Education in a post-COVID world: Nine ideas for public action

Decisions made today in the context of COVID-19 will have long-term consequences for the futures of education. Policy-makers, educators and communities must make high-stakes choices today—these decisions should be guided by shared principles and visions of desirable collective futures.

COVID-19 has revealed vulnerabilities; it has also surfaced extraordinary human resourcefulness and potential. This is a time for pragmatism and quick action, but it is also a moment when more than ever we cannot abandon scientific evidence. Nor can we operate without principles. Choices must be based on a humanistic vision of education and development and human rights frameworks.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides many of the necessary signposts and guidelines. In this report, the International Commission on the Futures of Education—established by UNESCO in 2019 and composed of thought leaders from the worlds of academia, science, government, business and education—resents nine ideas for concrete actions today that will advance education tomorrow.