I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7911 
To direct the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development to submit to Congress a report on the impact of the 
COVID-19 pandemic on learning and global basic education programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 31, 2020 
Ms. HOULAHAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development to submit to Congress a 
report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on 
learning and global basic education programs. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Learning Loss 
Assessment Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Before the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (com-
monly referred to as ‘‘COVID-19’’) pandemic began, 
258 million children were out of school, including 
130 million girls. 
(2) Students already at a disadvantage before 
COVID-19 will experience greater learning loss, 
thereby worsening inequity and inequality. 
(3) Approximately 90 percent of the world’s 
student population—over 1.7 billion children and 
youth—have had their education disrupted by school 
closure due to COVID-19. 
(4) School closures lead to interrupted learning, 
poor nutrition, gaps in childcare, increased dropout, 
exposure to violence, and social isolation. 
(5) Up to 9.7 million children are at risk of 
dropping out of school due to rising levels of child 
poverty associated with the pandemic. 
(6) School closure and remote learning is espe-
cially burdensome on girls, who are frequently ex-
pected to shoulder more household chores and re-
sponsibilities, and are more vulnerable to gender- 
based violence. 
(7) During the Ebola epidemic, nationwide 
school closures in Sierra Leone in 2014 led to in-
creased instances of sexual and gender-based vio-
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lence, teenage pregnancy, school dropout, and child 
labor for girls. 
(8) Over 60 percent of national distance learn-
ing alternatives rely exclusively on online platforms 
but as many as 465 million children and young peo-
ple in these countries do not have access to the 
internet at home, with 80 percent of students in 
sub-Saharan Africa without such access, and an 
even higher rate for girls. 
(9) Distance learning tools are not always ac-
cessible to learners with disabilities or those with 
complex learning needs, especially in poorer and 
rural households. 
(10) The economic downturn caused by the 
COVID-19 pandemic could lead to an education fi-
nancing gap of $77 billion in low- and middle-income 
countries over the next two years. 
(11) The economic cost of school closures could 
be up to $1,337 per student, which on a global scale 
equates to approximately $10 trillion in lost eco-
nomic output over the coming generation. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States— 
(1) to provide inclusive learning opportunities 
for students and teachers, especially for the most 
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marginalized, including girls and children with dis-
abilities; 
(2) to build local capacity and help countries 
strengthen their education systems; 
(3) to improve the delivery and quality of edu-
cation services; 
(4) to improve equity and safety in education 
services; and 
(5) to support the return of children to school 
who have experienced interruptions in their edu-
cation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other 
causes. 
SEC. 4. REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, 
acting through the Senior Coordinator for International 
Basic Education Assistance and in consultation with the 
Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s 
Empowerment, shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees a report on the impact of the COVID- 
19 pandemic on learning and global basic education pro-
grams. 
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(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, the 
following: 
(1) An assessment of the magnitude of global 
learning loss that will result from protracted school 
closures, including the specific effects of school clo-
sures on marginalized children and youth, including 
girls, minority populations, and those with disabil-
ities. 
(2) Evaluations of effectiveness, cost, accessi-
bility, and reach of the most commonly used forms 
of distance learning in low resource contexts. 
(3) An overview of existing Agency programs 
being carried out to continue learning during the 
COVID-19 pandemic, including data on funding and 
programmatic focus disaggregated by gender, coun-
try, education level, and, when practicable and ap-
propriate, disability. 
(4) Identification of any gaps in reaching 
marginalized populations, such as girls, children 
with disabilities, or children affected by conflict and 
crisis. 
(5) A description of the tools and resources 
needed for the Agency to support continued distance 
learning interventions, safe school reopening, reme-
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