References

Conclusion 5. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a unique set of governance challenges for MENA countries

if they are to restore lost learning and rebuild momentum towards achieving SDG 4. The pandemic resulted in a number of specific challenges on each of the three dimensions of governance. Most countries had no standards for what students should be learning in a distance education context, no way of measuring progress, and no effective means of holding anyone accountable. The pandemic exacerbated existing equity challenges. These challenges were not unique to the MENA region, but they do present unique challenges in that restoring lost learning requires the ability to differentiate and respond to student learning needs in a way that most country assessment systems are not able to accommodate. At the same time, the renewed focus on learning and learning recovery can provide opportunities for countries to try new approaches. Edtech innovations introduced as part of the pandemic response already appear to be stimulating greater support for real-time availability and use of data on student learning. Learning Management Systems that were introduced or strengthened over the course of the pandemic have, in many cases, improved or provided a new way to communicate with teachers, parents, and students, creating new opportunities for the sort of transparency and availability of information that can strengthen overall governance and accountability within the education sector.

Countries in the region will be playing catch-up for some time. But they can accelerate that process by taking concrete steps to put accountability systems in place that have clear standards, good measurement capacity, and rigorous accountability mechanisms. Accountability will itself require that learning goals are communicated and understood, that needed steps for improvement are identified and responsibilities are assigned, and that enforcement mechanisms are put in place. The extent to which agreement is reached on each of these steps, and actions are taken to follow through, will determine ultimate success in catching up or falling further behind.

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Chapter 7: Governance for Jobs in the Middle East and North Africa

by Asif M. Islam and Federica Saliola