The impact of the pandemic on the education systems across the globe is immense for numerous reasons. On one hand, most countries in the world have closed down schools and moved to some type of online learning which will surely impact the quality of learning but at the same time impacts the home lives of teachers, students and their parents.

The members of NEPC network promptly reacted to this situation to support and cater to the needs of their beneficiaries. In this series, we will present the activities and the practices that our members implemented, adapted or reinforced as they could serve as inspiration for other actors dealing with the implications and impact that this unexceptional circumstances had and still have on education. In this issue, we feature the initiatives of our Croatian member Forum for Freedom in Education.

Even during the Coronavirus pandemic which has spread all around the world, including Croatia, and the crisis which emerged after the earthquake which hit Zagreb and the surrounding places on March 22nd, 2020, Forum for Freedom of Education is still dedicated to our vision of education based on principles of equality, freedom of choice, pluralism, democracy, and social responsibility which enables individuals to fully develop their potential and competencies. We are also dedicated to giving support to teachers and all the other educational staff because we believe that the continuation of education is one of the most important responses to every crisis.

Publication ‘How to talk about Coronavirus with students?’ This publication consists of more than 25 activities suggested with the aim of: informing the students about the importance of maintaining a regular personal hygiene; getting familiar with the current situation according to their age in order to understand what is happening and how they can contribute to prevent the spread of the virus; encouraging to read current and quality information about the situation from reliable, trustworthy and relevant sources and pointing at the importance of respect of human dignity in all situations with the goal of preventing the spread of hate speech, xenophobia and prejudice. The publication is being renewed and expanded continuously and can be found here.

Four presentations for classroom use.  We have prepared four presentations which can be used directly for a lesson preparation or as an activity about the Coronavirus. 

• The presentation about the Coronavirus: presentation can be downloaded .
• ‘Stay at Home: Why it is important to keep a distance / stay at home!’: presentation can be downloaded .
• ‘How and where to inform myself about the Coronavirus’:  presentation can be downloaded.
• ‘A quiz with a conversation: How much and what do you know about the Coronavirus?’: presentation can be downloaded.

All of the Forum’s publications which can be used directly in work with students have been published in one place according to the topics, and are available for download on our website.  Publications can be viewed and downloaded here.

We are collecting and publishing all the relevant instructions, guidelines and recommendations for teachers, expert staff in schools and parents in one place to make them as accessible and as clear as possible. Instructions can be viewed on our website.

Campaign ‘Everything will be all right!’.  We have started a campaign ‘Everything will be all right!’ as a call for all the teachers and students to spread positive vibes from their virtual classrooms.  Inspired by the Italian students who put up signs with the message ‘Everything will be all right!’ (Andrà tutto bene!) on the windows of their buildings and houses to make their neighbours and people passing by smile. Find more about the call on our website. 

GOOD Initiative’s publications for free download.  In cooperation with member organizations within the GOOD Initiative, we have encouraged publishing of the publications on the topic of Civic Education which were created through activities implemented by the member organizations, and are intended for teachers and schools. Publications can be found on the GOOD Initiative’s website.

Contact: http://www.fso.hr/forum-for-freedom-in-education/