NIC.br Study Brings Together Experiences from Various Countries for the Continuation of Classes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The publication was presented in a Webinar, also marked by the launch of the 2020 editions of the TIC Households, TIC Education, and TIC Kids Online Brazil survey books

Released this Thursday (25) by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), the Sectoral Study "Education and Digital Technologies: Challenges and Strategies for the Continuity of Learning in Times of COVID-19" brings together experiences from various countries, showing how each managed to continue classes despite school closures during the pandemic. The role of technologies in this scenario, the challenge of digital exclusion for remote learning, and the adoption of different solutions for contexts with and without technology usage are central issues discussed in the publication. Of its five chapters, two are dedicated to Brazil. One of them is authored by specialists from Cetic.br|NIC.br. The book's presentation is signed by the director-president of NIC.br, Demi Getschko.  

From the reprocessing of data from the TIC Education 2020 survey related to public schools and discussed in the Cetic.br chapter, the lack of devices – such as computers and cell phones – and internet access in students' homes was a challenge for 93% of public schools in Brazil (which corresponds to 94,000 institutions). Another significant challenge for the use of technology resources in pedagogical activities was the lack of skills among teachers, cited by 63% of public schools.

“The challenges related to technology, although very relevant during the period, also coexisted with a series of other important issues, such as the difficulty of schools in assisting students in conditions of social vulnerability,” explain Javiera Macaya and Tatiana Jereissati, specialists and authors of the chapter signed by Cetic.br|NIC.br. The measure most cited by public schools for continuing education, according to the survey, was scheduling a day and time for parents and guardians to pick up printed activities and pedagogical materials at the school (93%).

Emergency remote learning towards more open, inclusive, and quality education systems; the implementation, perceived effectiveness, and monitoring of remote education; the challenges of educational innovation in Uruguay in the context of COVID-19 are some of the topics explored in the publication, which also addresses the use of digital platforms for teaching and learning activities during the pandemic and provides a projection on education for the most marginalized populations in a post-pandemic future. “In general, all chapters highlight the importance of data production and surveys that track the context of education during the pandemic, the solutions implemented, the results, and lessons learned. All these evidence-based analyses are extremely relevant for the implementation of public policies for digital inclusion in the country,” adds Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br|NIC.br

The other chapters of the study are signed by representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Bank, the Ceibal Foundation (Uruguay), and the universities: Federal of Bahia (UFBA), of Brasília (UnB), Federal of Santa Catarina (UFSC), and State of Campinas (UNICAMP).

Launch

The sectoral study “Education and Digital Technologies: Challenges and Strategies for the Continuity of Learning in Times of COVID-19” was presented in the webinar "Digital Inclusion and Post-Pandemic Challenges", an event also marked by the launch of the 2020 editions of the TIC Households, TIC Education, and TIC Kids Online Brazil survey books, which include articles by specialists and the complete indicators of each survey. To check and download the TIC publications of CGI.br conducted by Cetic.br|NIC.br for free, visit: https://cetic.br/pt/publicacoes/indice/pesquisas/. 

The Sectoral Study is available at https://cetic.br/pt/publicacao/educacao-e-tecnologias-digitais-desafios-e-estrategias-para-a-continuidade-da-aprendizagem-em-tempos-de-covid-19/.

This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.