Education ministers from the Commonwealth are due to meet in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi later this month to discuss pressing education challenges as the world is recovering from the negative impacts of the pandemic, organizers said on Thursday.

Incoming Chair of the Education Ministerial Action Group (EMAG) and Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Education, George Magoha said the COVID-19 pandemic brought education systems across the world to a near standstill.

"Low-income countries were especially hit hard. With the future of our children and young people on the line, we need to work together to build back better and refocus on investing in inclusive and equitable quality education," Magoha said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

He said the 54-member Commonwealth must build resilient education systems that can address emerging issues and withstand future crises as part of measures to minimize and protect learning from disruption.

Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth Secretary-General said the impact of the pandemic on young people has been especially distressing with millions of students seeing their education disrupted.

Scotland said the Secretariat will continue working with member countries, stakeholders, and partners, as part of its commitment to advancing Sustainable Development Goal 4 and strengthening education systems and policies across the Commonwealth.

The April 27-28 high-level conference, themed rethinking education for innovation, growth and sustainability post-COVID-19, will bring together ministers, senior government officials, educators, development partners, civil society, and policymakers to share knowledge and good practices in education as the world recovers from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organizers said participants will also identify areas of action and explore innovative approaches that can be adopted by member countries to develop sustainable and resilient education systems.