INEE Mapping Report: Distance Education in Emergencies

INEE commissioned this mapping report in order to gain an understanding of who is doing what, and where, in terms of providing distance education (DE) in emergency and emergency-prone contexts. While organizations have been conducting DE projects for many years, including in crisis contexts, the current global climate has increased the need for and reliance on quality DE activities. COVID-19 has expedited the already urgent need to ensure the provision of equitable quality education on a large scale. Many countries have reacted rapidly to the COVID crisis by providing their national curriculum online, on the radio, and on television. However, countries and organizations should take this opportunity to understand exactly what is needed to ensure that these options will be sustainable when future emergencies again require such a large response.

This mapping is a start in gaining this understanding. Prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have pursued high-, low-, and no-tech modalities. We hope this analysis will be useful in determining which of those interventions have been successful enough to be targeted for scale-up so that the global community will be better prepared for future emergencies.