As governments prepare to reopen schools and other learning sites, ministries and school communities must minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within learning spaces and address the learning inequalities and protection concerns exacerbated by COVID-19 school closures, particularly for girls and other marginalised groups. Lessons learned from the COVID-19 school closures must inform disaster and emergency preparedness for future outbreaks of COVID-19 alongside other contextually specific hazards that might further jeopardize children’s rights to learn, be safe and survive.

Program teams can use this guide to inform the planning and implementation of activities to support an integrated, participatory, safe return to school for the communities they support. The guide aims to be a user-friendly, practitioner-focused tool that outlines the key steps needed for a coordinated, inclusive, all-hazards approach to school reopening and links to further guidance where appropriate.