The Pandemic of Covid-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean Higher Education: An Invitation to Remember and Reflect into the Future

China reported the first death from a novel coronavirus virus, and by January 23, Wuhan was placed under lockdown to contain the outbreak (CDC, 2023).In the following month, more than 1,000 deaths were reported by the new and fast-spreading disease caused by the virus, named COVID-19.Not even science fiction could get close to what the world went through in the coming months, including a worldwide lockdown and almost seven million deaths to this day (WHO, 2024).Four years have passed, but the COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on societies worldwide, necessitating innovative responses from all sectors, particularly education.However, amidst the turmoil, COVID-19 was also a time when humanity unprecedentedly rose to the occasion and showed its genuine resilience, altruism and potential for working together for a common cause.It is this resilience and the lessons learned from the shared experience that deserve our reflection as we confront both new and enduring challenges.In times of crisis, humanity exhibited a remarkable ability to unite for the greater good, transcending borders and cultural differences.Some examples of this unity emerged in China, where a 1,000-bed hospital was built in 10 days.In terms of global collaboration, mankind has never seen such a rapid, effective, and monumental scientific advancement and deployment in creating and distributing vaccines against COVID-19.Even while politicians were pointing fingers at other countries blaming them for their (mis)handling of the pandemic, scholars proved that science does not know geographical borders and transnational cooperation among China and the United States increased (Lee and Haupt, 2020).Education, too, underwent a radical transformation during this period.Educators, at all levels, around the world shifted to fully online instructions within days.Within weeks, the world managed to operate virtually and with minimal contact.However, as we now return to life post-Covid, we are still figuring out the impact of those pandemic years.Despite some positive distinguishable outcomes such as new medical breakthroughs, telework flexibility, and better technology integration in our lives and education, reality is that COVID-19 also contributed to widen the gap among