Education in the age of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in global school closures across Europe, but learning did not grind to a halt since lessons moved online.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in Europe has been met with measures to ensure the continuity of education and training activities. Schools took to the internet and teachers tailored lessons for online learning.
Since the COVID-19 lockdowns, teachers around Europe have scrambled to find alternatives for traditional in-class programmes. Moving classes online and the development of e-learning content that is engaging became the new norm in all EU Member States.
“The COVID-19 outbreak has reminded us that, despite differences in national systems, Member States share similar challenges,” said Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. She was addressing Members of the European Parliament during a videoconference about the European Education Area.
“As you know, the Commission plans to adopt the new Action Plan in September,” Gabriel told MEPs. “It will present a set of measures aimed, among others, at strengthening the digital capacities of education systems, building digital literacy and creating a digital support ecosystem. In order to benefit from the lessons learned in the crisis, I have launched an EU-wide open public consultation on the Digital Education Action Plan. I count on your help to promote the consultation as broadly as possible.”
Eventually, this plan will contribute to shape a European Education Area by 2025.
‘No pupil left behind’
“Across Europe, pupils from vulnerable socioeconomic groups had difficulties accessing online learning. Some of them simply lost three months of education. We cannot leave these pupils and students behind. This is why inclusion will be one of the priorities of the European Education Area in the coming years,” said Gabriel.
A financial support will therefore be available to enhance inclusion. “For all this to happen an adequate level of investment will be key. We need to match our ambition with adequate funding. The Commission proposal for a recovery instrument, the Next Generation EU, will unlock 750 billion EUR,” added Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.
The digital transformation of education systems across Europe hinges on Member States’ commitments. Governments are responsible for ensuring the provision of accessible quality education. Income tax is the primary source of revenue governments use to invest in education.
No doubt COVID-19 has made it more important than ever to assist schools not only cope during the pandemic, but continue to excel.
Online resources
To help teachers address the numerous challenges related to online teaching, the EU has published plenty of resources online:
- School Education Gateway: online catalogue of teaching materials and training opportunities for teachers
- eTwinning: collaborative European platform for teachers
- Learning corner: teaching materials to help pupils of all age groups discover the EU
- SALTO-YOUTH: EU-supported online platforms for teachers and educators
- European electronic platform for adult learning: online community connecting adult learning professionals
- Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange: online virtual exchange opportunities for young people
- European Institute of Innovation and Technology: resources supporting the provision of quality online teaching and learning by higher education professionals
- EU code week: grassroots initiative related to coding, programming, computational thinking and digital literacy
The purpose of these resources is to connect educators and learners, to make information and environments accessible and to support continued professional development of educators. In addition, the resources of EU-funded projects can also be used by teachers in the framework of their lessons.
TAXEDU lesson plans
The TAXEDU portal is also a great place for teachers to find interactive resources. It’s full of ready-made lesson plans for teachers. Each lesson plan includes a description and specific objectives, as well as suggestions about activities and how teachers can use the lessons in their class.
What’s more, the lessons can be used to inform students about the many ways collected taxes are used to help fund education, from kindergarten to university. They can learn about how taxes are used to make their lives better through the TAXEDU digital platform.
The platform offers a range of interactive tax-related resources which are helping to educate the next generation of taxpayers. Find out how everyone benefits from taxes with TAXEDU’s 2QT robot.