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The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the frequent closure of school buildings in most countries in the world and has interrupted the school attendance of at least 1.2 billion students in 2020 and 2021. Although many education systems have been able to adapt in varying degrees, the pandemic has shown that countries’ current learning infrastructures are highly vulnerable to external shocks.

While schools have shown great resilience in trying to compensate for the crisis, they need to be better prepared for similar challenges. Education systems must ensure the continuity of learning which must be the centrepiece of all considerations.

Acknowledging the disruption that the health crisis has brought about and its likely impact on educational quality and equity, the OECD Secretariat and Education International have, based on their respective work during the pandemic, jointly established 10 principles that can facilitate the collaboration of education authorities, the teaching profession and their organisations to navigate the crisis effectively and reshape education systems after the pandemic to reach greater levels of educational quality and equity.

Education systems around the world have been facing similar challenges but generated diverse approaches and experiences. The intention is also for these principles to contribute to a framework for international cooperation and peer learning.