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Public consultation: Digital education during the COVID-19 recovery period and beyond

How will digital education be during the COVID-19 recovery period and beyond?

The European Commission has launched an EU-wide public consultation to gather the views of citizens and stakeholders on the future of digital education during the COVID-19 recovery period and beyond.

Learning from the COVID-19 crisis: teaching, learning and technology in a changing world.

The public consultation seeks to gather the views and experiences of all citizens, institutions and organisations from the public and private sectors on the unprecedented coronavirus crisis, the related switch to distance and online learning, and their vision for the future of digital education in Europe. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we witnessed the largest disruption to education and training in Europe’s recent history. 100 million students, teachers and education staff globally have been affected, and many of them have turned to digital education to continue the academic year. For many, this has been the first time they have fully used digital technologies for teaching and learning. With this public consultation, we would like to understand and learn from all these experiences. We are all part of this discussion – let us work together and ensure that the new Digital Education Action Plan paves the way for truly inclusive and high quality digital education in Europe

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

The consultation will help to inform the Commission’s proposal for a renewed Digital Education Action Plan, expected in September 2020. A series of online outreach events will be organised during the summer to collect additional input on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis and the future of digital education; further complementing the process. 

Digital transformation is one of the Commission’s priorities as set out in its flagship strategy, A Europe fit for the digital age. The new Digital Education Action Plan will form a key aspect of the Next Generation EU recovery instrument. The Action Plan will support Member States, education and training institutions and citizens in their efforts to adapt to the digital transition and help ensure a fair and inclusive recovery for all.

The consultation will be available in all EU official languages on 9 July 2020. Take part here