Learning from a distance Reflections on the remote learning response to COVID-19, from Henk van Hout, Global Head of Shell Education Services.
Henk van Hout (above) is well known and respected throughout the world of education for his commitment to high quality learning at national and international levels. His career in education spans 40 years, 13 of which he has led Shell Education Services as the Global Head. In this capacity, he is co-responsible for Shell and Shell affiliated school operations in Oman, Nigeria, Brunei and Russia. Henk is also a member of School Boards in Malaysia and Qatar, for organisations outside of the Shell group, and he is involved at a governance level in Shell Education projects such as NXplorers. School Closure on a Global Scale The outbreak of COVID-19 has pushed schools across the world into uncharted territory, with closure for some announced within a matter of hours of
government directives. The shift from classroom settings, that we are familiar and comfortable with, has resulted in challenges that we may not have considered possible only weeks ago. Few would have thought that shortly after welcoming in a new decade, we would be impacted by a global pandemic, putting families in lockdown around the world. In April 2020, UNESCO estimated that school closure is impacting over 91% of the world’s student population. Data indicates that there are 1,575,270,054 affected students out of a total of 91.3% enrolled students, within 191 country-wide closures. These figures correspond to the number of students enrolled at preprimary, primary, secondary, and tertiary level education (Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics data). Data indicates that other countries implementing localised closures are impacting millions of additional students. There has never been a greater need to strengthen home-school partnerships and reevaluate what and how students learn. Whilst teachers, parents and students have, by and large, embraced the educational challenges presented to them, as weeks of school closures turn into months, new questions are emerging. Many parents are asking: ‘Are we doing enough, can we do better and what else should we be doing?’ Henk van Hout is well placed to steer school communities in times of crisis, having supported those
located in areas of civil unrest and humanitarian emergencies during his time with Shell Education Services. Most recently, in 2014, Henk supported schools in Nigeria during a period of closure as a result of the Ebola virus epidemic. In this interview, Henk is asked how well remote learning is being implemented across the schools he works with and what advice he can offer to those who are seeking reassurance. During your career in education, you have seen many changes in approaches to teaching, and more specifically, how students learn. Do you feel that students today are well equipped to learn remotely? Henk: Students today have a combination of different skills and resources that makes it easier for them to learn remotely compared to even a decade ago. The tools students have available through digital devices such as iPhones, computers and tablets means they can access knowledge within seconds. Information can be generated, stored and retrieved with a few clicks, making researching and recording a simplified process. Digital devices are almost like an extension of a student’s body, many haven’t experienced life without such technology.