Managing the impact of COVID19 on education systems around the world: How countries are preparing, coping, and planning for recovery

An empty classroom in India

At the end of February as alarm bells began to sound on the growing spread of the COVID19 virus, the World Bank established a multi-sectoral global task force to support country response and coping measures. At the time, only China and a handful of schools in other affected countries were enforcing social distancing through school closures. A little over two weeks later, 120 countries have closed schools impacting almost a billion students across the globe that have seen their schools close for varied lengths of time.