Facing the pandemic: Learning at centre stage – observations towards a new normal

At the time of writing, the world is in the grip of the COVID-19 epidemic. According to UNESCO, 1.4 billion students are affected by closure of schools. The author comments on how the move to learning at home has impacted in the case of Hong Kong, and explores what is starting to be learned from this experience – particularly in terms of what a ‘new normal’ might look like. He argues society has changed with the pandemic, and education has to change. Central to this will be to look at learning, with students as active learners, as essential for any education reform to embrace the future