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BLOG | Are countries in Latin America and the Caribbean prepared to reopen schools?

6 December 2020

Last update:1 April 2023

Schools in 30 countries around the world remain closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, half of which are in Latin America and the Caribbean. Eighteen countries in the region have partially reopened schools, be that for a certain educational level, specific year of schooling, or in particular states or municipalities. To date, only eight countries in the region have fully opened their schools.

These figures illustrate the difficulties faced by the education system in getting students back into the classroom and lead us to ask: Are countries prepared? What conditions are necessary for a safe and successful reopening of schools, where no one is left behind?

As the pandemic forced governments to take drastic containment measures such as school closures, several organizations and institutions concerned about the impact on education issued a series of recommendations to ensure educational continuity and plan for the reopening of schools. These recommendations focused on school infrastructure, sanitation and hygiene, human resources, access to information and communication technology and funding. Having the right resources at the right time is necessary for providing education, whatever the context; but the pandemic has brought a sense of urgency to the issue.

The report , released today by the OREALC/UNESCO Santiago and the Inter-American Development Bank’s Education Division, analyses the structural conditions that impact on the availability and distribution of these resources in countries throughout the region.

The data presented in the report help to explain the difficulties and challenges that education systems are facing in the process of reopening schools. Resources are not the only factor, but they play a significant role.

Sanitation and hygiene

A total 16% of schools in Latin America and the Caribbean lack access to drinking water; this rises to 28% if only rural schools are considered. Furthermore, unequal access affects many households when it comes to this most basic public health requirement. This means that a significant number of children and adolescents do not have access to safe drinking water at home or at school. According to data from OREALC/UNESCO Santiago’s Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (TERCE), this double deficiency affects 5.5% of third to sixth grade students that come from the poorest 20% of households. This figure rises to 19.7% in rural areas.

Technological resources

Computer and internet connection access is a variable that has taken centre stage during the pandemic. Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, it has been estimated that 46% of children between five and twelve years of age live in households with no internet connection, equivalent to 31 million children. Computer access has also proven irregular and unequal. According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 (PISA 2018) study, between 70% and 80% of fifteen-year-old students from families belonging to the highest income quartile have a computer at home. This figure falls to between 10% and 20% for those in the lowest income quartile.

The situation within the schools themselves is also inadequate. Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, approximately 62% of primary schools and 75% of secondary schools have computer equipment. Internet access is more limited, with 44% of primary schools and 66% of secondary schools having internet connectivity.

Teachers

Yet another challenge is to ensure that an adequate number of teachers are available for the return to in-person learning. Teachers, as normal members of society, have also been affected by the pandemic: some form part of at-risk groups due to their age or underlying medical conditions, while others are primary caregivers for the elderly or have children themselves that are not attending school. Furthermore, they have had to teach online classes without having access to the necessary resources or training. Implementing the recommendations for increasing the number of students in school may require a greater number of teachers than schools have on staff.

Funding

Countries throughout the region are facing an unprecedented burden on financial resources. As demands have increased, the difficult financial situation of the region’s nations has strained resource availability. Early indications of education budgets during 2020 do not indicate that cuts have been made, but neither is there evidence that education has been prioritized by governments in their emergency economic relief packages.

The pandemic has created new problems for education while also revealing the deficiencies and inequalities that have prevailed, and continue to prevail, in the region’s education systems. The public health crisis has hit hard, but not everyone was in the same position upon receiving the blow.

The upcoming months will be key to the future of education in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is vital to keep working to make the return to in-person learning a reality for everyone, as soon as public health conditions permit. We must carry out more in-depth assessments, prioritize planning and protect resources. More importantly still, we must place education at the centre of national recovery strategies and guarantee the right to education for all children and youth.