Education for Sustainable Development and COVID-19 in Southern Africa

Intersecting perspectives on why water, food and livelihoods matter in transforming education for sustainable futures.

The #OpenupYourThinking: SADC Researchers Challenge took place in May and June 2020 and involved a wide range of universities located in SADC countries. The main purpose of the Challenge was to contribute to the generation of evidence on how education and training systems in SADC were affected by and could respond to COVID-19.

The Challenge covered six themes and

• Provided researchers with an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to shaping solutions to pressures being placed on education systems using an evidence-based approach

• Allowed for real-time inputs to be made into other national education processes led by organisations in SADC and

• Ensured that a wider group of younger researchers (below 35 years) was collectively engaged during the lockdown period, while giving them an opportunity to grow as they worked under the guidance of experienced researchers

This is a report from Theme 1: Education for sustainable development: COVID-19 education response intersections with the food, water and economic (livelihoods) crisis.