Role of digital Learning in Emergencies

Introduction

This concerns the role of digital learning in emergencies for internally displaced people (IDPs), refugees and host communities, with special reference to distance education during COVID-19 pandemic.

The last decade has seen a variety of natural and man-made disasters that caused emergencies. These include the worst earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons, Ebola outbreaks, cyclones, conflicts, and accidents. The recent covid-19 pandemic was unique. All these emergencies in one way or the other disrupted education at all levels. The school building was damaged, teachers and students were displaced, systems were disrupted resultantly schools were forced to closure. Among these emergencies, the COVID-19 pandemic created the largest disruption to education in history, affecting 94% of the world’s student population and 99% of those in low and lower-middle-income countries . Globally, over 1.2 billion children were out of the classroom. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever. Schools closed as social distancing measures were put in place to slow the spread of the pandemic.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) calculated 25.4 million refugees globally at the end of 2017. The number of these refugees including internally displaced peoples (IDPs) drastically increased during the last few decades. Major driving forces behind refugee migration at the global and regional levels are socio-political instability, wars, conflicts, and environmental catastrophes. Consequently, migration of the IDPs and refugees phenomena takes place within countries or across countries/continents, respectively. These refugees or migrants face multiple socio-economic challenges in the hosting countries, such as a lack of access to education, health, food, and other supporting social institutions and services.

Definitions

The term digital learning refers to the innovative use of digital tools and technologies during teaching and learning (University of Edinburgh 2018).

The term “Education in Emergency” refers to quality learning opportunities for all ages in situations of crisis (INEE 2020).

The adoption of digital learning in an Emergency context represents a need. Policymakers, teachers, students, and non-profit organizations were stimulated to search for new solutions in emergency situations and this demand is increased because of COVID-19. Therefore, the shift to digital learning in emergencies happened. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay stated: “We are entering uncharted territory and working with countries to find hi-tech, low-tech, and no-tech solutions to assure the continuity of learning” (UNESCO 2020).

Refugees Students access to higher education

Limited access of refugee students to higher education is one of the most serious issues in the world. This needs the attention of the government and non-government organizations, policymakers, humanitarian experts, and human rights activists (UNESCO, 2020). Due to uncertain socio-economic situations in the refugee’s localities (camps and host communities), some of the refugee students are deprived of receiving formal secondary and tertiary education while those who are seeking higher education face numerous and unique challenges in the hosting countries and their localities. It is reflected by the fact that only 3 percent of all refugees worldwide are enrolled in higher education institutions. Though there is a clear consensus on equitable access to higher education as reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as foundational human rights documents including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and UNESCO Convention Against Discrimination in Education. Within these legally binding commitments, refugees’ access to higher education in emergencies (HEiE) is urgently needed, particularly in the refugee’s host countries. These refugees host countries are being asked by different humanitarian agencies to provide opportunities for refugee students in the form of scholarships and accessibility to modern communication technologies. In particular, refugees’ access to innovative modern technologies, the internet, and equipment enhance higher education in emergencies (HEiE) through digital learning.

Digital learning: the most feasible option?

Digital learning is a widely accepted educational strategy that improves refugees’ access to higher education and develops skills and knowledge needed by migrants and refugees in the host countries. Digital learning offers cost-effective and flexible solutions that could be scaled up to provide learning and skills development opportunities to migrants and refugees. The UNHCR (2016), for example, is increasingly considering digital learning to be an important way to bring flexible learning to refugees, particularly in refugee camps. It also recognizes that the effective use of technology and the internet improve tertiary education and is useful for developing skills and competencies that can be immediately useful in the host countries. Along the same lines, the European Commission also specifically emphasized the use of technological advancements and digital learning, as digital learning option provides cost-free materials, courses, and learning opportunities for refugees in emergencies.

Digital learning: Issues and challenges

There has never an emergency that put digital learning feasibility to the test like the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021. If 99% of the over-a-billion students whose learning was disrupted were in low and lower-middle-income countries, as mentioned in the Introduction above, then these countries were very ill-prepared for such a large scale emergency with digital education compared to well prepared high income countries. It is the the digital divide manifested by the following, as concluded by UNDP:

• out-of-school rate jumped substantially everywhere.
• However, rates of out of school primary education children was:
  • highest in low human development countries (86%),
  • followed by medium human development countries (74%);
  • high human development countries (47%)
  • lowest only in very high human development countries (20%), with the majority of primary school children could continue structured learning.

Thus, the divide widened within countries and among countries raising worldwide concerns about how the pandemic "has exacerbated inequalities and pre-existing problems in education systems around the world."

Bibliography

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