The South-Mediterranean region has been strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has aggravated pre-existing socioeconomic challenges such as youth employment, especially of university graduates, and social inequalities. In most South-Mediterranean countries, lockdowns are still in place, and all universities have been closed to different extents since March 2020. The World Bank, looking at the whole MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, noted that around 103.000.000 university students and 830.000 teaching staff are affected by the closures . To mitigate the impact of 1 universities closures due to the pandemic, learning in the Southern Mediterranean has gone virtual, moving online where connectivity allows it and using television, radio, and paper-based approaches where internet access is limited. While the transition succeeded throughout the region and was able to ensure the continuity of education, the capabilities of the universities varied, with some of them seeming more knowledgeable and experienced with online learning compared to others who actually ended up providing distance learning with limited interactivity and students’ support.

Title

Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED)

Publisher

UNIMED

Publisher Country

Italy

Publication Type

Online only

Volume

1

Year

2021

Pages

1-20