Response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic

GPE is supporting developing countries to mitigate the impacts that school closures have on the most vulnerable children and to build the resilience of education systems.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an education emergency of unprecedented scale. In developing countries, which were already facing a learning crisis before the pandemic, more than 700 million children are cut off from schools.

GPE has quickly mobilized more than US$500 million to support partner countries with planning and implementing their response to the pandemic.

GPE is committed to working across the partnership to promote coordinated responses that are country-driven, aligned behind government priorities, and to share information and experiences.

COVID-19 grants

  • 55 grants have been approved for US$440 million
  • 1 proposal for US$11 million is under review
  • 11 countries have also expressed their interest to apply for the grant by end-September for a total of US$23.5 million
  • US$20 million has been approved for a joint initiative by UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank to ensure regional and global efficiencies and knowledge sharing.

Approved grants

Country Amount (US$ M) Grant agent
Afghanistan 11 UNICEF
Bangladesh 15 World Bank
Burkina Faso 7 AFD
Benin 7 World Bank
Bhutan 0.75 Save the Children
Burundi 7 UNICEF
Cabo Verde 0.75 UNICEF
Cambodia 7 UNICEF
Cameroon 11 UNESCO
Central African Republic 7 UNICEF
Chad 7 World Bank
DR Congo 15 UNICEF
Republic of Congo 7 UNICEF
Cote d'Ivoire 11 UNICEF
Djibouti 3.5 World Bank
Ethiopia 15 World Bank
The Gambia 3.5 World Bank
Ghana 15 World Bank
Guinea 7 UNICEF
Guinea Bissau 3.5 UNICEF
Guyana 3.5 UNICEF
Kenya 11 World Bank
Haiti 7 UNICEF
Lao PDR 7 UNICEF
Lesotho 3.47 UNICEF
Liberia 7 UNICEF
Madagascar 15 World Bank
Malawi 10 UNICEF
Maldives 0.75 UNICEF
Mali 7 World Bank
Mozambique 15 UNICEF
Myanmar 11 UNICEF
Nepal 11 World Bank
Niger 11 AFD/UNICEF
Nigeria 15 UNICEF
OECS (Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) 3 OECS
Pakistan 20 World Bank
Papua New Guinea 9.44 UNICEF
Rwanda 10 World Bank
Sao Tome and Principe 0.75 UNICEF
Sierra Leone 7 World Bank
Senegal 7 AFD
Somalia (Federal Government) 5.4 Save the Children
Somalia (Puntland) 1.3 UNICEF
Somalia (Somaliland) 2.2 Save the Children
South Sudan 7 UNICEF
Sudan 11 World Bank
Tanzania 15.16 SIDA
Tanzania (Zanzibar) 1.5 UNICEF
Timor-Leste 3.5 UNICEF
Togo 7 World Bank
Uganda 15 World Bank
Vanuatu 0.75 Save the Children
Zambia 10 UNICEF
Zimbabwe 7 UNICEF
TOTAL 439.72  

Last updated: September 15, 2020

Results stories

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Rwanda builds a resilient education system

GPE is supporting the country to ensure learning continues while building resilience for future crises.
In Timor-Leste, “school goes home” during coronavirus

With GPE’s support, the government of Timor-Leste is ensuring learning continues during this unprecedented time, while preparing schools for safe reopening.
Pakistan: Expanding equal access to learning during coronavirus

A US$20 million grant will support the federal and provincial governments to strengthen their capacity to respond to, and recover from, the COVID-19 crisis, while ensuring the most vulnerable children are not left behind.
Papua New Guinea: Reinventing learning in the time of coronavirus

GPE is supporting the government of Papua New Guinea to ensure all students continue learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
In Eswatini, online learning has become the new normal during coronavirus

A US$70,000 GPE planning grant is helping Eswatini minimize the disruptions to children’s education caused by the coronavirus pandemic. While the country prepares to reopen schools safely, children continue learning through TV, radio and newspapers.

When coronavirus hit, the Eastern Caribbean states took bold steps to ensure continuity of learning

With GPE’s support, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is one step closer to bridging the digital divide, ensuring all children can learn online while schools are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Zambia rises to meet the education challenges posed by the coronavirus

With GPE’s support, the government of Zambia is shifting to distance learning to ensure education continues during the coronavirus outbreak, including for the most disadvantaged children – who will ultimately be the most affected by the pandemic.
Sudan: The coronavirus pandemic forces schools to innovate

GPE is supporting the government of Sudan to ensure children can continue learning while schools are closed by developing and broadcasting TV and radio programs along with launching newspaper education columns.

Funding for COVID-19 response

Timeline

Our response

On April 1, GPE unlocked US$250 million to help developing countries mitigate both the immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on education. This came just three weeks after the outbreak was declared a pandemic.

On June 1, to respond to strong demand from partner countries, GPE increased the COVID-19 response window to US$500 million to support distance learning programs that prioritize the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children, including girls, children with special needs and disabilities, and children without access to electricity or internet connectivity.

GPE’s COVID-19 fund will help sustain learning for up to 355 million children in 67 countries, with a focus on ensuring that girls and children from the poorest families, who will be hit the hardest by school closures, are not left behind.

Of the initial $250 million window, US$25 million has been set aside to support global and regional coordination, learning and knowledge sharing, such as developing shared teaching materials. It is expected that additional funding will be required to meet the needs in all 67 countries.

On March 25, GPE provided US$8.8 million to UNICEF to kickstart education systems’ response to COVID-19. The funds are supporting 87 developing countries to:

  • plan and coordinate their education systems’ responses
  • develop communications around safe school operations
  • share knowledge and build capacity for the current and future pandemics.

Publications

Resources for partner countries

Eligible countries can find more information on the GPE accelerated funding for COVID-19 in these documents:

Latest blogs and news

Read more blogs on COVID-19