In May 2020, the South African Monitoring & Evaluation Association (SAMEA) has launched EduCOVID, a Topical Interest Group (TIG) to tackle the many consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on the South African education sector. The sector faces major disruptions (and possibly opportunities) that the Department of Education, donor agencies, NGOs and Monitoring & Evaluation professionals need to respond to effectively and collectively. The EduCOVID TIG is convened by Ms Benita Williams, from Benita Williams Evaluation Consultants.

At the second TIG webinar on 2 July, Ms Tikwiza Silubonde from Stellenbosch University facilitated a webinar on “Learning Briefs as a tool to support EduCOVID response”. JET Education Services, the Zenex Foundation, and BRIDGE Innovation in Education Organisation provided tips on learning briefs. Here is the four-point summary from their presentation, on learning briefs – a great reminder for all of us to capture our specific learnings during the coronavirus crisis so that future generations can learn from our experiences:

• Learning Briefs serve many purposes – to share information about an organisation’s work, experiences, or any recent developments, and to disseminate lessons learnt
• Learning Briefs can take different forms – ranging from text-based briefs to a more graphic-oriented approach and infographics
• Learning Briefs should be digestible products that are tailor-made to suit different audiences
• The benefits of Learning Briefs enabling organisations to engage in reflective practice useful for their own learning and improvement, to learn from their partners, and to share learning for the benefit of other organisations

If you would like to join the SAMEA EduCOVID TIG listserv, follow the instructions below.