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The International Monetary Fund Executive Board announced yesterday that it has approved immediate debt relief to 25 of the world’s poorest countries to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two education unions in Kenya have called for a complete lockdown of the country to ensure the safety of educators and students. The proposal is just one of those submitted by the unions for the effective and successful management of the health, education, and economic crisis caused by the spread...

Education International welcomes major reform commitment from the World Bank’s private sector arm, the International Financial Corporation (IFC), to freeze any investments in private for-profit K-12 schools.

An education union in Liberia has donated valuable equipment to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Education Union in the United Kingdom has launched a website specifically addressing issues linked to the COVID-19 pandemic that parents and guardians of students may have.

Although the Beninese public authorities have declared the closure of the country’s schools, pupils and teachers must nevertheless resume classes on 14 April. The public authorities have also taken the decision to recruit teaching staff through interim agencies, to which education unions strongly oppose.

In a statement released ahead of the (virtual) Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Global Unions including Education International have called on the international finance institutions (IFIs) to take action for economic stimulus, debt relief and healthcare.

The Education International Executive Board held an emergency webinar on Friday, 3 April. During the call, the Executive Board adopted a resolution outlining educators’ key demands to all governments and international institutions dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak.

While all schools and universities have been closed since 23 March as part of the country’s measures to deter the spread of COVID-19, the Papua New Guinea Teachers' Association discusses with their government ways to ensure quality education and safe return to schools for children and educators.

In Canada, an education union in Quebec is blaming the government for taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis to impose a renewal of collective agreements for the entire public sector.

In a race against the clock to stop the spread of COVID-19 in one of the world’s most populous countries, the All India Primary Teachers Federation has urged local and national public authorities to take enhanced measures.

In Mexico, the Education International member organisation is contributing to government efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of teachers and students and the continued provision of schooling.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is assessing the impact of technology on students and their learning outcomes as millions of schools close in over 140 countries to prevent the spread of COVID-19. And it has recognised the valuable contribution teachers made in the education process.

A German education union has joined the “Leave No One Behind” campaign which seeks the immediate evacuation of overcrowded refugee camps at the EU's external borders. The campaign argues that the situation of refugees has been made worse by the COVID-19 crisis.

A new draft law in response to the COVID 19 pandemic in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) will have an impact on schools and teacher training – the German education union VBE says teachers need to be included in the decision-making.

To prevent the arrival and spread of COVID-19 in Burundi, teacher unionists are raising awareness among the general population about the measures implemented by the government, while also asking that the government take a number of new steps to stem the crisis.

School closures in Lebanon have affected over 1.3 million students at all levels of education. The country is host to large numbers of refugees who are most at risk during the crisis. Educators are working with the government to implement the best available solutions and call for solidarity and support...

The Iraqi Teachers’ Union has mobilised its members to support those most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and the measures taken to contain it. The union is also running an information campaign to raise awareness of the crisis and the best ways to prevent infection.