Off to learn: Making offline digital learning work for vulnerable girls in Mauritania

Off to learn: Making offline digital learning work for vulnerable girls in Mauritania

AUTHOR(S)
Marco Valenza; Thomas Dreesen; Binta Alassane Gadio; Elisa Despréaux

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs
In Mauritania, many learners struggle with French, one of the official languages of instruction at school. This language barrier hinders student progress with the curriculum, increasing the chances of leaving school. This risk disproportionately affects adolescent girls due to discriminatory social norms undermining their continued education, even in urban areas of the capital, Nouakchott.
 
To address these challenges, UNICEF Mauritania, in collaboration with the Akelius Foundation and national partners, has initiated a blended course to improve French proficiency for girls in a disadvantaged neighbourhood of Nouakchott. The blended course, which takes place at a community-based facility during afternoons, integrates regular teaching with the offline use of the Akelius Digital Learning app. 

This research brief presents evidence on how the blended course supported vulnerable girls’ learning and other socio-emotional skills. It highlights lessons learnt for practitioners in implementing digital learning in resource-constrained environments, including the reliance on offline solutions and the co-design of digital content with the teachers. 
Du tableau à la tablette: l’apprentissage numérique hors ligne au service des jeunes filles vulnérables en Mauritanie

Du tableau à la tablette: l’apprentissage numérique hors ligne au service des jeunes filles vulnérables en Mauritanie

AUTHOR(S)
Thomas Dreesen; Marco Valenza; Binta Alassane Gadio; Elisa Despréaux

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs
En Mauritanie, de nombreux élèves rencontrent des difficultés dans la maitrise du français, l'une des langues officielles d'enseignement à l'école. Cette barrière linguistique entrave la progression des élèves dans le programme, augmentant ainsi les risques d'abandon scolaire. Ce risque touche en particulier les adolescentes en raison de normes sociales discriminatoires qui compromettent la poursuite de leurs études, même dans des zones urbaines de la capitale, Nouakchott.

Pour relever ces défis, l'UNICEF, en collaboration avec la Fondation Akelius et des partenaires nationaux, a lancé un cours hybride visant à améliorer la maîtrise du français pour les filles vivant dans un quartier défavorisé de Nouakchott. Ce cours hybride, qui se déroule dans un centre communautaire l'après-midi, intègre un enseignement traditionnel avec l'utilisation hors ligne de l'application d’apprentissage digital Akelius.

Cette note de recherche présente les résultats que le cous hybride a contribué à atteindre en termes l'apprentissage et de compétences socio-émotionnelles. Elle met en lumière les enseignements tirés dans la mise en œuvre de l'apprentissage numérique dans des environnements aux ressources limitées, notamment en s'appuyant sur des solutions hors ligne et en concevant conjointement le contenu numérique avec les enseignants.
Known from Birth: What does the evidence tell us about birth registration in Africa?

Known from Birth: What does the evidence tell us about birth registration in Africa?

AUTHOR(S)
Andile Madonsela; Tanya Mdlalose; Ludmilla de Gois; Faith Adams; Abel Gbala; Harsha Dayal; Laurenz Mahlanza-Langer

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs
‘Known from Birth: Generating and using evidence to strengthen birth registration systems in low- and middle-income countries’ is the evidence component of Strengthening Birth Registration Systems to Protect Every Child from Child Labour, a UNICEF project supported by the Government of Norway. The project focuses on implementing comprehensive programmes in Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique and Nigeria to accelerate birth registration (BR) for all children – especially children from the most vulnerable communities – starting from birth.
Known from Birth: Generating and using evidence to strengthen birth registration systems in low- and middle-income countries

Known from Birth: Generating and using evidence to strengthen birth registration systems in low- and middle-income countries

AUTHOR(S)
Andile Madonsela; Tanya Mdlalose; Ludmilla de Gois; Faith Adams; Abel Gbala; Harsha Dayal; Laurenz Mahlanza-Langer

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs
This brief is an evidence gap map created as part of the Known from Birth project, which is producing a series of products developed collaboratively by UNICEF Innocenti and South Africa Centre for Evidence (SACE). These products examine birth registration and its critical importance for child protection. The project is supported by the Government of Norway and focuses on implementing comprehensive programmes in Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique and Nigeria to accelerate birth registration for all children – especially children from the most vulnerable communities – starting from birth.
Navigating Digital Learning: Insights into the Pasaporte al Aprendizaje Programme in Mexico

Navigating Digital Learning: Insights into the Pasaporte al Aprendizaje Programme in Mexico

AUTHOR(S)
Marta Carnelli; Pragya Dewan; Sophia Kan; Janina Cuevas Zúñiga

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs
In 2021, Mexico introduced Pasaporte al Aprendizaje, a localized version of the Learning Passport digital learning platform, to mitigate learning loss after widespread school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between October 2021 and February 2023, almost 100,000 students utilized it for upper-secondary courses.

The research explores the key design and implementation steps undertaken for the successful deployment and use of the Pasaporte al Aprendizaje. In addition, analysis of data from the digital learning platform shows that students assessment scores improved as they progressed through courses, in subjects such as mathematics, Spanish, chemistry and physics. The overall goal of this research is to inform improvements in the Pasaporte al Aprendizaje and provide key lessons learned for other countries implementing national digital learning programmes.
Social Contracts: Towards more child and future-centred framings

Social Contracts: Towards more child and future-centred framings

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs

Social contracts around the world are fraying, reflecting a profound disconnect between institutions and the people they are meant to serve, and a corresponding sense of distrust and disillusionment as growing swathes of society feel that they are being left behind.

Social Contracts: Towards more child and future-centred framings explores the value of social contract policy framings that have emerged in recent years. It examines why children need to feature more prominently in social contracts and how these framings might take on a more child- and future-centric form.

Data Must Speak: Profile of head teachers and teachers in public primary schools in Madagascar

Data Must Speak: Profile of head teachers and teachers in public primary schools in Madagascar

AUTHOR(S)
Alexis Le Nestour; Andrea Lepine; Renaud Comba

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs

Improving access to quality education for all school-age children is one of the priorities of the Government of Madagascar. The 2018-2022 Education Sector Plan sets ambitious goals in this direction, but significant challenges remain to improve learning and retention.

DMS research is currently implemented in 14 countries: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Madagascar, Mali, Nepal, Niger, the United Republic of Tanzania, Togo and Zambia. 

DMS – a global initiative implemented since 2014 – aims to address the evidence gaps to mitigate the learning crisis using existing data. DMS research is co-created and co-implemented with Ministries of Education and key partners. DMS research relies on mixed methods and innovative approaches (i.e., positive deviance approach, behavioural sciences, implementation research and scaling science) to generate knowledge and practical lessons about ‘what works’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ to scale grassroots solutions for national policymakers and the broader international community of education stakeholders.

This policy brief – about the profile of principals and teachers in public schools – is part of a series that presents key research findings of the quantitative stage of the Data Must Speak (DMS) Positive Deviance research in Madagascar. By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Madagascar, this series highlights specific resources and contextual factors associated with good school performances in Madagascar. More importantly, it aims to inform policy dialogue and decision-making in Madagascar and other interested countries. 

 

Cite this publication | No. of pages: 5 | Tags: data analysis, education
Data Must Speak: Academic performance of primary school girls in Madagascar

Data Must Speak: Academic performance of primary school girls in Madagascar

AUTHOR(S)
Alexis Le Nestour; Andrea Lepine; Renaud Comba

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs

Improving access to quality education for all school-age children is one of the priorities of the Government of Madagascar. The 2018-2022 Education Sector Plan sets ambitious goals in this direction, but significant challenges remain to improve learning and retention.

This policy brief – about girls’ academic performance in primary school – is part of a series that presents key research findings of the quantitative stage of the Data Must Speak (DMS) Positive Deviance research in Madagascar. By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Madagascar, this series highlights specific resources and contextual factors associated with good school performances in Madagascar. More importantly, it aims to inform policy dialogue and decision-making in Madagascar and other interested countries.

DMS – a global initiative implemented since 2014 – aims to address the evidence gaps to mitigate the learning crisis using existing data. DMS research is co-created and co-implemented with Ministries of Education and key partners. DMS research relies on mixed methods and innovative approaches (i.e., positive deviance approach, behavioural sciences, implementation research and scaling science) to generate knowledge and practical lessons about ‘what works’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ to scale grassroots solutions for national policymakers and the broader international community of education stakeholders.

DMS research is currently implemented in 14 countries: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Madagascar, Mali, Nepal, Niger, the United Republic of Tanzania, Togo and Zambia. 

 

Cite this publication | No. of pages: 4 | Thematic area: Education | Tags: data analysis, education
Data Must Speak: The importance of infrastructure in public primary schools in Madagascar

Data Must Speak: The importance of infrastructure in public primary schools in Madagascar

AUTHOR(S)
Alexis Le Nestour; Andrea Lepine; Renaud Comba

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs

Improving access to quality education for all school-age children is one of the priorities of the Government of Madagascar. The 2018-2022 Education Sector Plan sets ambitious goals in this direction, but significant challenges remain to improve learning and retention.

DMS – a global initiative implemented since 2014 – aims to address the evidence gaps to mitigate the learning crisis using existing data. DMS research is co-created and co-implemented with Ministries of Education and key partners. DMS research relies on mixed methods and innovative approaches (i.e., positive deviance approach, behavioural sciences, implementation research and scaling science) to generate knowledge and practical lessons about ‘what works’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ to scale grassroots solutions for national policymakers and the broader international community of education stakeholders. 

This policy brief – about specific resources and infrastructure that could improve the Malagasy education system – is part of a series that presents key research findings of the quantitative stage of the Data Must Speak (DMS) Positive Deviance research in Madagascar. By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Madagascar, this series highlights specific resources and contextual factors associated with good school performances in Madagascar. More importantly, it aims to inform policy dialogue and decision-making in Madagascar and other interested countries. 

 

Cite this publication | No. of pages: 5 | Thematic area: Education | Tags: data analysis, education
Data Must Speak: Exploring school climate in Lao schools

Data Must Speak: Exploring school climate in Lao schools

AUTHOR(S)
UNICEF Innocenti; UNICEF Lao PDR; Ministry of Education and Sports Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs

While the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has made steady progress in expanding access to quality education, many children still leave primary school with difficulties in reading and writing for their age. Despite this, there are ‘positive deviant’ schools that outperform other schools located in similar contexts and with an equivalent level of resources.

This policy brief – about school climate in Lao schools – is part of a series that presents important insights from both quantitative and qualitative data on behaviours and practices of a variety of education actors in positive deviant schools in Lao PDR. It also explores existing local solutions and broader evidence emerging from all schools on various education-related challenges.

Data Must Speak – a global initiative implemented since 2014 – aims to address the evidence gaps to mitigate the learning crisis using existing data. The DMS Positive Deviance research is co-created and co-implemented with Ministries of Education and key partners. DMS research relies on mixed methods and innovative approaches (i.e., positive deviance approach, behavioural sciences, implementation research and scaling science) to generate knowledge and practical lessons about ‘what works’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ to scale grassroots solutions for national policymakers and the broader international community of education stakeholders.

DMS research is currently implemented in 14 countries: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Madagascar, Mali, Nepal, Niger, the United Republic of Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.

Cite this publication | No. of pages: 5 | Thematic area: Education | Tags: child education, data analysis, schooling
Data Must Speak: Moving towards a culture of assessment for learning in Lao schools

Data Must Speak: Moving towards a culture of assessment for learning in Lao schools

AUTHOR(S)
UNICEF Innocenti; UNICEF Lao PDR; Ministry of Education and Sports Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs

While the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has made steady progress in expanding access to quality education, many children still leave primary school with difficulties in reading and writing for their age. Despite this, there are ‘positive deviant’ schools that outperform other schools located in similar contexts and with an equivalent level of resources.

This policy brief – about practices aligned with formative assessment in Lao schools – is part of a series that presents important insights from both quantitative and qualitative data on behaviors and practices of a variety of education actors in positive deviant schools in Lao PDR. It also explores existing local solutions and broader evidence emerging from all schools on various education-related challenges.

Data Must Speak – a global initiative implemented since 2014 – aims to address the evidence gaps to mitigate the learning crisis using existing data. The DMS Positive Deviance research is co-created and co-implemented with Ministries of Education and key partners. DMS research relies on mixed methods and innovative approaches (i.e., positive deviance approach, behavioural sciences, implementation research and scaling science) to generate knowledge and practical lessons about ‘what works’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ to scale grassroots solutions for national policymakers and the broader international community of education stakeholders.

DMS research is currently implemented in 14 countries: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Madagascar, Mali, Nepal, Niger, the United Republic of Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.

Cite this publication | No. of pages: 5 | Thematic area: Education | Tags: child education, data analysis, schooling
War and Economic Downturn: The impact of the war in Ukraine and the subsequent economic downturn on children and families in Europe and Central Asia

War and Economic Downturn: The impact of the war in Ukraine and the subsequent economic downturn on children and families in Europe and Central Asia

AUTHOR(S)
Margherita Squarcina; Alessandro Carraro; Frank Otchere; Dominic Richardson

Published: 2023 Innocenti Research Briefs

The war in Ukraine triggered an economic shock in countries in Eastern and Central Asia, a region that has been visited by multiple economic shocks in the past decades. For the children and families The shock featured a spike in the prices of commodities including food and fuel. As a result, poor families who spend a greater proportion of their incomes on necessities – such as food and fuel – were the hardest hit. The result was greater risk of poverty, weakened school attachment and increased infant mortality, among others.

This UNICEF Innocenti Research Brief shares projections about the fallout of this crisis on poverty, schooling, infant mortality and the purchasing power of families. It also reviews the social protections put in place in response to the crisis and makes recommendation for future social protection responses.

1 - 12 of 163