In order to be resilient to health emergencies and pandemics, crisis and risk management need to be institutionalized in education systems by having a crisis and risk management policy, a dedicated team of education staff that is tasked with developing and implementing such policies, and strong coordination mechanisms, including with the health sector in place at all levels of the system. Furthermore, specific programmatic options can help prevent disease outbreaks and pandemics from affecting education communities and prepare them to respond to such events. This paper lays out concrete recommendations to build resilient education systems through actions that address prevention, preparedness, and response to health emergencies and pandemics. These recommendations are a non-exhaustive list of potential actions to ensure access to education, to improve the quality and equity of education, and to safeguard the management of education systems. Given the complex nature of crises, in some cases, actions may overlap or continue from one phase to another, between prevention, preparedness, and response, as well as between access, quality, equity, and management. This paper also provides examples from countries that, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, are endeavoring to build stronger, more resilient education systems.