Business Engagement In Education In Emergencies: Lessons For The COVID-19 Response

The forthcoming 2021 Global Education Monitoring Report will focus on the vital role of the non-state sector. Businesses and business leaders represent one group of non-state actors with increasing prominence in global education. As I write from my home in the midst of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, it is unfortunately timely to relate this blog—which focuses on business engagement in education—to emergency contexts, including that which we are all collectively experiencing. This blog discusses the extent to which profit has driven business interests in education in contexts of crisis, the ways in which business actors have been welcomed as global education policy experts, and how companies might best contribute to education during today’s emergency.

According to UNESCO, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the shut-down of schools in 188 countries, impacting over 90% of all learners worldwide……….………………