The global COVID-19 pandemic has had huge disruptive effects on normal life, difficult as it already was in many countries. For schools, students and parents, the impact of closed schools and children stuck at home with little or no access to learning, the effect has been devastating. Experts estimate that a whole year of learning could be lost, meaning a whole cohort of students could be permanently lagging behind in their learning.

The crisis and the response to it has exposed weaknesses in educational systems, while creating opportunities to reshape school education to a new paradigm that is more resilient and robust. This pandemic is not the first, nor will it be the last, to impact countries and schools. Such crises are becoming increasingly likely with climate change, technological disruptions and globalised connectivity.

The solution lies in neither a top-down approach from policymakers, reactive changes to teacher preparation and in-service training, nor temporary makeshift arrangements by under-resourced principals and teachers. All parties need to be involved in developing strategies that can be implemented in the near-term as well as long-term. A dialogue across all levels of education is therefore critical in making informed policy to prepare for the new normal in school education.

There exists now a small window of opportunity to learn from each country and experts and in developing a dialogue of expectations and requirements as we move ahead to the next phase of meeting post-COVID-19 challenges, knowing that the world will never be the same again. It is also an opportunity to address the rigidities in the education system of many countries that were exposed by the pandemic.

ADB and the HEAD Foundation (THF) organized this five-day online workshop for policy makers, teacher trainers and school leaders, led by international education experts, to chart the way forward and address the key issues.

Expected Program Outcomes:

1. Commitment to increase the nature and pace of education reform, and to dedicate more resources to education
2. Greater awareness of the ‘new normal’ in education, and what it means in terms of new skill sets, technology, and training.
3. Greater alignment between policymakers, school leaders, and teacher trainers
4. ADB’s and THF’s commitment to support initiatives that turn crises into opportunities to speed up reform, build system resilience, and support decentralization.

Proposed Participant Learning Outcomes:

1. Gain a good overview of what countries including Singapore are doing to meet the challenges and opportunities of a post-COVID world in education. 
2. Examine how decentralization can stimulate innovation as well as flexibility in the delivery of curriculum and assessment, and prepare students better for the future.
3. Learn how policymakers can synergize better with school leaders and teacher trainers so that policies specifically pertaining to curriculum, assessment, pedagogy, and technology can be reformed in a relevant manner to ensure enhanced support and resources for the ‘new normal’ in school education.
4. Create alignment between curriculum, teaching, assessment, and learning in school and non-school environments to meet ‘new normal’ educational challenges.
5. Learn how other countries are managing school re-opening and student learning recovery.
6. Discover approaches to re-envision the classroom to promote and sustain student-centred and creative pedagogies.
7. Master strategies and skills needed to promote hybrid delivery of curriculum.
8. Learn ways to empower students and teachers and parents to manage new challenges in ‘new normal’ schooling.