Eurydice

In September and October 2020, Estonian 4th and 7th graders are taking standard-determining tests in Sciences and Maths, put in place by the Education and Youth Authority in the Examination Information System.  In Estonia, online testing has been gradually introduced since 2013, but it was the COVID-19 pandemic that evidenced the true importance of the digital means, having required schools to modernise their digital infrastructures and pupils and teachers to acquire further skills in this domain. 

The new reform measures for upgrading school (l. 4692/2020) include reinforcing the institution of Model and Experimental Schools. Model and Experimental Schools will contribute in better educational planning and in the pilot implementation of education policies, so that the best educational methods, practices and tools are fostered and disseminated throughout the education system.

The response to COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the need to further equip Portuguese schools, teachers and students with digital skills.  Such strategy is being implemented as of this academic year 2020/2021 and aims at providing access to all students and teachers of digital educational tools and resources.  Priority will be granted to students from vulnerable socioeconomic background for whom 100,000 computers are planned to be made available until the end of 2020.

Many rules and many different solutions are characteristics of the beginning of the 2020/2021 school year in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On September 1, the school started in Republika Srpska, Sarajevo Canton, Tuzla and Bosnian Podrinje Canton-Goražde.  

In the other canton of Brčko District it was on September 7, except for Zenica-Doboj Canton where classes began on September 8.

Personalized support in Education is considered as crucial to meet the objectives of improving student performance while taking into account the needs of each individual and prevent school inequalities and repetition. Following the legislative proposal of the Minister of Education, the Government of the French Community approved a decree on the implementation of differentiation and personalized support systems for primary and for secondary education.

In the context of the crisis linked to the Coronavirus, the Belgian French Community recently presented a digital platform containing tools, resources and ideas to facilitate the implementation of provisions related to the continuity of learning and evaluation.

e-classe is the platform of Educational Resources created by the Belgian French Community in partnership with RTBF/Sonuma.  The catalogue of contents is being constantly enriched and, to this date, includes:

On 31st of July 2020, the Ministry of Education and the Regional Authorities agreed on the text regulating the Wellbeing and Health Security for children from 0-6 year’s old, applicable national wide in all schools of these levels, as of next academic year.   To ensure the wellbeing and health security, the guidelines foresee the following methodology:  The children will be organised in groups in order to identify the educators/teachers and to limit the effect of contagious cases.  Children (being under 6 years of age) are exempted from wearing a PPE, while educators, teachers an

In 2020, the new public funding system for schools is fully implemented.  In simple terms, public schools now receive most financial means based on the teachers’ salaries and lessons taught, instead of the number of pupils.  

In summer 2020 the Ministry of Education and Science published first findings on tertiary education graduates’ monitoring data (2017).  First conclusions draw attention to the substantial fragmentation of tertiary institutions and study programs in certain domains, leading to an ‘overproduction’ of specialists, thus increasing the unemployment.  In direct terms, affecting the opportunities for young specialists to work in accordance with their qualifications.

In Albania, the online learning and teaching methodology is being considered as a viable long-term alternative by the Ministry of Education Sports and Youth (MASR) in the aftermath of COVID19 crisis.