GBC-Education Response to COVID-19
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic – in which more than 1.5 billion children are out of school – the Global Business Coalition for Education is leveraging the REACT (Rapid Education Action) platform to mobilize corporate resources and expertise to minimize the long-term impacts on the next generation. This page highlights how companies are supporting remote learning and outlines how your business or organization can get involved in the education response to Coronavirus.
Featured Tools & Resources
Many of our GBC-Education business partners are offering their services, tools, knowledge, and resources for free or at reduced cost to mitigate the disruption to education caused by the spread of the virus.
Here is a growing selection of featured services that our partners have shared with us:
Econet, one of Africa’s leading telecoms operators owned by billionaire and philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa, is providing free access to online teachers & textbooks on a zero-rated platform for students in Zimbabwe through Akello Edutech.
Atlassian is making Trello Business Class and other cloud software products free of charge to all educators (K-12 and beyond).
Britannica Digital Learning has made curriculum-aligned, distance-learning resources available for free to schools grappling with COVID-19-related closures. LaunchPacks supports virtual learning and independent study across topics covered in the K-12 science and social studies curricula.
BurdaEducation offers well-priced textbooks, learning materials, and other printing and distribution services to ensure that all children and youth receive the books and materials they need to learn.
Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is offering free access to online learning solutions that provide digital content and practice exams for early years through higher education for Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk, IC3, Apply, and Unity programs.
Classdojo offers free access to a host of communication and classroom tools.
Funzi is offering free access to all courses, including their newly launched Funzi Future Pack.
Gooru offers the Navigator – a tool that allows learners that navigate their learning journeys– and other resources such as lesson plans and full courses at no cost.
HP offers free business and IT skills training content for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and other 21st Century Skills seekers via HP LIFE, a free program of the HP Foundation.
Kura Foundation provides a science-backed and physician-approved explanation on the pandemic and its mental health implications, which is free and targeted at refugee families who are receiving conflicting information on the pandemic or do not have the appropriate mental health support.
Impact(Ed) International, formerly Discovery Learning Alliance, is offering free educational videos to ministries of education and broadcast platforms so children can continue learning at home in literacy, mathematics, sciences, life-skills, and more.
Lingokids is offering all students, teachers, and schools one month free of Lingokids unlimited, a playlearning™ app in English that teaches kids essential skills through games (use code LKGBC).
NaTakallam is offering access to online learning platforms and academic content as well as translation services.
Oxford University Press is offering free access to its Ancillary Resource Center, where teachers can find a library of free, digital teaching and learning resources, including videos, simulations, activites, flashcards, PowerPoint slides, quizzes and more.
Salesforce is offering free access (until September 30, 2020) to Quip Starter to help teams collaborate while students and staff are away from school.
SAP is offering free access to the Open SAP learning platform as well as a host of other free offerings (like TripIt Pro and Remote Work Pulse) to help organizations cope with disruptions caused by the pandemic.
Scholastic is offering 20 days of curated learning experiences for students in grades Pre-K to 9+ for free, plus access to additional digital programs for extended learning opportunities.
sQuid is offering online learning platforms, academic content, as well as digital payment platforms to distribute targeted payments – especially for marginalized children.
Teq is offering free access to OTIS for educators, a remote platform to help schools implement distance learning and online professional development.
Additionally, our team has curated dozens more tools and resources available to governments, educators, and students.
Age of Learning: E-learning programs for preschool, elementary, and middle school available for free in the US and through UNICEF partnerships internationally
Alchemie: Free chemistry learning resources for teachers and students
Amazon Future Engineers via Edhesive: Free online computer science classes
APEXCEL: Tailored faculty development courses, ranging from KG to PG, available at reduced cost in response to COVID-19
Big Bad Boo: Collection of educational videos in 10 languages offered through their Oznoz platform
Boardmaker: Collection of standardized picture symbols used for communication with students who are strong visual learners, including those with autism spectrum disorders, Down Syndrome, speech and language disorders, and behavioral disorders
BOOKR Kids: Library app designed for students and teachers to engage with English as a second language
Brain Pop Educators: Free animated movies, creative thinking tools, interactive quizzes, and playful assessments.
BreakoutEDU: Free digital games
Buncee Classroom Plus: Free access to e-learning platform
Carnegie Mellon University Computer Science Academy: Free online high school computer science curriculum along with daily training webinars for educators
Catembe: Free tool to create interactives to support business education for colleges and universities
Celebriti Technologies: Free Spanish gamified educational activities until the end of term
Century: E-learning platform using AI to create personalised learning path for each student
The Commonwealth Education Trust: Provides digital, bite-size professional learning courses for teachers in lower income countries and underserved communities. (Part 1 of all courses are now free in response to COVID-19)
Coursera for Campus: Full platform and free courses available to colleges and university impacted by COVID-19
EON Reality: Free access to an Augmented and Virtual Reality platform to create, share, and use immersive lessons in AR/VR
Educode Academy: All youth coding courses free for two months
Edulastic: Platform to deliver worksheets, assessments, or instruction and monitor student progress while away from the classroom
Edu-Together: Discounted platform for personalized online learning solutions
Elementari: Free K-12 online platform to read, write, code, share, remix interactive stories
Emile: Free app, online program for UK national primary curriculum
Explain Everything: Free remote teaching, learning solutions
Firefly Learning: Free access to the school engagement platform until the end of next term
Hapara: Free system for digital learning with Google G suite
Hawkes: Free automated homework, testing platform with premade course shells available for Spring Term
Izzit: Free educational materials for teachers, homeschoolers, parents, grandparents
Jules Corporation: Free access to their digital online learning and computational thinking skills platform through 2020
Kahoot: Free distance learning solutions for schools with games, student-paced challenges, learning assessments
Knowledge Channel Foundation: Free access to a variety of educational videos covering a number of subjects
Kolibri: Free pedagogical resources and guidance materials for at-home learning on an offline learning platform designed for low-resource and low connectivity contexts developed by Learning Equality
LabsLand: Free remote access to real STEM laboratories for schools, colleges, universities affected by COVID-19
Leap Lab: Free access to over 500 educational apps in several languages covering basic literacy, numeracy, logic, and entrepreneurship
The Learning Nuggets Company: Discounted access to a cloud-based learning environment where learners and institutions can manage learning activities and assignments
Million Sparks Foundation: Access to digital education platform specifically for teachers to enhance pedagogy
Minecraft Education: Free game-based learning platform for creativity, collaboration, problem-solving in immersive digital environment
Miya Academy: Free education apps available in English and French, spanning a variety of subjects for all age groups
MobyMax: Free differentiated learning solution to meet needs of grade k-8 students struggling in Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies
NearPod: Free platform for schools affected by COVID-19 to create interactive lessons, encourage collaboration with students
North Carolina State University: Free access to Math Mapper’s practice problems and assessments to diagnose student thinking and guide future work
Orenda Project: Access to Taleemabad digital education platform using animated videos and interactive quizzes to teach Urdu, English, Math, and values
PebbleGo: Free curricular content hub informational articles, ready-made activities, literacy support for K-3 students
Profuturo: Free access to over 1,600 educational resources covering a variety of subjects
Tailor-ED: Free learning platform to create K-8 math lessons
Twinkl: Free platform with resources for teachers including schemes of work, lesson planning and assessments though educational games, augmented reality, and other resources
VidCode: Free computer science curriculum, coding platform for K-12 schools
Voces digital: Free platform for digital curricula for Spanish, French, and ESL teachers using traditional and comprehensible teaching methods
YouTube: A curation of Learn@Home video channels with free educational content for all agesAdmit Hub: Free chat system for questions about Covid-19 which can be integrated on any website.
Britannica: LaunchPacks, for social studies and science, is available for all schools across the world who are grappling with shutdowns.
ClassDojo: Platform to communicate and engage directly with family and students
Google for Education: Access to enhanced Google products (such as advanced Hangouts Meet video conferencing capabilities, Classroom, Jamboard whiteboarding, and more) via the new Teach From Home site
IBM Skills: Free digital learning events and resources for students and teachers on a variety of topics including: Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cloud, CyberSecurity, Design Thinking, Internet of Things, Quantum Computing, and Professional Development.
PBS Learning Media: Free, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans. Special collection of resources organized by grade and subject area for PreK-12
Kognity: Digital textbooks with video examples, 3D models and practice tests
Microsoft Education: Online classroom that brings together virtual face-to-face connections, assignments, files and conversations into a single place accessible on either mobile, tablet, PC or browser
Mystery Science: platform to access science lessons from Kindergarten to 5th Grade. Most popular lessons accessible for free
Newsela: News articles, historical speeches, and scientific papers for students at different reading levels to help them learn to readAdobe Connect: Web conferencing platform that includes video, audio, screen-sharing, polls, chat, Q&A, document sharing. Free 90 day access.
Cisco Webex: Video conferencing system available for free for teachers and students
Pronto: communication hub that connects people via chat and video.
TechSmith: Solution to do screenshots and record lessons for students.
WeVideo: Tools to create and edit videos and share them with students.
Zoom: Video conferencing platform available to all K-12 schools affectedThis list is not exhaustive, and we are receiving new information frequently. If you know of another company resource or your own company can help, please email [email protected] so we can continue building this list.
Get Involved
For Businesses
As more governments turn to distance and remote learning programs as a way to mitigate the disruption to education, we expect a growing need for critical resources and services. Some of the initial needs include:
- Distance Learning
- Teacher Training
- Student Connectivity
- Materials Distribution
- Content Broadcasting Via TV & Radio
- Reopening Schools & Systems
For Education Partners
The Global Business Coalition for Education has joined UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition to help provide immediate access to remote-learning opportunities and support the longterm recovery of education systems – especially in countries and contexts with the most marginalized students.
Also, our partners around the world have compiled strong resources for schools, governments, and nonprofits that can aid remote learning and other digital tools to support students during this unique situation.
UNESCO
Regular updates on COVID-19’s impact on education, including a list of distance-learning solutions providers
UNICEF
Useful resources on what you need to know about the virus and how to protect your family
UNICEF, WHO, IFRC
Guidance for COVID-19 prevention and control in school, outlining practical actions and checklists for administrators, teachers, parents, and children
INEEE
Collection of useful resources compiled by Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies
WEF
Strategic intelligence and contextual intelligence on COVID-19 from the World Economic Forum
USAID
Report on the initial insights for preparedness, planning, and response for education and COVID-19
UNHCR
Insights and resources on how to ensure equitable access to distance learning
GPE
Page outlining GPE’s response and curated list of resources from education partners
ECW
List of activities initiated by Education Cannot Wait to support education in emergency contexts during COVID-19.
Looking for more specific private-sector support?
Our REACT platform can help your organization secure critical resources, services, and tools to deliver education to students impacted by COVID-19. Here is how to submit a REACT request:
- Register at now-REACT.org as an implementation partner.
- Once your account is approved, submit a resource request.
- Your request will be displayed on the REACT Unmet Needs page, and you will be alerted when a company expresses interest in supporting your needs.
If you have questions or need support, email us at [email protected] to begin the process. We are working hard to quickly connect viable requests with supportive businesses.Visit REACT