SELA to hold Virtual Seminar on Education in Latin America and the Caribbean in times of pandemic

The seminar will provide information about the main challenges, impacts, characteristics and opportunities that have been identified in the education sector following the change caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

On Thursday 6 August at 10:30 am in Caracas and 11:30 am in Montevideo, the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) will hold a Webinar on “Education in times of pandemic: Impact of COVID-19 on the educational systems of Latin America and the Caribbean”. The event will count on a panel made up of three specialists, who will provide information about the current reality of education in the region and the strategies that several countries are adopting to take advantage of the circumstances and counteract the shortcomings.

Education is one of the sectors that has been very badly affected by the SARS Cov-2 virus (coronavirus). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) notes that more than 60% of the world’s student population is being affected by deficiencies in remote learning, such as: the cost of the digital divide (understood as the disparity in access to technology or Internet), the role that schools play in students’ health and well-being.

Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the regions where there is a great disparity in technology and less preparation in terms of digital infrastructure, as noted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). This international financial organization has been carrying out the Information Systems and Educational Management (SIGED) Project for two years, which has shown that most Latin American countries do not have the minimum digital conditions required, and this limits the possibilities of providing online education to all students, with the exception of Uruguay.

The crisis in education is in progress and it will be more evident in the future. Therefore, SELA is creating a space to address the necessary transformation in education which contributes to reducing inequality through an exchange of experiences and best practices with three experts: Juan Maragall, Leading Education Specialist of the IDB; Emiliana Vegas, Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the Centre for Universal Education of Brookings, and Carina Silva Ciganda, Coordinator of educational technology projects at Ceilab & Microbit, Ceibal Plan.