How Megan Gilmour’s MissingSchool initiative bridges the educational gap for health-compromised children
“My journey demonstrates the impact ordinary individuals can make.” Megan Gilmour, CEO & Co-Founder, MissingSchool
To many today, the COVID pandemic may feel like a distant memory of online conference calls, empty city streets, and mandated social distancing. But its effects continue to have an all-too-real impact on our societies, economies, and individual health. This is even more so for children of school age who, from one day to the next, were separated from their classmates and classrooms and propelled into a new world of educational uncertainty. Indeed, according to UNESCO, the COVID pandemic affected more than 1.6 billion students and youth globally, with the most vulnerable learners being hit hardest and the erosion of some gains made towards the goals of the 2030 Education Agenda.
“COVID-19 highlighted the profound impact that education gaps and lack of access to peers has had on the current generation of school children,” said Megan Gilmour, the social innovator and technology trailblazer behind MissingSchool, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the educational and social needs of children who miss school because of serious illness or injury. “However, there is a growing cohort of children who miss school due to complex medical/mental health conditions that continue to be overlooked.”
“While quality health and education place third and fourth in our SDGs, in schools across developed countries up to 30% of students have health conditions serious enough to affect their education and attendance,” Ms. Gilmour continued. “Many millions of children in homes and hospitals are experiencing avoidable isolation from their schools, teachers and peers.
After seeing her son, Darcy, struggle with a two-year period of school isolation due to a life-threatening illness, Megan Gilmour, along with Cathy Nell and Gina Meyes, founded MissingSchool in 2012. Today, MissingSchool’s mission is to bring game-changing learning and social connections back to students with health challenges so they can once again enjoy the school experience. Today, MissingSchool’s telepresence robot service has reconnected close to 6,030 classmates, bridging a gap that would otherwise commit health-compromised school-age children to isolation and school absences.
We spoke with Ms. Gilmour about her work, how MissingSchool is delivering on the SDGs, and how technology can help deliver education to all kids.
What do you want to see happen right now in your sector that can contribute to inverting this negative trend and putting us back on the right path?
Despite the UN rights, and efforts from educators and parents, the gap between positive intentions and school support for students with serious health conditions remains. Waiting isn’t an option. There is “no safe threshold for absence”, and the global rise in chronic illness and trend of school refusal underline the urgency.
Just as schools provide wheelchair ramps, they must adopt synchronous telepresence technology. It offers students with medical absences continuity of classroom access, consistent curriculum, equality of opportunity, and learning alongside peers. Telepresence lets teachers teach lessons once. Telepresence cures absence.
The recent pandemic emphasised the essential role of technology during health crises. Schools, post-COVID, can turn “telepresence” back on and follow workplaces into the 21st century by championing a “learn from anywhere” system for students who can’t physically attend. This change is not only necessary, it’s immediately achievable at scale. The technology is already in schools.
Which individual or initiative inspires you to take action and continue to work towards a better future for all?
Every day, we see schools introducing innovations that support students isolated by illness, ensuring their academic and social connection. Creative approaches include building mazes in the classroom to let kids using telepresence robots play hide and seek. Other teachers have created colouring-in books to explain the absence of a student to their young peers.
These acts, stemming from educators’ desire for positive change, spotlight the agility and adaptability of schools. Often by necessity, teachers implement “best on ground” solutions decades faster than education administrators can think of them. The exciting potential is in leveraging this ingenuity to unlock change at scale.
If we can find a way to rapidly channel the collective wisdom of what works, across schools, we will see school-based innovations completely transforming education systems. Inspired by this, I see the future of schools as flexible learning centres, where each student, however different, is seen, heard, and included.
What are the novel trends and opportunities that you think will be game-changing for SDG Action?
Terrific changes are happening in the field of robotic telepresence, and organisations we work with, like OhmniLabs, are innovating their robots every day. Using these robots, the kids can share lunchtime and other special moments (or rites of passage) with their friends and, critically, enjoy the “normal” childhood experience of play.
Robots are immersive and give students incredible agency over their life at school. We know from our data that having a telepresence service in place for these students can reduce their anxiety and support eventual transition back to school when they are well.
That said, making telepresence connections readily available to students worldwide is a no-brainer. Introducing everyday access to telepresence connection, whether via web conferencing platforms (think, Teams and Zoom), robots, or other technologies, will open avenues so that every student, whatever their circumstances, can remain part of their school community as a matter of “business as usual”.
What has been a key turning point in your life? What have you learned from this that gives you hope for the current turning point we find ourselves in?
In 2010, my son Darcy’s school isolation, from life-threatening illness, was a stark revelation. Missing two years of school while battling his condition, Darcy’s yearning for the simple joys of school-life became my motivation. This propelled me to assist children absent from school due to medical/mental challenges.
By 2012, three mothers, including me, founded the nonprofit MissingSchool in an Australian lounge room. With determination, MissingSchool has reconnected close to 6,000 classmates. It’s a collective effort of our talented and dedicated team and the resilience of the children we serve. My journey demonstrates the impact ordinary individuals can make.
Having achieved Australian Government funding, MissingSchool is now working to scale telepresence in schools, digital training tools for parents, teachers, and peers, and pioneering the National Insights for Education Directories — an alliance of organisations at the intersection of health and education. Presence is power, and all children can be seen and heard.
