Harnessing Digital Technologies for Education amid COVID-19 22 July 2020 The seventh Policy Actions for COVID-19 Economic Recovery (PACER) Dialogue on “Harnessing Digital Technologies for Education amid COVID-19” discussed technology and digital innovations that can improve learning, expand education access, and empower higher education and work force development. Over 60 government officials from Southeast Asia and the People’s Republic of China participated in the Dialogue, sharing country experience on education and EdTech policies and solutions taken to mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerate recovery. The seventh session of the PACER Dialogues aimed to: promote a better understanding of policy options in adopting EdTech solutions for governments to not only mitigate COVID-19 impacts and recover in the aftermath of the crisis but also to reimagine education for a new normal; disseminate global best practices and lessons on how to promote inclusive and innovative EdTech solutions amid COVID-19 featuring the experience of Central Square Foundation, Ashoka University, and Coursera; and provide a platform for policy makers, development planners, and education practitioners to share knowledge and experience and collaboratively learn from each other. Program and Learning Materials 22 July 2020 Session / Activity Title Speaker(s) 7th PACER Dialogue – Overview and Objectives Ramesh Subramaniam Director General, Southeast Asia Department (SERD), Asian Development Bank (ADB) Reimagining Education amid COVID-19 and Beyond An Equity Focused Digital Strategy for Post COVID World Presentation on good practice examples, lessons, and policy options in using EdTech solutions to help countries transition their short-term education… Ashish Dhawan Empowering Higher Education and Workforce Development with Digital Technology Chad Pasha, Head of APAC for Global Government Partnerships at Coursera Open Discussion and Questions Ramesh Subramaniam (Moderator) Synthesis and Summary Ramesh Subramaniam, Director General, SERD, ADB Disclaimer The views expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area, or by using the term “country” in this document, ADB does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. Event Coordinator/s Jason Rush ADB Organizer/s Southeast Asia Department Read Also POLICY BRIEF - An Equity-Focused Digital Strategy for Education During and After COVID-19 POLICY BRIEF - Policy Lessons from Coursera: Mitigating Education Disruptions and Job Loss PACER Dialogues Main Page Topics Education Capacity Development ICT