This report provides an overview of the nature of open universities derived from the responses from 28 open universities in the Commonwealth. The data not only provide a snapshot of the nature of OUs, but also show some evidence of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on open universities where institutions had to move all their learning and…

The COVID-19 pandemic brings to the fore strengths and weaknesses in many public policies, including higher education. There are at least three separate but related areas where institutions of higher learning have been stressed by COVID-19: financing, issues related to the logistics of learning, and inequality. These problems are especially…

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) undertook a survey of staff at postsecondary institutions to understand the impact of COVID-19 on their working lives. The survey shows that the pandemic has amplified long-standing issues in the post-secondary education sector. This brief provides recommendations to address the issues facing…

As education-migration ("edugration") blurs the line between international student and immigrant recruitment in some jurisdictions, higher education admission is becoming linked to settler nation-building projects. Using critical discourse analysis, this article examines the Canadian higher education sector's response to COVID-19 through…

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed Canada with the country facing a public health crisis, an economic crisis, and struggling to address significant social inequities, particularly those driven by racism and colonialism. Strategic investments in universities and colleges must be made now to ensure a safe re-opening, a strong recovery and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused one of the worst economic crises since the Great Depression. Although countries responded quickly to support displaced workers with assistance packages and funding for education and training, additional measures might be needed. Each country's economic recovery will most likely depend on how well its workforce is…

British Columbia Ministry of Education's role is to provide leadership and funding to the K-12 education system, through governance, legislation, policy, and standards. The Ministry defines broad best practices and expectations. Specific roles and responsibilities are set out under the "School Act," "Independent School Act,"…

This paper provides insight on how postsecondary students' financial situation was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Results are based on the recent Statistics Canada crowdsourcing data collection completed by over 100,000 postsecondary students between April 19 and May 1, 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity to examine the initial policies developed by Australian, Canadian, English, German, Greek and Irish governments to limit the spread of the virus. This has revealed governments' conceptualisation of the early childhood sector and its workforce. This paper argues that neoliberal ideology and…

Ontario's 24 colleges will play a pivotal role in establishing Ontario as a global leader in higher education -- producing a workforce with the qualifications and expertise to help drive economic recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdown. In its recently released white paper, The Future of Ontario's Workers, the StrategyCorp Institute of…

In October 2020, the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF/FCE) released the "Canadian Teachers Responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- Pandemic Research Study. National Summary Report. Overview" (ED610460). That document is an important baseline for understanding the impacts of teaching during a pandemic, and supports needed for teacher…

Over the last year and a half, British Columbians (BC) have worked together to decrease the spread and reduce exposure to COVID-19. BC teachers have risen to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, even as it has taken its toll. Teachers are on the front-line of witnessing what is needed to move BC from a crisis response to a longer-term--and…

In 2020, 1.5 billion students in 188 countries/economies were locked out of their schools. Students everywhere have been faced with schools that are open one day and closed the next, causing massive disruption to their learning. With the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic still raging, many education systems are still struggling, and the situation is…

The Annual Service Plan Report is designed to meet the requirements of the "Budget Transparency and Accountability Act" (BTAA), which sets out the legislative framework for planning, reporting and accountability for Government organizations. Under the BTAA, the Minister is required to report on the actual results of the ministry's…

This brochure focuses on a selection of indicators from "Education at a Glance," selected for their particular relevance in the current context. Their analysis enables the understanding of countries' response and potential impact from the COVID-19 containment measures. The following topics are discussed: (1) the impact of the crisis on…