In most countries of the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has almost instantaneously changed life for just about everyone: economic discipline has been abandoned, businesses have closed, staff have been furloughed, or asked to work from home and so on. Through lockdown, governments have imposed restrictions on how long citizens can leave their home and in terms of education Schools and Colleges and Universities have been closed. Traditional face to face teaching has been replaced with home schooling and digital learning.

The question for educational leaders and policy makers is how to respond to such a cataclysmic event in a morally purposeful, authentic and principled way? Here, we stand full square with McKinsey when they argue that “Issues regarding equity—that is, ensuring that the needs of the most vulnerable are met—should be front and centre, both during the closure and after students return to school.”

Excellence and Equity is the central theme of Hume’s educational programmes and it is these issues that are debated by this internationally recognised panel during the Webinar.