COVID-19 Impact on the Latin American Academic Market

COVID-19 arrived in South America in early February. If the initial spread of the disease in the region was dependent on migrations between different borders and national flows in Europe, other variables operated locally to improve or mitigate the transmission and severity of the disease. Some sources claim that, in the current context of a global health crisis, South America was fortunate to be one of the last regions in the world to be impacted by the new Coronavirus pandemic. What's lucky about that? Because despite the delayed onset, the challenges we face are still the same as everywhere else.

The impact this health crisis has had on higher education in Latin America is difficult to analyze due to the educational scenario in this area of the world, where the educational institutions in each country have acted in different ways. Despite their differences, there are some challenges shared by all the institutions. The first is technology - some institutions that had previously worked with distance education, and already had a platform, a recording studio, etc, certainly managed to adapt faster. Those that had online courses already suffered less, however, those institutions that offered 100% in-person classes, had greater difficulty because of the speed of the sudden changes in the social and political scenario.

Some points to note are that at the university level, both public and private institutions, have different dynamics from K-12. In many cases, it is the student themselves who pays for their studies, and students can lock the course for six months or a year (something that is not possible to do in elementary or high school in many countries). Another fact that must be taken into account is the economic aspect that private universities have to face - the financial management in this crisis period. It is important to recognize that the institutions pay not only for the maintenance of the academic staff but also are making massive investments for technological expansion, to enable the continuity of the content and so that there is no loss of learning for the student. It is necessary at this point to try to be flexible, considering the sides of the institutions and the students to seek balance.

Regarding the pedagogical aspects, universities in different countries use different means to continue training professionals who will work in different sectors. What is currently being adopted by most colleges, on an emergency basis, are remote (virtual) classes. Universities point out that face-to-face classes have not been replaced by online/distance classes, but by remote (live) classes, that use information and communication technologies, as well as technologies that occur by videoconference via Zoom, Collaborate, and other video conferencing platforms. These classes are taught live, on the same day and time as in-person classes, and with the same teacher who teaches the subject. In this model, the student's interaction with the teacher occurs through platforms for live classes, exactly as it happens in face-to-face classes. Like the rest of the world, the positions adopted in healthy Latin American organizations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic are heterogeneous: some are more in line with WHO guidelines, while others are not so, depending on the healthy policies of each country. In the academic sector, universities from Mexico to Argentina are reacting and doing their job as quickly as possible due to the unexpectedness of this situation. The challenges created for universities by the COVID-19 pandemic will remain, due to the deep impact this crisis has had on every level of education. It is unlikely that the Education system in Latin America will ever operate in the same manner it did before this global crisis.

Claudio R Brito
IEEE Education Society President Emeritus
COPEC - Science and Education Research Organization President
IIE - International Institute of Education Chancellor
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