Migrant Learners in a COVID-19 Context: Exploring Strategies for School Leadership and Management

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on learners, as evidenced by disrupted and reduced learning, limited engagement with their peers, and halted sports and physical activities. This article accounts for the challenges of migrant children within the context of COVID-19 and learning disruptions. This conceptual paper draws from the Ethics of Care Theory and its discourses of ‘caring’, to explore the role of school management and leadership in better managing the physical, social, and psychosocial impact of the pandemic on migrant learners, many of whom are already subject to circumstances that are not of their choosing. This article concludes with strategies, supported by examples from around the globe, on how school leadership and management can better respond to the particular challenges of migrant learners. The Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all requires that the experiences of migrant children, in particular, are acknowledged and included in achieving this vital goal.