help her students learn.…

NEW YORK, 5 October 2020 - On World Teachers' Day 2020, David Edwards, General Secretary, Education International, Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO and Henrietta Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF issue a joint statement.  "Every year, World Teachers’ Day reminds us of the…

An entire generation has seen its education interrupted. At the height of nation-wide lockdowns in April, approximately 91 per cent of the world's students in more than 194 countries were out of school. This has caused immeasurable disruption to the lives, learning and wellbeing of children around the world.   UNICEF is working together with…, Cambodia, Back to school in Cambodia: A student reads an open book on her class desk A student at Preah Norodom Primary School in Phnom Penh. Children started returning to schools on 7 September with both teachers and students wearing masks, observing physical distancing and following safe practices. UNICEF has been working with Cambodia’s Ministry of…, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Back to school in DRC: A student wearing a face mask writes her exam in class. Elodie, a final year secondary school student in Kinshasa, takes her exam while wearing a mask. On 10 August, schools across the Democratic Republic of the Congo reopened to allow final year students to take their exams. Through the “Masks made in DRC” initiative,…, Georgia, Back to school in Georgia: a teacher faces a student in a sparse classroom. Despite physical distancing and regular temperature-checks, there is a mood of celebration and relief among children, teachers and parents alike on the first day of school in the town of Sagarejo. The new academic year began on 15 September in Georgia. UNICEF and other…, Ghana, Back to school in Ghana: school students wearing face masks cycling to school Students in Ghana wearing face masks on their way to school on 22 July. UNICEF supported the Ministry of Education to develop safety precautions for the reopening of schools. As part of the Government’s efforts to ensure that education continues, final-year students were…, Jordan, Back to school in Jordan: students stand around a flag during morning assembly Girls on their first day back to school at Aisha bent Al Mo’meneen school in Amman. Schools reopened in Jordan from 31 August for the first time since closing in March due to COVID-19 prevention measures. UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Education’s Safely Back to…, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Students entering the gates of their school On 18 May, Lycée de Vientiane, a public school in Vientiane, Lao PDR’s capital, welcomed back over 900 of its students. After a two-month-long school closure in Lao PDR and with no new cases reported in over a month, the Ministry of Education issued Safe Schools guidance for schools to reopen in phases.…, Mauritania, Back to school in Mauritania: students raising their hands in a classroom Students attend classes at the Bekar O Soueid Ahmed school, south of the capital Nouakchott. After several months of school closures, students in Mauritania returned to classrooms at the beginning of September. Among the precautions put in place by the Ministry of Health are…, Mongolia, Back to school in Mongolia: a girl getting her temperature checked at school A student gets her temperature checked before the start of class. Schools and kindergartens in Mongolia reopened on 1 September with prevention and precautionary measures including restrictions on the number of children in each classroom to no more than 20 pupils and…, Sri Lanka, Back to school in Sri Lanka: students washing their hands at the school taps Students wearing facemasks wash their hands at their school in Sri Lanka. Schools reopened on 6 July for certain grades after being closed since March. As part of our going ongoing COVID-19 response work for schools in Sri Lanka, UNICEF supports the Government in…