The impact of Covid on education continues to be significant in most of the world. During the pandemic, 1.6 billion children were out of school according to the World Economic Forum, and, according to the same source, many children in lower-income countries did not return to formal education when schools reopened after lockdown. The World Bank has warned that learning poverty has increased by one-third in low- and middle-income countries, with 70 percent of 10-year-olds unable to understand a simple written text. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of providing universal primary and secondary education worldwide by 2030 is now in serious jeopardy.

Given the other pressing issues that governments are currently dealing with – including the war in Ukraine, mounting geopolitical tensions and a global economic downturn – the educational repercussions of the Covid pandemic have unfortunately not always been top of politicians’ in-trays. The effects of this will instead be felt in a decade’s time, when countries are dealing with the consequences of not investing in their human capital: undereducated populations, skills shortages and lower economic growth. If this happens, it will be a scar on the conscience of the world – with the pain suffered mainly by developing economies. But how can it be avoided? And what role could philanthropic organisations play in mitigating these problems?

The role of philanthropy in cross-sector partnerships

To reverse this decline, solutions are needed that will bring about systemic change and help fix literacy deficits, boost digital skills, and help prevent a lost learning generation. To find these, however, they need to know what interventions work best for the communities they serve. Crucially, governments cannot solve these challenges alone: cross-sectoral collaboration, bringing together policymakers, philanthropy and business, is vital for success.

Over the last twenty years, we at the Lemann Foundation have been deepening our understanding of how to best cooperate with the public sector and with other philanthropic organisations. Here are some of the lessons we have learned along the way.

First, better results can be achieved when philanthropic organisations focus on the problem to be solved, rather than only on the scale and nature of their particular contribution. This approach makes it abundantly clear that tangible, lasting results can only be achieved through partnerships. Philanthropic organisations cannot solve complex issues on their own. A range of expertise, finance and operational capacity is often needed, requiring collaboration among a variety of actors – including universities, private sector companies, and NGOs with practical experience.

Read the full article about global education by Denis Mizne at Alliance Magazine.