We are facing an unprecedented situation. The pandemic of COVID-19 took without notice the world and every nation is doing their best to handle it with the available resources and support that they have. This has brought several changes to the daily life of the population, and the education systems, likewise, need to adapt to the current conditions.

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One of the most common policies imply some restrictions to movement and enclosure for the general population, so the schools were required to close the doors and move to different strategies to continue the educational services for their students remotely. As the UNESCO (2020) indicated, approximately 80% of the student population from 138 different countries are affected by the school closure. 

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This brought unprecedented challenges for educational policies around the globe, affecting all levels, from k-12 to higher education. Consequently, governments and educational ministers are taking the lead to ensure the continuity of the school year through different strategies (Chang & Yano, 2020). Mexico, for example, provides classes on the TV and in online platforms for their K-12 students (SEP, 2020).

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But, although the different initiatives, as UNESCO (2020) explains, several negative consequences for the students sum to the stress and anxiety generated by the confinement and the ambiguity of the uncertain near future. Also showing how big is the gap of educational inequalities in the society. From the availability and disposition of resources to the fulfillment of basic human needs, millions of students are not being able to engage in productive learning environments (Armitage & Nellums, 2020)

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Besides, the disruption of the commonalities of the education has settled an uneasy environment that has taken to students and professors dealing with different emotions, from stress to frustration and the commitment to endure with their tasks to the best of its ability. The contingency brought changes and the educators around the world stay adjusting to face the challenge, giving not only the usual content but calm and relief for their students.

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These disruptions changed the pace of the classes and the programs, like the case of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program that was not the exception.

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The Humphrey Fellowship is a Fulbright program that since 1978 has brought mid-career professionals from several countries around the world to the United States for a non-degree graduate-level study, leadership development and professional collaboration with different counterparts in the US (Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, 2020). Each cohort is designated to be hosted in different Universities across the United States that focus on a core area. The program has diverse main components that are available for all the grantees and enhance their skills to be better leaders and bring impact to their communities.

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In the program, the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and culture is important and allows the mutual understanding and support between people from different nationalities, that permit to the fellows builds bridges to achieve greater goals and look for solutions to different challenges that are common to our fields of expertise.

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However, the health contingency of this year caused changes to the program agenda. In a program where the exchange is a key component, we are not able to continue assisting to in-person events, as meetings, forums, classes, workshops, where we could continue our networking and establish meaningful relationships with experts in our fields. Although we are continuing the networking online, the experience is reduced to the ability to reflect your ideas in the brief space of a comment or the online meetings where you can see the person but the human contact is reduced to a screen, missing the small interactions that produce responsiveness between the people.

Thinking about our health and well-being, also, it was needed to cut the in-person Professional Affiliation component. That period allows the fellows to establish in-person professional collaborations with counterparts from different organizations across the US.

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It brings learning and sharing that enrich both, the host organization and the fellow who gain experience and knowledge to bring to life their ideas and achieve their goals. However, it has to be moved to virtual assistance. Though it is understandable the change of the conditions, it is also significant for the fellows that we are missing the experience we would acquire unless we would be able to do it in person. And we will not have the chance to take it again this experience in the same circumstances.

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This makes us reconsider our conditions and what are our plans if a similar situation occurs in the future. Are we prepared to provide resources to continue our educational programs in different situations? These moments permit not only think about what we are currently doing but acknowledge that we need preparation to face it. Change our agendas, set back-up plans and probably bring new experiences to improve our educational programs. 

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References

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Armitage, R., & Nellums, L. B. (2020). Considering inequalities in the school closure response to COVID-19. The Lancet Global Health, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30116-9

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Chang, G.-C., & Yano, S. (2020, March 26). ¿Cómo están abordando los países los desafíos del Covid-19 en materia de educación? Una instantánea de las políticas aplicadas. Blog de la Educación Mundial. https://educacionmundialblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/como-estan-abordando-los-paises-los-desafios-del-covid-19-en-materia-de-educacion-una-instantanea-de-las-politicas-aplicadas/

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Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. (2020). https://www.humphreyfellowship.org/

SEP (2020). Boletín No. 80 Fortalece SEP programa Aprende en Casa mediante sitio web especializado en educación básica. gob.mx. Retrieved April 10, 2020, from http://www.gob.mx/sep/articulos/boletin-no-80-fortalece-sep-programa-aprende-en-casa-mediante-sitio-web-especializado-en-educacion-basica?idiom=es

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UNESCO. (2020, March 10). Adverse consequences of school closures. UNESCO. https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/consequences