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, , and the  have issued guidelines on the safe reopening of schools amidst ongoing closures affecting nearly 1.3 billion students worldwide. The  caution that the widespread closures of educational facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic present an unprecedented risk to children’s education and wellbeing, particularly for the most marginalized children who rely on school for their education, health, safety and nutrition. The guidelines offer practical advice for national and local authorities on how to keep children safe when they return to school.

While schools are reopening in some corners of the world after pandemic-induced closures, the 51�Թ� and its partners are helping children continue their learning through all possible means, including the Internet, radio and television. Among those efforts, has issued a call to support learning and knowledge-sharing through  – materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or under an open license that permits no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others.

launches a rapid response distance learning plan, the “Education Cannot Wait” initiative for 118,000 Palestine refugee students in 169 schools due to COVID-19 closures.

An unprecedented coalition launches “Earth School,” providing free, high-quality educational content to help students, parents and teachers who are currently at home.

Half of the total number of learners – some 826 million students – are kept out of the classroom by the COVID-19 pandemic for not having access to a household computer. Even so, digitally based distance learning is used to ensure educational continuity. The , launched by , includes , in seeking to facilitate inclusive learning opportunities for children and youth during this period of sudden and unprecedented educational disruption.

partner, Ocean Agency, invites parents and children to experience the ocean and its astounding life forms from their homes. Remote diving is the new remote working.

Access to a quality education

As school closures impact more than 80% of the world’s student population, UNESCO convened an online meeting of education ministers, to share information on measures deployed to support teachers, parents and students in coping with home learning. They also pointed to emerging challenges that require global cooperation. UNESCO is launching a to support countries in scaling up their best distance learning practices and reaching children and youth who are most at risk.

Schools Resume as Displaced Return to Gunyoro in Eastern Equatoria

launches an education coalition to help countries deploy remote learning to minimize disruptions and maintain social contact with learners. As an immediate response to massive school closures, UNESCO established a COVID-19 task force to provide advice and technical assistance to governments working to provide education to students out of school. The Organization holds regular virtual meetings with education ministers from all over the world to assess priority needs.

Meet some students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine who are currently taking part in the scholarship programme administered by .

UNRWA Inaugurates New School in Dera’a Refugee Camp

“These are our children”

Muzoon Almellehan is an education activist and . Muzoon has been campaigning for children’s education in emergencies since she was forced to flee Syria in 2013 with her family. In this article in the UN Chronicle for the International Day of Education, she shares her personal story and her motivation for the work she does. "Education is the key to peace and prosperity, and the foundation of equality," she says.

The International Day of Education, 24 January, this year highlights the integrated nature of education, its humanistic aims, as well as its centrality to our collective development ambitions. The will reaffirm the role of education as a fundamental right and a public good. It will frame ‘inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all’ as a goal in and of itself, as well as a necessary means to accelerate progress to meet the targets of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.