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Education

Research on Education And Development (READ)
Education

A global learning crisis is undermining children’s education and their futures. Pre-COVID, more than half of children in low- and middle-income countries could not read and understand a simple text by age 10. In poor countries, this “learning poverty” rate was as high as 80 percent. Due to COVID-19, an additional 10 percent of children globally will fall into learning poverty.

UNICEF Innocenti’s education research looks to address the learning crisis to ensure that every child learns. By co-creating the research with Governments, implementing partners, and communities, evidence is embedded within programmes for maximizing its use. Innocenti’s education research focuses on three areas: i) what works at school level (service delivery); ii) what works at policy level (system strengthening); and iii) how to scale up what works and address the “know-do” gaps between policies and their implementation (scaling and implementation science).

 

 

COVID-19 and Education

COVID-19 school closures have laid bare how unprepared education systems are to deal with crises and has uncovered the uneven distribution of the technology needed for remote learning. We are investigating impacts of school closures on children and how to design and deliver effective remote learning for more resilient education systems. To deliver high quality rapid and useful research on COVID-19 and education, this research agenda is done close collaboration with the education section and Data and Analytics team in UNICEF, regional offices, and partners such as the World Bank, UNESCO and WFP. 

Data Must Speak

Despite the global learning crisis, even in the most difficult contexts, there are some  “positive deviant” schools that outperform others in terms of learning, gender equality, and retention. Since 2019, in line with UNICEF's Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Programme, Data Must Speak (DMS) identifies these positive deviant schools, explores which practices make them outperform others, and investigates how these could be implemented in lower performing schools in similar contexts. DMS uses a participatory, mixed-methods approach to improve uptake, replicability, and sustainability. The research is being undertaken in ten countries across two continents.

Digital Learning

UNICEF Innocenti’s digital learning research investigates the development, implementation, and effectiveness of digital learning across various connectivity settings (no/low/high), types of learning (blended/remote), populations, and education goals. Monitoring and implementation research is built into large scale digital learning programmes, such as Learning Passport and the UNICEF-Akelius Foundation partnership. Research is currently being carried out in: Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Lebanon, Mauritania, Serbia, Timor Leste. By embedding rapid mixed methods research into these programmes, this research provides timely evidence to improve digital learning solutions for all children. We not only examine what works, but also how it works in order to develop the key steps to achieve effective and inclusive digital learning. 

Early Childhood Education

The first years of a child's life build the foundations for their learning and development that allow them to succeed in school and beyond. The early childhood education (ECE) research portfolio aims to use research to support the strengthening of ECE systems to ensure all children have a strong start to life. This is being achieved through implementation research into quality assurance mechanisms; benchmarking of early childhood education systems; secondary research into what works, how and in what context to improve equitable access to and learning quality in pre-primary education; as well as research on gender-transformative early childhood education systems. 

Learning is For Everyone (LiFE)

Learning is for everyone. The inclusive education for children with disabilities research portfolio aims to ensure that education systems are inclusive of the needs of and can provide learning for children with disabilities. This will be done through applying the guidelines developed by UNICEF, GPE, UNESCO and FCDO outlined in the Education Sector Analysis (Volume III) that can facilitate the diagnosis of education systems through an inclusive lens. Additionally, the inclusive education portfolio has supported education systems by developing and trialing public-goods resources to support marginalized caregivers of children with disabilities with learning in inclusive settings.

Let Us Learn

Let Us Learn (LUL) uses innovation in education delivery to improve learning for vulnerable children in five countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal. LUL programmes support children across the education lifecycle: from early childhood education; to primary and secondary school, and finally through to vocational training. Programmes are targeted to the most marginalized, such as children who are out of school or at high risk of dropping out. Mixed methods research builds evidence on how these programmes work and are effective in improving the outcomes of vulnerable children.

Sport for Development

Sport for Development (S4D) uses sports to achieve crucial outcomes for children and youth, such as learning, health, empowerment and protection. Collaborating with partners, including the Barça Foundation, this research aims to expand the evidence base on S4D. Building on the findings of the Getting into the Game report, the second phase of this mixed-methods study includes in-depth, exploratory case studies of S4D organizations and programmes  across the globe. By harnessing the experiences of stakeholders from different countries, it identifies best practices and aims to develop a clear set of guidelines on designing, implementing, and ensuring the sustainability and scale-up of effective S4D programmes for children and youth. 

Time to Teach

Teachers attending lessons and spending sufficient time on task is a critical prerequisite for learning in school. Yet, in sub-Saharan Africa, teacher absenteeism is as high as 45 per cent. Time to Teach identifies factors affecting teacher attendance and uses this evidence to inform the design and implementation of teacher policies in twenty African countries. Drawing from both quantitative and qualitative data on a range of topics—from motivation to retention—this research aims to identify solutions for sustainable change. 

Teachers for All

African countries are facing the world’s worst teacher shortage. To shore up the deficit and achieve universal primary education by 2030, 6.1 million primary school teachers need to be hired in Africa alone. As COVID-19 exacerbates pressures placed on education budgets, it is crucial that the allocation of quality teachers in Africa is driven by a quest for equity, effectiveness, and efficiency, since no child should be deprived of learning opportunities because of the school they attend or their area of residence. UNICEF Innocenti is seeking to expand the evidence base on teacher allocation in Africa in order to identify how the allocation of qualified teachers can be optimized to improve equity in learning outcomes. While the equity of primary school teacher allocation is the intended focus of this research, pre-primary teacher allocation will also be analyzed. 

Women in Learning Leadership (WiLL)

School leaders play a critical role in creating high-quality teaching and learning environments within their schools that can contribute to improving student learning outcomes. Early analysis from UNICEF Innocenti and other organizations shows that women-led schools may perform better than schools led by men. Yet, women remain largely underrepresented in school leadership roles. In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, as few as 1 in 10 primary school leaders is a woman. The Women in Learning Leadership (WiLL) research aims to expand the evidence base on gender and school leadership and identify concrete policy and programmatic measures for increasing women’s representation. Using mixed-methods research, the project will examine the various contextual, cultural, societal, and structural barriers preventing women from advancing into school leadership roles.  

Publications

Digital Learning Landscape: A policy analysis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia
Publication

Digital Learning Landscape: A policy analysis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia

This policy analysis examines regional and national policy and normative documents, and existing literature related to digital learning in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo1, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. The report captures the state of the education recovery after the COVID-19 school closures and explores trends, promising practices, challenges, and gaps in digital learning systems and policies. The purpose of the report is to support government partners in the development of national digital learning policies, plans and roadmaps. The preliminary findings from this research have been instrumental in shaping the UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Digital Learning Strategy for 2022-2025.
The role of women school principals in improving learning in French-speaking Africa
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The role of women school principals in improving learning in French-speaking Africa

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

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.
Learning on Hold: The Toll of COVID-19 School Closures on Mozambique’s Foundational Literacy
Publication

Learning on Hold: The Toll of COVID-19 School Closures on Mozambique’s Foundational Literacy

In Mozambique, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread school closures, significantly impacting students and schools across the country.
Lost time, Lost opportunities: Understanding teacher and school director attendance in Mozambique
Publication

Lost time, Lost opportunities: Understanding teacher and school director attendance in Mozambique

This report examines teacher and director absenteeism in Mozambique’s schools, using data from the ALDE. It seeks to understand factors related to the attendance of teachers and school directors in order to inform policies and practices to strengthen the primary education system in Mozambique.
Guidance Note on Using Implementation Research in Education
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Guidance Note on Using Implementation Research in Education

Although many interventions aiming to improve quality, inclusion, and equity in education have been tested around the world, it is not always clear from the existing research base why they work, for whom they work, and what are the defining contextual circumstances under which they work. And while there is an increasingly robust body of evidence on 'what works', taking interventions to scale through government systems often requires multiple iterations to achieve fidelity and a full understanding of the wider ecosystem. Implementation research is concerned with why and how an intervention or reform works by considering the context, stakeholders, and process of implementation. This guidance note, developed by the Building Evidence in Education (BE2) Working Group, helps education stakeholders to design and oversee implementation research in order to answer questions and learn lessons about the contextual factors impacting the implementation of an intervention or reform in a particular government or implementer’s system.
Data Must Speak: Determining the Best Resources for the Togolese Education System
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Data Must Speak: Determining the Best Resources for the Togolese Education System

The Togolese government, through the education sector plan (ESP) 2014-2025, aims to achieve universal quality primary education. With this goal, they recognize the challenges in education access, participation and retention. School performances is among the areas by which they are understanding and addressing these challenges. This policy brief – focused on the resources that could help in improving the Togolese 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 Togo. By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Togo, this series highlights specific resources and contextual factors associated with good school performances in Togo. More importantly, it aims to inform policy dialogue and decision-making in Togo 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.
Data Must Speak: Giving All Girls a Chance for Promotion and Success
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Data Must Speak: Giving All Girls a Chance for Promotion and Success

Data Must Speak: Investing in the Teaching Profession
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Data Must Speak: Investing in the Teaching Profession

Data Must Speak: Unpacking Factors Influencing School Performance in Togo
Publication

Data Must Speak: Unpacking Factors Influencing School Performance in Togo

The Togolese government, through the education sector plan (ESP) 2014-2025, aims to achieve universal quality primary education. With this goal, they recognize the challenges in education access, participation and retention. School performances is among the areas by which they are understanding and addressing these challenges. What resources and contextual factors are associated with good school performances in Togo? By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Togo, this report helps to identify positive deviant schools – those that outperform other schools despite sharing similar contexts and resources. 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.
Data Must Speak: Comprendre les facteurs de performance des écoles ivoiriennes
Publication

Data Must Speak: Comprendre les facteurs de performance des écoles ivoiriennes

Pour faire face aux défis auxquels son système éducatif est confronté, la Côte d’Ivoire a décidé, au-delà d’une analyse sectorielle classique, d’approfondir l’analyse des données existantes afin de trouver des solutions innovantes. Pour y parvenir, la Côte d’Ivoire a sollicité l’appui de l’UNICEF, dans le cadre de la recherche Data Must Speak (DMS), afin d’identifier des pratiques et des comportements modèles positifs. Quelles ressources et quels facteurs contextuels sont associés à de bonnes performances scolaires en Côte d’Ivoire ? En fusionnant et en analysant les bases de données administratives existantes en Côte d’Ivoire, ce rapport permet d'identifier les écoles modèles positives - celles qui obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que les autres écoles bien qu'elles partagent des contextes et des ressources similaires.  La recherche DMS sur les modèles positive est cocréée et mise en œuvre conjointement avec les ministères de l'Éducation et des partenaires clés. La recherche DMS s'appuie sur des méthodes mixtes et des approches innovantes (c'est-à-dire l'approche modèle positive, les sciences du comportement, la recherche sur la mise en œuvre et la science de la mise à l'échelle) pour générer des connaissances et des enseignements pratiques sur " ce qui fonctionne ", " pourquoi " et " comment " mettre à l'échelle des solutions locales pour les décideurs politiques nationaux et la communauté internationale travaillant dans le secteur de l'éducation. La recherche DMS est actuellement mise en œuvre dans 14 pays : Brésil, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Éthiopie, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Népal, Niger, République démocratique populaire lao, République-Unie de Tanzanie, Tchad, Togo et Zambie. 
Data Must Speak: Les effets liés à la présence de directrices d’école et d’enseignantes sur l’éducation des garçons et des filles
Publication

Data Must Speak: Les effets liés à la présence de directrices d’école et d’enseignantes sur l’éducation des garçons et des filles

Pour faire face aux défis auxquels son système éducatif est confronté, la Côte d’Ivoire a décidé, au-delà d’une analyse sectorielle classique, d’approfondir l’analyse des données existantes afin de trouver des solutions innovantes. Pour y parvenir, la Côte d’Ivoire a sollicité l’appui de l’UNICEF, dans le cadre de la recherche Data Must Speak (DMS), afin d’identifier des pratiques et des comportements modèles positifs. Cette note thématique - sur les effets liés à la présence de directrices d’école et d’enseignantes sur l’éducation des garçons et des filles - fait partie d'une série qui présente les principaux résultats de la phase quantitative de la recherche Data Must Speak (DMS) en Côte d’Ivoire. En fusionnant et en analysant les bases de données administratives existantes en Côte d’Ivoire, ce rapport permet d'identifier les écoles modèles positives - celles qui obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que les autres écoles bien qu'elles partagent des contextes et des ressources similaires. La recherche DMS sur les modèles positive est cocréée et mise en œuvre conjointement avec les ministères de l'Éducation et des partenaires clés. La recherche DMS s'appuie sur des méthodes mixtes et des approches innovantes (c'est-à-dire l'approche modèle positive, les sciences du comportement, la recherche sur la mise en œuvre et la science de la mise à l'échelle) pour générer des connaissances et des enseignements pratiques sur " ce qui fonctionne ", " pourquoi " et " comment " mettre à l'échelle des solutions locales pour les décideurs politiques nationaux et la communauté internationale travaillant dans le secteur de l'éducation. La recherche DMS est actuellement mise en œuvre dans 14 pays : Brésil, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Éthiopie, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Népal, Niger, République démocratique populaire lao, République-Unie de Tanzanie, Tchad, Togo et Zambie. 
Data Must Speak: Les performances scolaires des filles dans l’enseignement fondamental
Publication

Data Must Speak: Les performances scolaires des filles dans l’enseignement fondamental

Malgré les progrès réalisés dans la mise en œuvre d’une éducation de qualité au Mali, il reste certains défis. Cette note thématique - sur les performances scolaires des filles dans l’enseignement fondamental - fait partie d'une série qui présente les principaux résultats de la phase quantitative de la recherche Data Must Speak (DMS) au Mali. En fusionnant et en analysant les ensembles de données administratives existants au Mali, cette série met en évidence les ressources spécifiques et les facteurs contextuels associés aux bonnes performances scolaires dans le pays. Plus important encore, elle vise à informer le dialogue politique et la prise de décision au Mali et dans d'autres pays intéressés.  DMS - une initiative mondiale mise en œuvre depuis 2014 - vise à combler les lacunes en matière de preuves pour atténuer la crise de l'apprentissage en utilisant les données existantes. La recherche DMS est cocréée et mise en œuvre conjointement avec les ministères de l'éducation et les principaux partenaires. La recherche DMS s'appuie sur des méthodes mixtes et des approches innovantes (c'est-à-dire l'approche de la déviance positive, les sciences du comportement, la recherche sur la mise en œuvre et la science de la mise à l'échelle) pour générer des connaissances et des enseignements pratiques sur " ce qui fonctionne ", " pourquoi " et " comment " mettre à l'échelle des solutions de base pour les décideurs politiques nationaux et la communauté internationale plus large des parties prenantes de l'éducation. La recherche DMS est actuellement mise en œuvre dans 14 pays : Brésil, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Éthiopie, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Népal, Niger, République démocratique populaire lao, République-Unie de Tanzanie, Tchad, Togo et Zambie. 
Data Must Speak: L’importance des intrants scolaires pour améliorer les apprentissages
Publication

Data Must Speak: L’importance des intrants scolaires pour améliorer les apprentissages

Pour faire face aux défis auxquels son système éducatif est confronté, la Côte d’Ivoire a décidé, au-delà d’une analyse sectorielle classique, d’approfondir l’analyse des données existantes afin de trouver des solutions innovantes. Pour y parvenir, la Côte d’Ivoire a sollicité l’appui de l’UNICEF, dans le cadre de la recherche Data Must Speak (DMS), afin d’identifier des pratiques et des comportements modèles positifs. Cette note thématique - sur l’importance des intrants scolaires pour améliorer les apprentissages - fait partie d'une série qui présente les principaux résultats de la phase quantitative de la recherche Data Must Speak (DMS) en Côte d’Ivoire. En fusionnant et en analysant les bases de données administratives existantes en Côte d’Ivoire, ce rapport permet d'identifier les écoles modèles positives - celles qui obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que les autres écoles bien qu'elles partagent des contextes et des ressources similaires. La recherche DMS sur les modèles positive est cocréée et mise en œuvre conjointement avec les ministères de l'Éducation et des partenaires clés. La recherche DMS s'appuie sur des méthodes mixtes et des approches innovantes (c'est-à-dire l'approche modèle positive, les sciences du comportement, la recherche sur la mise en œuvre et la science de la mise à l'échelle) pour générer des connaissances et des enseignements pratiques sur " ce qui fonctionne ", " pourquoi " et " comment " mettre à l'échelle des solutions locales pour les décideurs politiques nationaux et la communauté internationale travaillant dans le secteur de l'éducation. La recherche DMS est actuellement mise en œuvre dans 14 pays : Brésil, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Éthiopie, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Népal, Niger, République démocratique populaire lao, République-Unie de Tanzanie, Tchad, Togo et Zambie.
Data Must Speak: Performances scolaires et enseignement dans le cycle fondamental
Publication

Data Must Speak: Performances scolaires et enseignement dans le cycle fondamental

Malgré les progrès réalisés dans la mise en œuvre d’une éducation de qualité au Mali, il reste certains défis. Cette note thématique – sur les performances scolaires et l’enseignement dans le cycle fondamental - fait partie d'une série qui présente les principaux résultats de la phase quantitative de la recherche Data Must Speak (DMS) au Mali. En fusionnant et en analysant les ensembles de données administratives existants au Mali, cette série met en évidence les ressources spécifiques et les facteurs contextuels associés aux bonnes performances scolaires dans le pays. Plus important encore, elle vise à informer le dialogue politique et la prise de décision au Mali et dans d'autres pays intéressés.  DMS - une initiative mondiale mise en œuvre depuis 2014 - vise à combler les lacunes en matière de preuves pour atténuer la crise de l'apprentissage en utilisant les données existantes. La recherche DMS est cocréée et mise en œuvre conjointement avec les ministères de l'éducation et les principaux partenaires. La recherche DMS s'appuie sur des méthodes mixtes et des approches innovantes (c'est-à-dire l'approche de la déviance positive, les sciences du comportement, la recherche sur la mise en œuvre et la science de la mise à l'échelle) pour générer des connaissances et des enseignements pratiques sur " ce qui fonctionne ", " pourquoi " et " comment " mettre à l'échelle des solutions de base pour les décideurs politiques nationaux et la communauté internationale plus large des parties prenantes de l'éducation. La recherche DMS est actuellement mise en œuvre dans 14 pays : Brésil, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Éthiopie, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Népal, Niger, République démocratique populaire lao, République-Unie de Tanzanie, Tchad, Togo et Zambie.
Data Must Speak: Tendances des taux de réussite au CEPE
Publication

Data Must Speak: Tendances des taux de réussite au CEPE

Pour faire face aux défis auxquels son système éducatif est confronté, la Côte d’Ivoire a décidé, au-delà d’une analyse sectorielle classique, d’approfondir l’analyse des données existantes afin de trouver des solutions innovantes. Pour y parvenir, la Côte d’Ivoire a sollicité l’appui de l’UNICEF, dans le cadre de la recherche Data Must Speak (DMS), afin d’identifier des pratiques et des comportements modèles positifs. Cette note thématique - sur les tendances des taux de réussite au CEPE - fait partie d'une série qui présente les principaux résultats de la phase quantitative de la recherche Data Must Speak (DMS) en Côte d’Ivoire. En fusionnant et en analysant les bases de données administratives existantes en Côte d’Ivoire, ce rapport permet d'identifier les écoles modèles positives - celles qui obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que les autres écoles bien qu'elles partagent des contextes et des ressources similaires. La recherche DMS sur les modèles positive est cocréée et mise en œuvre conjointement avec les ministères de l'Éducation et des partenaires clés. La recherche DMS s'appuie sur des méthodes mixtes et des approches innovantes (c'est-à-dire l'approche modèle positive, les sciences du comportement, la recherche sur la mise en œuvre et la science de la mise à l'échelle) pour générer des connaissances et des enseignements pratiques sur " ce qui fonctionne ", " pourquoi " et " comment " mettre à l'échelle des solutions locales pour les décideurs politiques nationaux et la communauté internationale travaillant dans le secteur de l'éducation. La recherche DMS est actuellement mise en œuvre dans 14 pays : Brésil, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Éthiopie, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Népal, Niger, République démocratique populaire lao, République-Unie de Tanzanie, Tchad, Togo et Zambie.
Teachers for All: Improving primary school teacher deployment in Zambia
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Teachers for All: Improving primary school teacher deployment in Zambia

The equitable and effective deployment of teachers is critical to achieving quality education for all. However, the uneven distribution of teachers – both across and within schools – contributes to significant disparities in class sizes and learning conditions. Recognizing the critical role that teachers play in learning, the Government of Zambia has committed to addressing teacher allocation through large-scale teacher recruitments. This report aims to provide policymakers an overview of the magnitude and distribution of teacher shortages, and inform ongoing efforts to address teacher shortages and improve teacher allocation.
Data Must Speak: Exam Performance Over Time
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Data Must Speak: Exam Performance Over Time

The Ministry of Education of Ghana (MoE) has developed the Education Sector Plan 2018–2030 (ESP) that establishes the vision for achieving equitable access to quality education and effectively managing education service delivery. Beyond traditional sector analysis, the MoE of Ghana is invested in deepening its use of existing data to enhance education quality. This policy brief – about teacher and head teacher characteristics and exam performance– is part of a series that presents key research findings of the quantitative stage of the Data Must Speak (DMS) Positive Deviance research in Ghana. By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Madagascar, this series highlights specific resources and contextual factors associated with good school performances in Ghana. More importantly, it aims to inform policy dialogue and decision-making in Ghana 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. 
Data Must Speak: Teacher and Head Teacher Characteristics and Exam Performance
Publication

Data Must Speak: Teacher and Head Teacher Characteristics and Exam Performance

The Ministry of Education of Ghana (MoE) has developed the Education Sector Plan 2018–2030 (ESP) that establishes the vision for achieving equitable access to quality education and effectively managing education service delivery. Beyond traditional sector analysis, the MoE of Ghana is invested in deepening its use of existing data to enhance education quality. This policy brief – about students’ exam performance over time– is part of a series that presents key research findings of the quantitative stage of the Data Must Speak (DMS) Positive Deviance research in Ghana. By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Madagascar, this series highlights specific resources and contextual factors associated with good school performances in Ghana. More importantly, it aims to inform policy dialogue and decision-making in Ghana 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. 
Data Must Speak: Unpacking Factors Influencing School Performance in Ghana
Publication

Data Must Speak: Unpacking Factors Influencing School Performance in Ghana

The Ministry of Education of Ghana (MoE) has developed the Education Sector Plan 2018–2030 (ESP) that establishes the vision for achieving equitable access to quality education and effectively managing education service delivery. Beyond traditional sector analysis, the MoE of Ghana is invested in deepening its use of existing data to enhance education quality. What resources and contextual factors are associated with school performance in Ghana? By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Ghana, this report helps to identify positive deviant schools – those that outperform other schools despite sharing similar contexts and resources. 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.
Winning the Game: How Sport for Development supports the psychological well-being of adolescent refugees
Publication

Winning the Game: How Sport for Development supports the psychological well-being of adolescent refugees

In 2022, UNHCR estimated that 103 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide; in the same year, UNICEF further reported that 37 million of those displaced were children. Children and adolescents are more likely to have specific needs and vulnerabilities within the broader refugee population, which may affect their psychological well-being. In view of this, UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight and the Barça Foundation teamed up to investigate how Sport for Development (S4D) can be a positive intervention in the lives of refugee adolescents. The mixed-methods study was conducted in 2022 in two locations in Greece: Athens and the island of Lesvos, capturing the mental health profile of adolescent refugees (ages 11-19) and the key mechanisms of an S4D programme that may influence their psychological well-being. It builds upon previous research jointly carried out by the two organizations, providing key insights to improve the effectiveness of S4D programming (especially programmes that engage with young refugee populations), as well as recommendations for governments and donors that support S4D.
Data Must Speak: Unpacking Factors Influencing School Performance in Zambia
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Data Must Speak: Unpacking Factors Influencing School Performance in Zambia

Recognizing that children’s learning outcomes generally remain low, in its recent 2017–2021 Education and Skills Sector Plan (ESSP) the Government of Zambia prioritized improving learning outcomes through strategies that addressed gaps in education system quality, access, equity and efficiency. What resources and contextual factors are associated with school performance in Zambia? By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Zambia, this report helps to identify positive deviant schools – those that outperform other schools despite sharing similar contexts and resources. 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.
Transforming Education in Kosovo with the Learning Passport: The case of Shkollat.org
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Transforming Education in Kosovo with the Learning Passport: The case of Shkollat.org

The Kosovo Education Strategy (2022–2026) recognizes the need to scale up digital learning solutions to support individualized learning for children. Shkollat.org, Kosovo’s version of the Learning Passport, combines the largest repository of curriculum-aligned video learning content in Kosovo with communication tools to engage students inside or outside the classroom. This research presents findings from the implementation of Shkollat.org in Kosovo, providing policy takeaways for the scale-up of digital learning solutions for education policymakers in the Western Balkans and beyond. Research findings are organized around six pillars of digital learning embedded within the Kosovo Education Strategy (2022–2026): digital learning platforms, content, teacher upskilling and support, connectivity, devices, and institutional support.
Data Must Speak: Comprendre les facteurs de performance des écoles malgaches
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Data Must Speak: Comprendre les facteurs de performance des écoles malgaches

L’amélioration de l’accès de tous les enfants en âge d’être scolarisés à une éducation de qualité est l’une des priorités du Gouvernement de Madagascar. Le Plan sectoriel de l’éducation 2018-2022 définit des objectifs ambitieux dans ce sens, mais d’importants défis restent à relever pour améliorer l’apprentissage et la rétention scolaires.   Quelles ressources et quels facteurs contextuels sont associés à de bonnes performances scolaires au Madagascar ? En fusionnant et en analysant les ensembles de données administratives existants au Madagascar, ce rapport permet d'identifier les écoles déviantes positives - celles qui obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que les autres écoles bien qu'elles partagent des contextes et des ressources similaires.    Data Must Speak - une initiative mondiale mise en œuvre depuis 2014 - vise à combler les lacunes en matière de preuves pour atténuer la crise de l'apprentissage en utilisant les données existantes. La recherche DMS sur la déviance positive est cocréée et mise en œuvre conjointement avec les ministères de l'Éducation et des partenaires clés. La recherche DMS s'appuie sur des méthodes mixtes et des approches innovantes (c'est-à-dire l'approche de la déviance positive, les sciences du comportement, la recherche sur la mise en œuvre et la science de la mise à l'échelle) pour générer des connaissances et des enseignements pratiques sur " ce qui fonctionne ", " pourquoi " et " comment " mettre à l'échelle des solutions de base pour les décideurs politiques nationaux et la communauté internationale plus large des parties prenantes de l'éducation.     La recherche DMS est actuellement mise en œuvre dans 14 pays : Brésil, Burkina Faso, Tchad, Côte d'Ivoire, Éthiopie, Ghana, République démocratique populaire lao, Madagascar, Mali, Népal, Niger, République-Unie de Tanzanie, Togo et Zambie. 
Data Must Speak: Le profil des directeurs et des enseignants  dans les écoles primaires publiques
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Data Must Speak: Le profil des directeurs et des enseignants dans les écoles primaires publiques

L’amélioration de l’accès de tous les enfants en âge d’être scolarisés à une éducation de qualité est l’une des priorités du Gouvernement de Madagascar. Le Plan sectoriel de l’éducation 2018-2022 définit des objectifs ambitieux dans ce sens, mais d’importants défis restent à relever pour améliorer l’apprentissage et la rétention scolaires.   Cette note de politique générale - sur le profil des directeurs et des enseignants dans les écoles publiques - fait partie d'une série qui présente les principaux résultats de la phase quantitative de la recherche sur la déviance positive de Data Must Speak (DMS) au Madagascar. En fusionnant et en analysant les ensembles de données administratives existants au Madagascar, cette série met en évidence les ressources spécifiques et les facteurs contextuels associés aux bonnes performances scolaires au Madagascar. Plus important encore, elle vise à informer le dialogue politique et la prise de décision au Madagascar et dans d'autres pays intéressés.  DMS - une initiative mondiale mise en œuvre depuis 2014 - vise à combler les lacunes en matière de preuves pour atténuer la crise de l'apprentissage en utilisant les données existantes. La recherche DMS est cocréée et mise en œuvre conjointement avec les ministères de l'éducation et les principaux partenaires. La recherche DMS s'appuie sur des méthodes mixtes et des approches innovantes (c'est-à-dire l'approche de la déviance positive, les sciences du comportement, la recherche sur la mise en œuvre et la science de la mise à l'échelle) pour générer des connaissances et des enseignements pratiques sur " ce qui fonctionne ", " pourquoi " et " comment " mettre à l'échelle des solutions de base pour les décideurs politiques nationaux et la communauté internationale plus large des parties prenantes de l'éducation.  La recherche DMS est actuellement mise en œuvre dans 14 pays : Brésil, Burkina Faso, Tchad, Côte d'Ivoire, Éthiopie, Ghana, République démocratique populaire lao, Madagascar, Mali, Népal, Niger, République-Unie de Tanzanie, Togo et Zambie. 
Data Must Speak: Les performances scolaires des filles à l’école primaire
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Data Must Speak: Les performances scolaires des filles à l’école primaire

L’amélioration de l’accès de tous les enfants en âge d’être scolarisés à une éducation de qualité est l’une des priorités du Gouvernement de Madagascar. Le Plan sectoriel de l’éducation 2018-2022 définit des objectifs ambitieux dans ce sens, mais d’importants défis restent à relever pour améliorer l’apprentissage et la rétention scolaires. Cette note de politique générale - sur les performances scolaires des filles à l'école primaire - fait partie d'une série qui présente les principaux résultats de la phase quantitative de la recherche sur la déviance positive menée par Data Must Speak (DMS) au Madagascar. En fusionnant et en analysant les ensembles de données administratives existants au Madagascar, cette série met en évidence les ressources spécifiques et les facteurs contextuels associés aux bonnes performances scolaires au Madagascar. Plus important encore, elle vise à informer le dialogue politique et la prise de décision au Madagascar et dans d'autres pays intéressés.   DMS - une initiative mondiale mise en œuvre depuis 2014 - vise à combler les lacunes en matière de preuves pour atténuer la crise de l'apprentissage en utilisant les données existantes. La recherche DMS est cocréée et mise en œuvre conjointement avec les ministères de l'éducation et les principaux partenaires. La recherche DMS s'appuie sur des méthodes mixtes et des approches innovantes (c'est-à-dire l'approche de la déviance positive, les sciences du comportement, la recherche sur la mise en œuvre et la science de la mise à l'échelle) pour générer des connaissances et des enseignements pratiques sur " ce qui fonctionne ", " pourquoi " et " comment " mettre à l'échelle des solutions de base pour les décideurs politiques nationaux et la communauté internationale plus large des parties prenantes de l'éducation. 
Data Must Speak: L’importance de l’infrastructure dans les écoles primaires publiques
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Data Must Speak: L’importance de l’infrastructure dans les écoles primaires publiques

 L’amélioration de l’accès de tous les enfants en âge d’être scolarisés à une éducation de qualité est l’une des priorités du Gouvernement de Madagascar. Le Plan sectoriel de l’éducation 2018-2022 définit des objectifs ambitieux dans ce sens, mais d’importants défis restent à relever pour améliorer l’apprentissage et la rétention scolaires. Cette note de politique générale - sur les ressources et infrastructures spécifiques qui pourraient améliorer le système éducatif malgache - fait partie d'une série qui présente les principaux résultats de la phase quantitative de la recherche sur la déviance positive menée au Madagascar dans le cadre du projet Data Must Speak (DMS). En fusionnant et en analysant les ensembles de données administratives existants au Madagascar, cette série met en évidence les ressources spécifiques et les facteurs contextuels associés aux bonnes performances scolaires au Madagascar. Plus important encore, elle vise à informer le dialogue politique et la prise de décision au Madagascar et dans d'autres pays intéressés.  DMS - une initiative mondiale mise en œuvre depuis 2014 - vise à combler les lacunes en matière de preuves pour atténuer la crise de l'apprentissage en utilisant les données existantes. La recherche DMS est cocréée et mise en œuvre conjointement avec les ministères de l'éducation et les principaux partenaires. La recherche DMS s'appuie sur des méthodes mixtes et des approches innovantes (c'est-à-dire l'approche de la déviance positive, les sciences du comportement, la recherche sur la mise en œuvre et la science de la mise à l'échelle) pour générer des connaissances et des enseignements pratiques sur " ce qui fonctionne ", " pourquoi " et " comment " mettre à l'échelle des solutions de base pour les décideurs politiques nationaux et la communauté internationale plus large des parties prenantes de l'éducation.  La recherche DMS est actuellement mise en œuvre dans 14 pays : Brésil, Burkina Faso, Tchad, Côte d'Ivoire, Éthiopie, Ghana, République démocratique populaire lao, Madagascar, Mali, Népal, Niger, République-Unie de Tanzanie, Togo et Zambie.
Caregivers' Guide to Inclusive Education
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Caregivers' Guide to Inclusive Education

Parents or caregivers of children with disabilities play a crucial role in supporting their child’s learning. This includes navigating the education system and supporting their child’s participation in an inclusive school. They often face unique challenges and obstacles as they navigate the education system and support their child's participation in an inclusive school. Unfortunately, these challenges have been amplified in recent times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting restrictions, such as remote learning and reduced access to support services. The guide for caregivers aims to (1) help them understand their rights and national inclusive education laws; (2) identify challenges and barriers they are facing in supporting their child’s learning needs and (3) find solutions that can help them to overcome these challenges. It is part of a set of resources to support the marginalized caregivers of children with disabilities with inclusive education. This shortened and easy to read version of "Caregiver's Guide to Inclusive Education" has been developed by "Building Bridges" with the aim of providing simplified guidance for caregivers. While this version includes all the tools and activities from the original guide, it has been designed to be easier to read and follow. The guide offers practical advice on how caregivers can support their child's learning at home, foster positive relationships with their child's teacher and school, and access specialist service
Building Bright Futures: How to integrate Ukraine's refugee children through early childhood education and care
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Building Bright Futures: How to integrate Ukraine's refugee children through early childhood education and care

Nine out of every 10 refugees arriving in host countries from Ukraine are women and children. Only 1 in 3 of Ukrainian refugee children are enrolled in early childhood education and care services. This emphasizes the need for expanding and strengthening early childhood education systems to ensure sufficient access for all children, and the integration of Ukranian refugee children in the host-community. These briefs offer recommendations for policymakers on ways to expand services, and how to facilitate the integration of refugee children and their families. Strategies include limiting the barriers that may hinder refugee children's access to ECEC settings, capitalizing existing physical and human resources to address gaps in service delivery, in addition to the inclusion of refugees in national and sub-national plans, data systems and financing, adapting policies and programmes to ensure considerations are made for refugee children.
Building Bright Futures: What is needed to expand early childhood education and care for Ukraine's refugee children
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Building Bright Futures: What is needed to expand early childhood education and care for Ukraine's refugee children

Nine out of every 10 refugees arriving in host countries from Ukraine are women and children. Only 1 in 3 of Ukrainian refugee children are enrolled in early childhood education and care services. This emphasizes the need for expanding and strengthening early childhood education systems to ensure sufficient access for all children, and the integration of Ukranian refugee children in the host-community. These briefs offer recommendations for policymakers on ways to expand services, and how to facilitate the integration of refugee children and their families. Strategies include limiting the barriers that may hinder refugee children's access to ECEC settings, capitalizing existing physical and human resources to address gaps in service delivery, in addition to the inclusion of refugees in national and sub-national plans, data systems and financing, adapting policies and programmes to ensure considerations are made for refugee children.
Integrating Education Technology into Teaching and Learning: Lessons from EDUINO in North Macedonia
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Integrating Education Technology into Teaching and Learning: Lessons from EDUINO in North Macedonia

How can countries engage teachers, parents, and learners in the successful of scale-up digital learning solutions? EDUINO, North Macedonia's platform for digital learning, fostered a community of practice and successfully crowdsourced a large amount of educational content from teachers and educators around the country within weeks of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research presents factors that enabled the rapid development and scale-up of EDUINO at a systems, school, and classroom level. Research findings in the brief are organized around four key implementation strategies: 1. Developing and crowdsourcing curriculum-aligned learning content 2. Fostering user engagement through a community of practice 3. Furthering teacher capacity for digital learning, and 4. Reaching students with disabilities and other learning barriers.
Unlocking Learning: The use of education technology to support disadvantaged children’s language learning and social inclusion in Italy
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Unlocking Learning: The use of education technology to support disadvantaged children’s language learning and social inclusion in Italy

In Italy, more than 700,000 asylum seekers and migrants arrived in the country between 2014-2020. Newly arrived children including refugees and migrants need to quickly acquire Italian skills to succeed in school and society. To help address this urgent need, the Akelius digital learning application was introduced in Bologna and Rome for Italian and English language learning in the 2021/22 school year. This research presents findings from the first year of implementation of the Akelius digital learning application in Italy. Results show the use of the application supported self-paced learning, boosted students’ motivation and confidence and the use of the tool was especially beneficial for newly arrived children and children with disabilities. The report also explores challenges and good practices to inform improvements in the use of digital learning in classrooms.
Unlocking Learning: The use of digital learning to support the education and inclusion of refugees and migrant children in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Unlocking Learning: The use of digital learning to support the education and inclusion of refugees and migrant children in Bosnia and Herzegovina

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the number of refugees and migrants arriving in the country has increased from just a few dozen arrivals annually prior to 2017 to 95,000 between 2018 and 2022. This increase has put incredible strain on the country’s education systems.
On Call: Using Mobile Technologies to Measure Learning in Emergencies
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On Call: Using Mobile Technologies to Measure Learning in Emergencies

How can we harness the power of mobile technologies to track learning in emergencies? Identifying ways to improve assessments in emergencies is incredibly important as there remains large gaps in understanding how children are learning in crisis settings. This report aims to provide practitioners with practical guidance and resources on using mobile technology to conduct learning assessments in emergency settings. It is the second of a two-part series on uses of mobile phones for education in emergency programmes and draws from a review of the existing literature as well as feedback from education in emergencies practitioners.
On Call: Using Mobile Phones to Provide Learning in Emergencies
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On Call: Using Mobile Phones to Provide Learning in Emergencies

In 2021, an estimated 37 million children were forcibly displaced across the globe. Ensuring these children continue their education in times of crisis is a significant challenge. One tool that can help children stay in education is basic mobile phones. Basic mobile phones can provide learning through multiple channels, such as text messages, voice calls, nudges and lessons through radio broadcasts. This report outlines, in detail, how mobile phones can be applied as a learning tool in emergency settings. It also provides practical case studies and references for how mobile phones have been used to teach students, support parents and train teachers. This report is also part of the On Call two-part series on the uses of mobile technologies for education in emergency settings, with the second report focusing on mobile technologies for learning assessments.
Data Must Speak: Unpacking Factors Influencing School Performance in Nepal
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Data Must Speak: Unpacking Factors Influencing School Performance in Nepal

Joint efforts by the Government of Nepal, development partners and key stakeholders to achieve SDG 4 by 2030 have improved education access, participation and retention. However, learning outcomes in Nepal remain stagnant. What resources and contextual factors are associated with good school performance in Nepal? By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Nepal, this report helps to identify positive deviant schools – those that outperform other schools despite sharing similar contexts and resources. 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 being 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.
What does SEA-PLM 2019 tell us about child well-being and learning in six Southeast Asian countries?
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What does SEA-PLM 2019 tell us about child well-being and learning in six Southeast Asian countries?

Through quantitative analysis of the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics 2019 database, along with an investigation of policy implications and promising practices, this report advocates for increased coordination across cross-sectoral government institutions; increased school, parental and community support for children’s development; and providing a platform for children’s voices to understand their perspectives and needs.
Accessible Digital Textbooks: Universal Design for Learning in Paraguay
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Accessible Digital Textbooks: Universal Design for Learning in Paraguay

The Accessible Digital Textbooks for All (ADT) initiative, implements accessible digital tools and content to make learning accessible to all students - with and without disabilities - in the same classroom.
Drivers of Primary School Dropout in Mozambique: Longitudinal assessment of school dropout in 2019
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Drivers of Primary School Dropout in Mozambique: Longitudinal assessment of school dropout in 2019

The Avaliação Longitudinal da Desistência Escolar (ALDE, Longitudinal Assessment of School Dropout) is the first nationally representative mixed-method longitudinal survey in Mozambique. Since 2018, the ALDE survey has annually collected longitudinal, nationally representative data from around 5,400 primary school students (from grades 1 to 7) in 60 schools across all eleven provinces in the country. This report presents the results of the quantitative data collected in 2019 and focuses on the determinants of school dropouts in the country. When children leave school prematurely, not only is their learning interrupted, but the trajectories of their future opportunities and lives are forever altered. This report explores the multidimensional process of school dropouts, investigating how individual, household, community and school-level factors interact to lead children in Mozambique to dropout of education. Through this analysis, the report provides important and actionable recommendations to improve education policy in Mozambique towards its journey to achieve learning for every child.
Let Us Learn: Making education work for the most vulnerable in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal
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Let Us Learn: Making education work for the most vulnerable in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal

Learning remains largely out of reach for many of the most vulnerable children around the world. In low- and middle-income countries, an estimated 56% of children cannot read a simple text by the age of 10. This share is projected to rise to 70% after the pandemic. The school closures imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak, coupled with an enduring tendency in low-income countries to allocate a limited share of the national education budget to the most vulnerable, are further widening inequalities in the global learning crisis landscape. The Let Us Learn (LUL) initiative implements innovative education programmes to improve learning for the most vulnerable children in five countries with high levels of out-of-school children: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal. This report documents the outcomes, lessons learned and recommendations based on the experience of the initiative across four types of learning programmes spanning the education lifecycle: (1) pre-primary education; (2) accelerated learning pathways; (3) programmes to reduce barriers to access and stay in formal school; and (4) vocational training.
Increasing Women’s Representation in School Leadership: A promising path towards improving learning
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Increasing Women’s Representation in School Leadership: A promising path towards improving learning

Emerging evidence shows a positive association between women school leaders and student performance. Some studies suggest women school leaders are more likely than their male counterparts to adopt effective management practices that may contribute to improved outcomes. However, women remain largely underrepresented in school leadership positions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This brief presents emerging insights on the association between women school leaders and education outcomes and draws attention to women’s underrepresentation in school leadership roles. It highlights the need for further research on gender and school leadership to identify policies and practices that can be implemented to increase women’s representation and scale high-quality management practices adopted by women leaders to more schools to improve education outcomes for all children.
Reopening with Resilience: Lessons from remote learning during COVID-19 – Eastern and Southern Africa
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Reopening with Resilience: Lessons from remote learning during COVID-19 – Eastern and Southern Africa

The widespread school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the learning crisis for children living in Eastern and Southern Africa. The crisis has also shown the great need to develop resilient education systems that can provide learning when schools are forced to close. Understanding how to provide remote learning equitably utilizing multiple modalities and emphasizing low-tech solutions in Eastern and Southern Africa is critical given the great challenges facing the region in terms of electricity and connectivity access. This report provides a summary of lessons learned in the East and Southern Africa region from remote learning during COVID-19 and provides concrete recommendations on how to increase the resilience of education systems.
Reopening with Resilience: Lessons from Remote Learning during COVID-19: Europe and Central Asia
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Reopening with Resilience: Lessons from Remote Learning during COVID-19: Europe and Central Asia

When schools started closing their doors due to COVID-19, countries in Europe and Central Asia quickly provided alternative learning solutions for children to continue learning. More than 90 per cent of countries offered digital solutions to ensure that education activities could continue. However, lack of access to digital devices and a reliable internet connection excluded a significant amount of already marginalized children and threatened to widen the existing learning disparities. This report builds on existing evidence highlighting key lessons learned during the pandemic to promote learning for all during school closure and provides actionable policy recommendations on how to bridge the digital divide and build resilient education systems in Europe and Central Asia.
Are Children Really Learning? Exploring foundational skills in the midst of a learning crisis
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Are Children Really Learning? Exploring foundational skills in the midst of a learning crisis

Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were serious questions about whether children were actually learning. With widespread school closures and other disruptions to the education system brought about by the pandemic, the learning crisis has escalated to new heights. As the pandemic enters its third year, 23 countries – home to around 405 million schoolchildren – are yet to fully open schools, with many schoolchildren at risk of dropping out. Over the past two years nearly 147 million children missed more than half of their in-person schooling, amounting to 2 trillion hours of lost learning. Children have to get back to the classroom, but changes are needed to ensure that they really learn, starting with the foundational basics of reading and numeracy. This report offers unique insight into the extent of the learning crisis by providing an in-depth picture of which children are most at risk of not acquiring foundational learning skills. The analysis of 32 low- and middle-income countries and territories uses newly released data to examine the equity perspectives of the crisis, exploring learning outcomes among different subgroups of children, with a focus on the most vulnerable.
Where are we on Education Recovery? Taking the Global Pulse of a RAPID Response
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Where are we on Education Recovery? Taking the Global Pulse of a RAPID Response

Two years into the COVID-19 global pandemic, education has been seriously disrupted. In response to this crisis, the global priority remains to ensure every child is supported so they can return to school and catch up on lost learning. Recognizing the need to accelerate education recovery with urgent, at-scale action, this joint report by UNICEF in partnership with UNESCO and the World Bank highlights staggering levels of learning loss globally and takes stock of the measures being taken by countries to mitigate learning losses as schools reopen. Based on a survey of 122 UNICEF country and fundraising offices administered in early March 2022, the report presents the importance of and progress made in five key actions for education recovery, the RAPID: Reach every child and retain them in school; Assess learning levels; Prioritize teaching the fundamentals; Increase catch-up learning and progress beyond what was lost; and Develop psychosocial health and well-being so every child is ready to learn.
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in Ghana
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in Ghana

Education has been a priority for Ghana since its independence, with current expenditures representing double the average for Africa and other developing nations. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government aimed to enhance the quality of education and teacher attendance, including improving school infrastructure and providing textbooks and incentive packages to attract more teachers to rural and remote areas. However, the disruption of the pandemic forced school closures and economic consequences, threatening to push millions of vulnerable children out of the education system, widen inequalities and impede progress on the country’s development goals. The Ghana Time to Teach research project set out to capture teachers’ voices and provide a comprehensive understanding of teacher attendance in pre-tertiary schools in the country. Although data collection for this study was completed before the onset of COVID-19, it provides valuable insights into how the national education system can be strengthened to improve teacher motivation, attendance, and time on task. Detailed findings, analysis and policy implications can be found in the report.
 What's next? Lessons on education recovery: Findings from a survey of Ministries of Education amid the COVID-19 pandemic
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What's next? Lessons on education recovery: Findings from a survey of Ministries of Education amid the COVID-19 pandemic

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have collaborated in the third round of the Survey on National Education Responses to COVID-19 School Closures, administered by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and OECD to Ministry of Education officials. The questions covered four levels of education: preprimary, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary. While the first two rounds of the survey were implemented during the periods May–June and July–October 2020, respectively, the third round was implemented during the period February–June 2021. In total, 143 countries responded to the questionnaire. Thirty-one countries submitted responses to the OECD (“OECD survey”) and 112 countries responded to the UIS (“UIS survey”). Seven countries responded to both surveys. In these instances, the more complete set responses were used in analysis.
Digital Learning for Every Child: Closing the Gaps for an Inclusive and Prosperous Future
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Digital Learning for Every Child: Closing the Gaps for an Inclusive and Prosperous Future

Pre-Covid-19, half of the world’s children were already unable to read a simple text by the age of 10. School closures have deepened pre-existing learning disparities, within and among countries, due to inequities in access to technology. This brief summarises research findings and provides actionable recommendations for how to equitably scale up digital learning and provide children and young people with the skills to improve their prospects and safeguard their well-being. It pinpoints solutions for education systems’ use of digital and blended learning anchored in a sound pedagogical approach and urges the G20 and other countries to overcome the barriers that limit the potential benefits of digital learning.
Education sector analysis methodological guidelines Volume 3
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Education sector analysis methodological guidelines Volume 3

This present volume is the third in a series of education sector analysis (ESA) guidelines following two volumes published in 2014. The series provides methodologies and applied examples for diagnosing education systems and informing national education policies and plans. This volume proposes guidelines to strengthen national capacities in analyzing education systems in four areas: inclusive education system for children with disabilities, risk analysis for resilient education systems, functioning and effectiveness of the educational administration, and stakeholder mapping and problem-driven analysis (governance and political economy). The present volume was prepared by experts from various backgrounds (including education, economics, sociology, political science and other social sciences) from UNESCO‘s International Institute for Educational Planning, UNICEF, the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Global Partnership for Education.
The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery
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The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery

The global disruption to education caused by the COVD-19 pandemic is without parallel and the effects on learning are severe. The crisis brought education systems across the world to a halt, with school closures affecting more than 1.6 billion learners. While nearly every country in the world offered remote learning opportunities for students, the quality and reach of such initiatives varied greatly and were at best partial substitutes for in-person learning. Now, 21 months later, schools remain closed for millions of children and youth, and millions more are at risk of never returning to education. Evidence of the detrimental impacts of school closures on children’s learning offer a harrowing reality: learning losses are substantial, with the most marginalized children and youth often disproportionately affected.
Foundational literacy and numeracy in rural Afghanistan: Findings from a baseline learning assessment of accelerated learning centres
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Foundational literacy and numeracy in rural Afghanistan: Findings from a baseline learning assessment of accelerated learning centres

In Afghanistan, 93% of children cannot read a simple text by the age of 10. Education is not available to everyone, especially for girls and children in remote areas. A form of community-based education, called Accelerated Learning Centers (ALCs), can help close the distance barrier and meet the needs of out-of-school children and girls. In May 2021, an assessment of foundational literacy and numeracy skills of ALC students and nearby government school students was conducted. Results show that children at ALCs are learning at similar levels or better compared with children who attend government schools. This report provides insight into practices to improve education in rural areas in Afghanistan.
Time to Teach: La fréquentation des enseignants et le temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires et secondaires collégiales au Maroc
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Time to Teach: La fréquentation des enseignants et le temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires et secondaires collégiales au Maroc

L'absentéisme des enseignants a été identifié comme l’un des principaux obstacles au progrès éducatif et à l’apprentissage des enfants au Maroc. Des études antérieures suggèrent que le taux d’absentéisme scolaire est de 4,4 pour cent et que le taux d’absentéisme en classe est de 5,5 pour cent, avec des chiffres plus élevés dans les écoles publiques et rurales. Bien qu’il existe peu d’analyses empiriques sur l’incidence de l’absentéisme des enseignants dans les écoles primaires et secondaires du pays, certaines études récentes montrent qu’il contribue à l’inefficacité des dépenses d’éducation. La pandémie de COVID-19 ne fera qu'exacerber les défis existants. L’étude Time to Teach (TTT) vise à combler le manque de connaissances relatives aux motivations et aux facteurs associés à l’absentéisme des enseignants du primaire et du secondaire collégial au Maroc.
Time to Teach: La fréquentation des enseignants et le temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires au Gabon
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Time to Teach: La fréquentation des enseignants et le temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires au Gabon

L'absentéisme des enseignants est un défi particulier affectant la qualité de l'éducation au Gabon. Des études antérieures suggèrent que les enseignants du primaire sont absents en moyenne 2 jours par mois, ce qui affecte directement les progrès éducatifs et l'apprentissage des enfants. Bien que le défi de l'absentéisme soit reconnu par les acteurs politiques nationaux comme l’un des problèmes les plus répandus dans le système éducatif du pays, les études sur les facteurs, les politiques et les pratiques qui influencent l’assiduité des enseignants au Gabon restent rares. La pandémie de COVID-19 ne fera qu'exacerber les défis existants. L'étude Time to Teach (TTT) vise à combler ce manque de connaissances et à renforcer la base de preuves sur les différents types d'assiduité des enseignants du primaire et les facteurs qui y contribuent.
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in secondary schools in Rwanda
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in secondary schools in Rwanda

In Rwanda, over 3.5 million children were estimated to be out of school in 2020 when the country closed all schools as a safety measure against the spread of COVID-19. The government quickly developed a national response plan and started the process of hiring teachers, constructing classrooms and training in-service teachers in remote-learning pedagogies. Prior to the lockdown, schools were already experiencing challenges, including low attendance rates. In the post-COVID-19 environment, learning losses are expected to be significant, especially on the acquisition of foundational skills, and will hinder the ministry's efforts to achieve the learning outcomes of its new competence-based curriculum. A Time to Teach study in 2020 in Rwanda found that low teacher attendance was a common problem in primary schools. This study seeks to support the Ministry of Education by providing a comprehensive understanding of secondary school teacher attendance in the country. It builds on findings from the primary schools' study, to understand how attendance challenges may be similar or different across education levels, and more importantly, how these can help inform teacher policy design and implementation.
Unlocking Learning: The implementation and effectiveness of digital learning for Syrian refugees in Lebanon
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Unlocking Learning: The implementation and effectiveness of digital learning for Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Digital learning has the potential to offer interactive and personalized learning for children, in and out of school, including the most marginalized. However, depending on programme design, delivery, and use, digital learning can also exacerbate learning inequalities. This report presents tangible findings on the implementation and use of digital learning to improve outcomes for marginalized children in Lebanon. This report focuses on the UNICEF-Akelius Foundation Partnership and its implementation of a digital course used on tablets and mobile phones for language learning of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The report provides findings across three areas: First, the report investigates the digital course’s use in a blended learning environment where it was used on tablets by students as part of traditional face-to-face classroom instruction with teachers. Second, the analysis examines the transition to remote learning where the course was used on devices owned by the household, supported by teachers remotely. Third, the report estimates the effectiveness of the use of the digital course during this period of remote learning from August–November 2020 showing positive results for language and art competencies.
Reopening With Resilience: Lessons from Remote Learning During COVID-19 – East Asia and the Pacific
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Reopening With Resilience: Lessons from Remote Learning During COVID-19 – East Asia and the Pacific

COVID-19 school closures in East Asia and the Pacific threaten to widen existing learning inequities and increase the number of children out of school. During the pandemic, governments rapidly deployed remote learning strategies, ranging from paper-based take-home materials to digital platforms. However, lack of electricity – critical to connectivity – remains a key obstacle for the region, particularly in rural areas. Therefore, while digital learning platforms were offered by most Southeast Asian countries, take-up was low. A combination of modalities – including mobile phone-based learning strategies – and collaboration with a range of non-governmental education stakeholders have the potential to enhance the reach of remote learning and to make it more engaging for students. Lessons from the regional implementation of these strategies emphasize the importance of research to understand the needs of students, educators and parents and the impact of remote learning, especially in low-resource contexts.
Reopening With Resilience: Lessons from Remote Learning During COVID-19 – Latin America and the Caribbean
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Reopening With Resilience: Lessons from Remote Learning During COVID-19 – Latin America and the Caribbean

The implementation of remote learning in Latin America and the Caribbean during the COVID-19 school closures confirmed that the divide in access to electricity and technology remained a major hurdle for governments across the region to serve all children. School closures risk widening existing learning gaps as private schools were more prepared to use technology for remote learning and children from wealthier households received more support at home while schools were closed. As countries in the region reopen their schools, it is vital that governments incorporate key lessons learned to improve the resilience and equity of the education systems. This report presents evidence on remote learning during the COVID-19 school closures in Latin America and the Caribbean to help guide decision-makers to build more effective, sustainable and resilient education systems for current and future crises.
Reopening With Resilience: Lessons from Remote Learning During COVID-19 – South Asia
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Reopening With Resilience: Lessons from Remote Learning During COVID-19 – South Asia

COVID-19 school closures in South Asia lasted longer than in any other region. To mitigate subsequent effects, governments and education actors in South Asia provided a range of remote learning modalities. This report presents evidence on the reach and effectiveness of these remote learning strategies through a meta-analysis of studies from the region. Large differences in students’ access to connectivity and devices show that high-tech remote learning modalities did not reach all students. Lessons learned indicate that the effectiveness of one-way or low-tech modalities can be enhanced through increased engagement and support from educators. Teachers, parents and caregivers must be supported to help children learn remotely, especially in cases where they must rely on these low-tech remote learning modalities. Formative assessments are needed to understand the scale of lost learning and target responses to remediate this learning loss when schools reopen.  
Non-State Education in South Asia: Understanding the effect of non-state actors on the quality, equity and safety of education service delivery
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Non-State Education in South Asia: Understanding the effect of non-state actors on the quality, equity and safety of education service delivery

Education systems in South Asia are complex and fragmented. Despite high engagement and involvement of Non-State Actors (NSA) in education, there is a lack of comprehensive policy to govern them. Achieving better learning outcomes for children in South Asia requires understanding the wide variety of NSA providers and unpacking how these different actors engage with and influence education provision. Through a meta-analysis of existing evidence, this report presents findings on learning outcomes in public and non-state schools and the implications on quality, equity and safety of education delivery in the region. It also uncovers critical gaps in evidence that need to be addressed to show what is really working, for whom, where and at what cost.
How Much Does Universal Digital Learning Cost?
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How Much Does Universal Digital Learning Cost?

COVID-19 school closures initially revealed more than 75% of children lacked access to critical digital learning opportunities. Three out of four were living in the poorest 40% of households. Digital learning is impossible without connectivity and electricity. However, in places like Chad, Malawi and Niger, the proportion of people with access to electricity is below 1 in 5. What efforts will ensure these children are not further left behind in future crises if schools are again closed? How much will universal access to digital learning cost? The answer is US$1.4 trillion. This paper estimates the cost of universalizing digital learning by 2030, in alignment with the conceptual framework of the Reimagine Education initiative. It provides a rationale for cost assumptions; classifies costs into enabling digital learning and delivering digital learning; and, finally, discusses financing achievability by comparing the estimated costs with current spending in education and other sectors. How much it will cost in your country? For a localized costing, download the National Guide Price Generator from the dropdown menu.
Time to Teach: La fréquentation des enseignants et le temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires en Guinée
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Time to Teach: La fréquentation des enseignants et le temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires en Guinée

L'absentéisme des enseignants est un défi particulier qui affecte les progrès éducatifs et l'apprentissage des enfants en Guinée. Des études antérieures suggèrent que 15 pour cent des élèves considèrent l'absentéisme des enseignants comme l'une des principales raisons de leur insatisfaction à l'égard de l'école. Bien que le défi de l'absentéisme soit reconnu par les acteurs politiques nationaux, les études sur les facteurs, les politiques et les pratiques qui influencent l’assiduité des enseignants en Guinée restent rares. La pandémie de COVID-19 ne fera qu'exacerber les défis existants. L'étude Time to Teach (TTT) vise à combler ce manque de connaissances et à renforcer la base de preuves sur les différents types d'assiduité des enseignants du primaire et les facteurs qui y contribuent.
Time to Teach: Understanding teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Liberia
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Time to Teach: Understanding teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Liberia

In Liberia, recurring school absenteeism and post abandonment are considered critical obstacles to quality education. Although national political actors recognize absenteeism as a major impediment to quality education, studies on the factors influencing teacher attendance in the country, including national policies and practices at the community and school levels, remain scarce. Also, there is a lack of knowledge on the direct and indirect ways the coronavirus pandemic and the measures adopted to contain it impact primary school teachers. This Time to Teach study seeks to fill these knowledge gaps. The report provides valuable insights into how the COVID-19 crisis may exacerbate existing education system challenges that affect teacher attendance and time on task. It also collects and strengthens the evidence base on the factors affecting the various dimensions of primary school teacher attendance to inform the design and implementation of teacher policies.
Reopening With Resilience: Lessons from remote learning during COVID-19 in West and Central Africa
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Reopening With Resilience: Lessons from remote learning during COVID-19 in West and Central Africa

Countries in West and Central Africa strived to implement national responses to continue learning activities during school closures. These responses relied on a mix of channels, including online platforms, broadcast media, mobile phones and printed learning packs. Several barriers, however, still prevented many children and adolescents in the region from taking advantage of these opportunities, resulting in learning loss in a region where almost 50 per cent of children do not achieve minimum reading skills at the end of the primary cycle. This report builds on existing evidence to highlight key lessons learned in continuing education for all at times of mass school closures and provides actionable recommendations to build resilience into national education systems in view of potential future crises.
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Nigeria
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Nigeria

Prior to COVID-19 lockdowns, the Federal Republic of Nigeria had taken measures to improve the quality of education and of teachers’ working conditions such as by improving school infrastructure and accelerating teacher training programs, and providing incentive schemes for teachers. While education is free and compulsory, Nigeria reports the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. Economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of school closures, and the shift towards remote learning are anticipated to pose further constraints and push even more vulnerable children out of the education system. Teacher absenteeism and the poor use of instructional time are also significant problems for the Nigerian education system, negatively affect students’ academic performance and learning. This Time to Teach study seeks to support both federal and state governments by providing a comprehensive understanding of teacher attendance in the country’s primary schools. It also aims to provide insights into how attendance challenges may be similar or different across the types of schools (public/Quranic/private) and settings (urban/rural) and more importantly, how these can inform teacher policy design and implementation. Though data were collected prior to COVID-19 school closures, this study also aims to provide insights on how the pandemic may further exacerbate existing challenges.
Time to Teach: La fréquentation des enseignants et le temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires au Togo
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Time to Teach: La fréquentation des enseignants et le temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires au Togo

L'absentéisme des enseignants est un défi particulier affectant la qualité de l'éducation au Togo. Des études précédentes suggèrent qu'une fois dans la salle de classe, les enseignants n'enseignaient que 79 pour cent du temps, ce qui signifie que près d'un cinquième du temps était consacré à d'autres activités. Cette réduction du temps d'enseignement était exacerbée par l'absentéisme des enseignants. Bien que le défi de l’absentéisme soit reconnu par les acteurs politiques nationaux, les études sur les facteurs, les politiques et les pratiques qui influencent l’assiduité des enseignants et enseignantes au Togo restent rares. La pandémie de COVID-19 ne fera qu’aggraver les défis existants au sein du système éducatif togolais. L’étude Time to Teach (TTT) vise à combler ce manque de connaissances et à renforcer la base de données factuelles sur les différents types d’assiduité des enseignants du primaire, et les facteurs qui y contribuent.
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Côte d’Ivoire
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire has made great strides in improving access and quality in its education system, but significant gaps in student learning and achievement remain. It is estimated that 8 out of 10 Ivorian children are not proficient in reading by the age of 10, and do not have enough math skills at the end of primary school. In Côte d’Ivoire, teacher absenteeism is estimated to responsible for the loss of approximately 25 per cent of teaching time. In the specific case of primary education, it is estimated that teacher absenteeism and other calendar delays are responsible for the loss of two months of courses per year on average. This Time to Teach study seeks to contribute to a better understanding of teacher attendance in Côte d’Ivoire’s primary schools. The study adapts a broad concept of teacher absenteeism which includes: absence from school, lack of teacher punctuality, absence from the classroom and reduction in the time dedicated to teaching.
Time to Teach: La fréquentation des enseignants et le temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires en Mauritanie
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Time to Teach: La fréquentation des enseignants et le temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires en Mauritanie

L'absentéisme des enseignants et le non-respect du temps scolaire constituent un obstacle persistant à l'apprentissage universel de qualité en République Islamique de Mauritanie. Cependant, les données vérifiées sur les facteurs, les politiques et les pratiques relatives à l'assiduité des enseignants en Mauritanie restent rares. Dans l'environnement post-COVID-19, il y a raison de s'inquiéter du fait que l'ampleur des répercussions sociales et économiques de la pandémie aggrave davantage les défis existants au sein du système éducatif mauritanien. L'étude Time to Teach cherche à combler ce manque de connaissances.
Time to Teach: L’assiduité des enseignants et le temps consacré à l’enseignement dans les écoles primaires en Niger
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Time to Teach: L’assiduité des enseignants et le temps consacré à l’enseignement dans les écoles primaires en Niger

L’absentéisme des enseignants représente l’un des principaux défis pour parvenir à l’apprentissage universel dans de nombreux pays en développement, où les taux d’absence des enseignants varient de 3% à 27%. Une fois dans la salle de classe, les enseignants ne consacrent que 77% de leur temps prévu aux tâches d’enseignement. Dans l’environnement post COVID-19, il y a inquiétude que l’ampleur des répercussions sociales et économiques de la pandémie n’aggrave encore ces chiffres. Bien que le défi de l’absentéisme soit reconnu par les acteurs locaux de l’éducation, les études sur les facteurs, les politiques et les pratiques qui influencent l’assiduité des enseignants au Niger restent rares. L’étude Time to Teach (TTT) cherche à combler ce manque de connaissances.
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Guinea-Bissau
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Guinea-Bissau

Teacher absenteeism is one of the most troubling obstacles on the path toward universal access to learning opportunities at school. Over the past decades, studies have found that teacher absenteeism is particularly prevalent in certain parts of Africa. While Guinea-Bissau has not administered or taken part in regional or international efforts to systematically monitor and assess the rates of teacher absenteeism, the issue is noted in the 2017–2025 Education Sector Plan, which includes an aim to strengthen controls on teacher absenteeism. This Time to Teach study seeks to fill this important knowledge gap and support the Ministry of National Education and Higher Education in its efforts to strengthen the teachers’ role in school to increase their time on task. This study outlines the various forms of primary school teacher absenteeism (e.g., absence from school, classroom, teaching, etc.), explores teacher absenteeism from a systemic perspective and identifies factors at different levels of the education system that affect teacher attendance and time on task. It also identifies gaps in teacher policy and policy implementation linked to identified determinants of absenteeism and barriers to higher teacher attendance rates, and identifies promising practices and actionable policy recommendations on increasing teachers’ time on task.
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in The Gambia
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in The Gambia

The international standards for teaching time in a year are 880 hours. In The Gambia, dedicated teaching time in a year is 734 hours. This reduced time is exacerbated by teacher absenteeism that varies across the different regions in the country from 12 to 30%, and is a barrier to achieving the required learning outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic is compounding an already compromised learning and teaching environment in The Gambia. This Time to Teach study looks at four dimensions of teacher attendance: being in school; being punctual (i.e., not arriving late/leaving early); being in the classroom (while in school); and spending sufficient time on task (while in the classroom). It also identifies factors associated with teacher absenteeism at five different levels of the education system: national, subnational, community, school, and teacher. This report provides recommendations that may help strengthen the ministry’s efforts to improve teachers’ time on task in The Gambia. .
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and Time on Task in West and Central Africa – Summary
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and Time on Task in West and Central Africa – Summary

In sub-Saharan Africa, the loss of teaching hours due to teacher absenteeism corresponds to a waste of approximately 46 cents for every US dollar invested in education, an annual wastage of 1–3% of GDP. This brief summarizes the results of research in 11 countries in West and Central Africa under the Time to Teach study, a project in UNICEF that aims to provide critical insights into the factors that underpin different forms of primary school teacher absenteeism. It explains the frequency of teacher absenteeism in four forms—absence from school, lateness or early departure, absence from the classroom, and reduced time on task – and the reasons teachers give for their absence. But teachers are also motivated by factors such as training, availability of teaching and learning resources, and other non-system factors. More details are available in the country reports.
ບົົດຄັັດຫຍໍ້ດ້້ າ້ ນນະໂຍບາຍ 2 ຜູ້ອໍາານວຍການໂຮງຮຽນ ໃນໂຮງຮຽນທີ່ ມີີ ປະສິິດທິິພາບສູູງ: ພວກເຂົາົ ມີີຄຸ ນຸ ລັກັ ສະນະ ແລະ ປະສົົບການ ທີ່່ດີີຄືື ແນວໃດ?
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ບົົດຄັັດຫຍໍ້ດ້້ າ້ ນນະໂຍບາຍ 2 ຜູ້ອໍາານວຍການໂຮງຮຽນ ໃນໂຮງຮຽນທີ່ ມີີ ປະສິິດທິິພາບສູູງ: ພວກເຂົາົ ມີີຄຸ ນຸ ລັກັ ສະນະ ແລະ ປະສົົບການ ທີ່່ດີີຄືື ແນວໃດ?

ໃນຂະນະທີ່ລັດຖະບານແຫ່ງ ສປປ ລາວ, ໂດຍຜ່ານກະຊວງສຶກສາທິການ ແລະ ກິລາ ແລະ ຄູ່ຮ່ວມພັດທະນາໄດ້ມີຄວາມຄືບໜ້າຢ່າງບໍ່ຢຸດຢັ້ງໃນການຂະຫຍາຍການເຂົ້າເຖິງການສຶກສາທີ່ມີຄຸນນະພາບ, ແຕ່ກໍ່ຍັງມີເດັກນ້ອຍຈຳນວນຫຼາຍທີ່ຍັງອອກໂຮງຮຽນຊັ້ນປະຖົມສຶກສາ ໂດຍທີ່ຍັງບໍ່ສາມາດ ອ່ານ ແລະ ຂຽນໄດ້ ຕາມເກນອາຍຸຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າ. ແຕ່ໃນສະພາບວິກິດທາງດ້ານການຮຽນແບບນີ້, ກໍຍັງມີໂຮງຮຽນຈຳນວນໜຶ່ງທີ່ປະຕິບັດໄດ້ດີ ແລະ ຜົນເດັນຫຼາຍກວ່າໂຮງຮຽນອື່ນທີ່ມີທີ່ຕັ້ງ ແລະ ສະພາບທີ່ຄ້າຍຄືກັນ ແລະ ມີຊັບພະຍາກອນເທົ່າໆກັນ. ຂໍ້ມູນທີ່ໄດ້ຕ້ອງບອກເຖິງຄວາມຈິງ (DMS) ການຄົ້ນຄ້ວາກ່ຽວກັບໂຮງຮຽນພັດທະນາ ເປັນວິທີການແບບປະສົມປະສານ ແລະ ມີຫຼາຍຂັ້ນຕອນຢ່າງລະອຽດ, ທີ່ໄດ້ມີການຮ່ວມມືກັນ ໃນການພັດທະນາ ແລະ ຈັດຕັ້ງປະຕິບັດ ຮ່ວມກັບ ກະຊວງສຶກສາທິການ ແລະ ກິລາ ແຫ່ງ ສປປ ລາວ. ຈຸດປະສົງແມ່ນເພື່ອສ້າງເປັນຄວາມຮູ້ກ່ຽວກັບລັກສະນະສະເພາະຂອງ ໂຮງຮຽນພັດທະນາ ຫຼື ໂຮງຮຽນທີ່ມີປະສິດທິພາບສູງ ໃນການປະຕິບັດຕົວຈິງທີ່ດີ ແລະ ມີຜົນສຳເລັດ. ຜົນການຄົ້ນຄ້ວາຍັງເປັນການຊີ້ໃຫ້ເຫັນ ແລະ ເພື່ອຜັນຂະຫຍາຍ ບົດຮຽນໃນພາກປະຕິບັດຕົວຈິງກ່ຽວກັບ 'ສິ່ງທີ່ສາມາດເຮັດໄດ້' ແລະ ວິທີການແກ້ໄຂຂັ້ນຮາກຖານ ສຳລັບຂະແໜງການສຶກສາ ທີ່ເປັນບ່ອນອີງໃຫ້ແກ່ຂັ້ນເທີງ ເພື່ອກຳນົດນະໂຍບາຍ ແລະ ການສະໜັບສະໜູນຈາກອົງການຈັດຕັ້ງສາກົນ ຢ່າງກວ້າງຂວາງ. ບົດຄັດຫຍໍ້ດ້ານນະໂຍບາຍສະບັບນີ້ - ໄດ້ເນັ້ນໃສ່ຜູ້ອໍານວຍການໂຮງຮຽນ ໃນໂຮງຮຽນທີ່ມີປະສິດທິພາບສູງ - ເປັນສ່ວນໜຶ່ງໃນຂະບວນການຄົ້ນຄ້ວາດ້ານປະລິມານພາຍໃຕ້ຂອບຂອງໂຄງການກ່ຽວກັບຂໍ້ມູນທີ່ໄດ້ຕ້ອງບອກເຖິງຄວາມຈິງ (DMS) ທີ່ໄດ້ນໍາສະເໜີ ຜົນການຄົ້ນຄວ້ານີ້ ໃນ ສປປ ລາວ. ສຳຄັນໄປກວ່ານັ້ນ, ຜົນການຄົ້ນຄວ້າ ຍັງເປັນຂໍ້ມູນໃຫ້ແກ່ການສົນທະນາດ້ານນະໂຍບາຍ ແລະ ການຕັດສິນໃຈ ຂອງ ສປປ ລາວ ແລະ ບັນດາປະເທດອື່ນໆທີ່ມີຄວາມສົນໃຈ.
Playing the Game: A framework and toolkit for successful child focused sport for development programmes
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Playing the Game: A framework and toolkit for successful child focused sport for development programmes

To identify best practices in S4D programming and achieve a stronger evidence base on how S4D interventions can work effectively, the Playing the Game report and Toolkit draw on ten qualitative in-depth case studies undertaken with S4D organizations operating in different world regions and across various contexts, programme goals and issue areas. Findings from these ten case studies and the existing literature are brought together to develop an evidence-based guiding framework and Toolkit for S4D programming targeting children and youth.
Reopening with Resilience: Lessons from remote learning during COVID-19
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Reopening with Resilience: Lessons from remote learning during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures around the world, affecting almost 1.6 billion students. The effects of even short disruptions in a child’s schooling on their learning and well-being have been shown to be acute and long lasting. The capacities of education systems to respond to the crisis by delivering remote learning and support to children and families have been diverse yet uneven. This report reviews the emerging evidence on remote learning throughout the global school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic to help guide decision-makers to build more effective, sustainable, and resilient education systems for current and future crises.
Investing in Teacher Capacity – The key to effective learning
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Investing in Teacher Capacity – The key to effective learning

While the Government of Lao PDR, through the Ministry of Education and Sports and its development partners, 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. Data Must Speak (DMS) Positive Deviance research is a multi-staged mixed-method approach, co-created and co-implemented with Ministries of Education. It aims to generate knowledge about the positive deviant practices and behaviours of high performing schools. It also seeks to unravel practical lessons about ‘what works’ and how to scale grassroots solutions for national policymakers and the broader international community of education stakeholders. This policy brief – focused on teachers’ capacity – is part of a series that presents key research findings of the DMS research quantitative stage in Lao PDR. More importantly, it aims to inform policy dialogue and decision-making in Lao PDR and other interested countries.
School Principals in Highly Effective Schools – Who are they and which good practices do they adopt?
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School Principals in Highly Effective Schools – Who are they and which good practices do they adopt?

While the Government of Lao PDR, through the Ministry of Education and Sports and its development partners, 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. Data Must Speak (DMS) Positive Deviance research is a multi-staged mixed-method approach, co-created and co-implemented with Ministries of Education. It aims to generate knowledge about the positive deviant practices and behaviours of high performing schools. It also seeks to unravel practical lessons about ‘what works’ and how to scale grassroots solutions for national policymakers and the broader international community of education stakeholders. This policy brief – focused on school principals in highly effective schools – is part of a series that presents key research findings of the DMS research quantitative stage in Lao PDR. More importantly, it aims to inform policy dialogue and decision-making in Lao PDR and other interested countries.
Let Us Continue Learning: Lessons from Madagascar for improving access and retention of vulnerable children in secondary school
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Let Us Continue Learning: Lessons from Madagascar for improving access and retention of vulnerable children in secondary school

This brief builds on programme monitoring data, impact evaluations and qualitative insights from the field to highlight lessons learnt and actionable recommendations for accessing and continuing vulnerable children’s secondary education.
It’s Not Too Late to Act on Early Learning: Understanding and recovering from the impact of pre-primary education closures during COVID-19
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It’s Not Too Late to Act on Early Learning: Understanding and recovering from the impact of pre-primary education closures during COVID-19

This paper presents a new estimate that pre-primary school closures in 2020 may cost today’s young children US$1.6 trillion in lost earnings over their lifetimes. Children in middle-income countries will be most greatly affected. However, most low- and middle- income countries are leaving pre-primary education out of their responses to COVID-19. This paper also draws lessons from evaluations of accelerated, bridging and remedial programmes on how introducing or expanding these transition programmes in the early years can mitigate the long-term impact on learning from pre-primary school closures.
Continuing learning for the most vulnerable during COVID-19: Lessons from Let Us Learn in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal
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Continuing learning for the most vulnerable during COVID-19: Lessons from Let Us Learn in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every aspect of society. In mid-April 2020, 192 countries had closed their schools, putting 9 out of 10 enrolled children out of school. These closures disproportionately affected marginalized children, worsening existing inequities across education systems worldwide.
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Mozambique
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Mozambique

This Time to Teach study collates and strengthens the evidence base on primary school teacher absenteeism in Mozambique.
Ready to Start School, Learn and Work: Evidence from three education programmes for out-of-school children and adolescents in Bangladesh
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Ready to Start School, Learn and Work: Evidence from three education programmes for out-of-school children and adolescents in Bangladesh

Children in the Sylhet division, in the Northeast of Bangladesh, face complex challenges in accessing quality education, at all school levels. The region ranks among the poorest performers in learning attainment across education levels. UNICEF Bangladesh and its partners have leveraged resources from the Let Us Learn (LUL) initiative to deliver three alternative learning pathways for out-of-school children and adolescents in remote areas of Sylhet. The three pathways cover key transition points in a child’s education: Getting ready to start school (Pre-Primary Education programme), learning foundational skills (A​bility-B​ased Accelerated Learning programme) and entering the job market (Alternative Learning Pathway programme). This report presents evidence on the achievements of the three programmes, highlighting key policy recommendations. The findings draw on analysis of programme monitoring data, qualitative case studies, focus group discussions and interviews. This paper is one of a series of research reports presenting emerging evidence on programmes supported by the LUL initiative, which aims to expand quality learning opportunities for disadvantaged children in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal.
Getting into the Game: Understanding the evidence for child-focused Sport for Development
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Getting into the Game: Understanding the evidence for child-focused Sport for Development

Sport is a powerful means by which to engage all children in activities for personal and social development and to help them achieve their full potential. From an early age, sport provides children – including the most marginalized – with the opportunity to develop their physical abilities and health, to socialize, to build leadership skills, to foster lifelong learning and to learn as well as to have fun. Furthermore, to engage in play and recreational activities is a child’s right: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (art. 31.1) clearly establishes “the right of the child to … leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child…”. As first of its kind global study, this report aims to address the dearth of evidence on the implementation and impact of S4D policy and programming for children. To do this, the report assesses, systematizes and maps existing evidence on S4D policies and programmes through desk-based research. Quality counts, so each chapter first assesses the evidence for its conceptual coherence, methodological and analytical strength, relevance/generalizability to the S4D field at large, and ethical considerations, before discussing the main messages and recommendations to come out of the evidence. The key messages and main conclusions have also been developed by seeking programming information from S4D programming both within UNICEF, the Barça Foundation and around the world.
Time to Teach: Assiduité des enseignants et temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires aux Comores
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Time to Teach: Assiduité des enseignants et temps d’enseignement dans les écoles primaires aux Comores

L’absentéisme des enseignants constitue un obstacle important à la réalisation d’une éducation universelle de qualité. Il est de plus en plus évident que l’absentéisme des enseignants constitue un problème particulier dans les pays à faible et moyen revenu du monde entier, les taux d’absentéisme scolaire des enseignants variant entre 15 et 45 % en Afrique subsaharienne. Aux Comores, les études existantes suggèrent que l’absentéisme des enseignants est une préoccupation latente depuis des années. Cependant, la recherchesur les facteurs, les politiques et les pratiques qui affectent la présence des enseignants restent rares. L’étude « Time to Teach » (TTT) vise à combler ce fossé de connaissance.
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools South Sudan
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools South Sudan

The Government of South Sudan, through the Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI) and its development partners, has made efforts over the past decade to rebuild South Sudan’s primary education system. Challenges to the delivery of education have persisted, both within the education system and external to it.
Lifting Barriers to Education During and After COVID-19: Improving education outcomes for migrant and refugee children in Latin America and the Caribbean
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Lifting Barriers to Education During and After COVID-19: Improving education outcomes for migrant and refugee children in Latin America and the Caribbean

By the end of 2019, 4.8 million refugees and migrants had left Venezuela – making it the largest external displacement crisis in the region’s recent history. Of these, 1 in 4 was a child. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, since November 2020, 137 million girls and boys are missing out on their education due to the prolonged closure of schools during COVID-19. The implications are troubling, especially for migrant and refugee children, for whom access to inclusive and equitable education remains a major challenge. This study collates evidence from Latin America, the Caribbean and across the world to gain a better understanding of the multifaceted linkages between education and migration. It estimates gaps in educational outcomes; identifies structural barriers to education; and highlights promising practices to inform policy.
The Impact of Community Violence on Educational Outcomes: A review of the literature
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The Impact of Community Violence on Educational Outcomes: A review of the literature

In recent decades, violence in and around schools has become a serious concern in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is not a new or isolated phenomenon, nor is it limited to certain schools or countries. While much of the literature connecting violence and schools has focused on bullying, it has overlooked how violence in other environments, in families and in communities, affects children’s education and their learning outcomes. Latin America and the Caribbean is home to 9 out of the 10 countries with the highest rates of violence in the world. Yet, the prevalence of bullying in schools is one of the lowest in comparison to other regions, suggesting that this is not the most concerning form of violence impacting children’s educational experiences. This literature review summarizes existing evidence on the impacts of community violence on academic achievement as well as on other educational outcomes – including dropping out, absenteeism, truancy, enrolment and attendance – and highlights policy and research implications.
Learning at a Distance: Children’s remote learning experiences in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic
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Learning at a Distance: Children’s remote learning experiences in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Italy was the first country in Europe to implement a nationwide lockdown. Children and their families lived in nearly complete isolation for almost two months. Students missed 65 days of school compared to an average of 27 missed days among high-income countries worldwide. This prolonged break is of concern, as even short breaks in schooling can cause significant loss of learning for children and lead to educational inequalities over time. At least 3 million Italian students may not have been reached by remote learning due to a lack of internet connectivity or devices at home. This report explores children’s and parents’ experiences of remote learning during the lockdown in Italy, drawing on data collected from 11 European countries (and coordinated by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center). It explores how children's access and use of digital technologies changed during the pandemic; highlights how existing inequalities might undermine remote learning opportunities, even among those with internet access; and provides insights on how to support children’s remote learning in the future. *** L'Italia e’ stata il primo paese in Europa ad aver applicato la misura del lockdown su tutto il territorio. I bambini e le loro famiglie hanno vissuto in quasi completo isolamento per circa due mesi. Gli studenti hanno perduto 65 giorni di scuola rispetto ad una media di 27 negli altri paesi ad alto reddito del mondo. Questa interruzione prolungata rappresenta motivo di preoccupazione, in quanto persino interruzioni piu’ brevi nella didattica possono causare significative perdite nel livello di istruzione dei ragazzi e portare col tempo a diseguaglianze educative. Almeno 3 milioni di studenti in Italia non sono stati coinvolti nella didattica a distanza a causa d una mancanza di connessione ad internet o di dispositivi adeguati a casa. Questo rapporto analizza l’esperienza della didattica a distanza di ragazzi e genitori in Italia durante il lockdown, sulla base dei dati raccolti in 11 paesi europei (e coordinati dal Centro comune di ricerca della Commissione Europea). Studia il cambiamento nell’accesso e nell’uso delle tecnologie digitali dei bambini e ragazzi durante la pandemia; mette in evidenza come le diseguaglianze esistenti possano diminuire le opportunità offerte dalla didattica a distanza, anche tra coloro che hanno accesso ad internet; e fornisce approfondimenti su come sostenere la didattica a distanza di bambini e ragazzi in futuro.
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools Tanzania
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools Tanzania

Teacher absenteeism constitutes a significant barrier to achieving quality education in many low- and middle-income countries globally, where teachers’ school absence rates range from 3 per cent to 27 per cent. Tanzania Mainland has made significant progress in achieving universal primary education and improving the quality of education. Since 2002, access to primary education has expanded exponentially. Yet, quality of learning outcomes remains a challenge. One of the key factors for the provision of quality education is teacher attendance. While many reasons for teachers’ absenteeism appear to be valid, such as lack of reliable transport and bad climate conditions, other causes are hard to justify, such as when teachers fail to prepare for lessons. Time to Teach (TTT) targets this knowledge gap. Its primary objective is to identify factors affecting the various forms of primary school teacher attendance and to use this evidence to inform the design and implementation of teacher-related policies. Specifically, the study looks at four distinct forms of teacher attendance: being in school; being punctual; being in the classroom; and spending sufficient time on task while in the classroom.
Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools Zanzibar
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Time to Teach: Teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools Zanzibar

Teacher absenteeism constitutes a significant barrier to achieving quality education in many low- and middle-income countries globally, where teachers’ school absence rates range from 3 per cent to 27 per cent. Over the past few decades, Zanzibar has implemented a number of policy reforms and made tremendous progress in expanding access to primary education. Yet, the quality of learning outcomes remains weak. One of the major factors hindering the provision of quality education is teacher absenteeism, which is a prevalent phenomenon across primary schools. Time to Teach (TTT) targets this knowledge gap. Its primary objective is to identify factors affecting the various forms of primary school teacher attendance and to use this evidence to inform the design and implementation of teacher-related policies. Specifically, the study looks at four distinct forms of teacher attendance: being in school; being punctual; being in the classroom; and spending sufficient time on task while in the classroom.
COVID-19: Missing More Than a Classroom. The impact of school closures on children’s nutrition
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COVID-19: Missing More Than a Classroom. The impact of school closures on children’s nutrition

In 2019, 135 million people in 55 countries were in food crises or worse, and 2 billion people did not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. COVID-19 has exacerbated these hardships and may result in an additional 121 million people facing acute food insecurity by the end of 2020. Further, since the beginning of the pandemic, an estimated 1.6 billion learners in 199 countries worldwide were affected by school closures, with nearly 370 million children not receiving a school meal in 150 countries. The paper presents the evidence on the potential negative short-term and long-term effects of school meal scheme disruption during Covid-19 globally. It shows how vulnerable the children participating in these schemes are, how coping and mitigation measures are often only short-term solutions, and how prioritizing school re-opening is critical. For instance, it highlights how girls are at greater risk of not being in school or of being taken out of school early, which may lead to poor nutrition and health for themselves and their children. However, well-designed school feeding programmes have been shown to enable catch-up from early growth failure and other negative shocks. As such, once schools re-open, school meal schemes can help address the deprivation that children have experienced during the closures and provide an incentive for parents to send and keep their children, especially girls, in school.
School-Related Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean: Building an evidence base for stronger schools
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School-Related Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean: Building an evidence base for stronger schools

The prevalence of school-related violence and, in particular, bullying is not a new or isolated phenomenon, nor is it limited to certain schools or countries. Abundant evidence indicates that bullying is widespread and has a negative impact on educational outcomes. Children who are victims of bullying can also be affected emotionally and physically in both the short and long terms. Evidence from low- and middle-income countries on bullying is less extensive when compared to the evidence available on predictors and effects of bullying from high-income countries. However, some findings for the Latin American and Caribbean region seem to suggest a similar picture, with a high prevalence of bullying victimization and association to lower reading scores in different subjects tested. This working paper first uses data from UNESCO’s Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study for nationally representative samples of sixth grade students to determine the prevalence of bullying and its association to learning outcomes in 15 countries of the LAC region. It then looks at interventions in countries of the region to mitigate the impacts of violence.
Unlocking Learning: The co-creation and effectiveness of a digital language learning course for refugees and migrants in Greece
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Unlocking Learning: The co-creation and effectiveness of a digital language learning course for refugees and migrants in Greece

COVID-19: Trends, Promising Practices and Gaps in Remote Learning for Pre-Primary Education
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COVID-19: Trends, Promising Practices and Gaps in Remote Learning for Pre-Primary Education

This paper examines the remote learning options that countries around the world have made available for pre-primary students and their families while schools are closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights trends, gaps and emerging good practices that are supported by existing evidence.
COVID-19: A reason to double down on investments in pre-primary education
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COVID-19: A reason to double down on investments in pre-primary education

This paper summarizes the recent UNICEF analysis on investing in early childhood education in developing countries. It provides a benefit-cost analysis of investments in pre-primary education in 109 developing low- and middle-income countries and territories, using data from 2008 to 2019.
COVID-19: Effects of school closures on foundational skills and promising practices for monitoring and mitigating learning loss
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COVID-19: Effects of school closures on foundational skills and promising practices for monitoring and mitigating learning loss

While remote learning measures are essential for mitigating the short-term and long-term consequences of COVID-19 school closures, little is known about their impact on and effectiveness for learning. This working paper contributes to filling this gap by: 1. exploring how disrupted schooling may affect foundational learning skills, using data from MICS6 (Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys - round 6) in 2017–2019; 2. examining how countries are delivering and monitoring remote learning based on data from the UNESCO-UNICEF-World Bank’s National Education Responses to COVID-19 School Closures survey; and 3. presenting promising key practices for the effective delivery and monitoring of remote learning.
COVID-19: How prepared are global education systems for future crises?
Publication

COVID-19: How prepared are global education systems for future crises?

This research brief is one of a series exploring the effects of COVID-19 on education. It focuses on how school closures affect children and the resiliency of education systems to respond to such disruptions and mitigate their effect.
Bringing Education to the Most Marginalized Girls in Nepal: Evidence from the Girls’ Access to Education (GATE) programme Let Us Learn: Nepal research brief
Publication

Bringing Education to the Most Marginalized Girls in Nepal: Evidence from the Girls’ Access to Education (GATE) programme Let Us Learn: Nepal research brief

This research brief provides a snapshot of Girls’ Access To Education (GATE), a non-formal education programme that aims to bring the most marginalized adolescent girls in Nepal into school. The nine-month programme provides out-of-school girls with the basic literacy, numeracy and life skills they need to enter and learn in formal schooling. The analysis draws on GATE monitoring data for 2018/19, covering 7,394 GATE beneficiaries in five districts of Nepal, and is combined with qualitative evidence including case studies and focus group discussions with former GATE participants conducted in 2019. The mixed-methods analysis finds that the GATE programme has been highly effective, with 95% completion of the programme by enrolled girls and 89% of girls making the successful transition to formal school. Moreover, GATE graduates enrolled in Grades 3 to 5 in formal schools outperformed non-GATE girls enrolled in the same grades, even though GATE girls overwhelmingly had no prior formal school experience. Qualitative evidence reveals that poverty, caring responsibilities and parents’ traditional views may be important factors in explaining why GATE girls had never previously attended school. Despite this, GATE beneficiaries who were interviewed maintain a positive outlook on the future and have clear career goals. One of the recommendations stemming from this brief is to explore the feasibility of expanding GATE approaches to target out-of-school children in other contexts, as GATE has been a cost-effective solution in the context of Nepal.
COVID-19: How are Countries Preparing to Mitigate the Learning Loss as Schools Reopen? Trends and emerging good practices to support the most vulnerable children
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COVID-19: How are Countries Preparing to Mitigate the Learning Loss as Schools Reopen? Trends and emerging good practices to support the most vulnerable children

Some countries are starting to reopen schools as others develop plans to do so following widespread and extended closures due to COVID-19. Using data from two surveys and 164 countries, this research brief describes the educational strategies countries are putting into place, or plan to, in order to mitigate learning impacts of extended school closures, particularly for the most vulnerable children. In addition, it highlights emerging good practices.
Parental Engagement in Children’s Learning: Insights for remote learning response during COVID-19
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Parental Engagement in Children’s Learning: Insights for remote learning response during COVID-19

This research brief is one of a series that explores the impact of COVID-19 on education. It focuses on the potential parental role in learning and its association with foundational reading and numeracy skills. Fifty-three per cent of children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read and understand a simple text by the end of primary school age. In low-income countries, the learning crisis is even more acute, with the ‘learning poverty’ rate reaching 90 per cent. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 191 countries have implemented countrywide school closures, affecting 1.6 billion learners worldwide. In India alone, 320 million students from pre-primary to tertiary level are affected by school closures. In sub-Saharan Africa, 240 million are affected. With children currently not able to study in classrooms, the importance of learning at home is amplified and the task of supporting children’s learning has fallen on parents at a much larger rate. This is a significant burden, particularly for those who are also teleworking and those with limited schooling themselves.
Promising Practices for Equitable Remote Learning. Emerging lessons from COVID-19 education responses in 127 countries
Publication

Promising Practices for Equitable Remote Learning. Emerging lessons from COVID-19 education responses in 127 countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on societies, globally. To help contain the spread of the disease, schools around the world have closed, affecting 1.6 billion learners – approximately 91 per cent of the world’s enrolled students. Governments and education stakeholders have responded swiftly to continue children’s learning, using various delivery channels including digital tools, TV/radio-based teaching and take-home packages for parent or carer-guided education. However, the massive scale of school closures has laid bare the uneven distribution of the technology needed to facilitate remote learning. It has also highlighted the lack of preparedness and low resilience of systems to support teachers, facilitators and parents/caregivers in the successful and safe use of technology for learning. Using data on access to technology from household surveys (MICS and DHS) and information on national education responses to school closures gathered from UNICEF education staff in over 120 countries, this brief explores potential promising practices for equitable remote learning.
2018 Results Report
Publication

2018 Results Report

In 2018, significant gains were made in generating evidence to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged children, build organizational capacity to conduct and use quality, ethical research on children, and set a foundation as an important convening centre for expert consultation on next-generation ideas on children. 2018 marks the first year the UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti is reporting on the progress of research under the new UNICEF Strategic Plan (2018-2021). This plan is the first to clearly delineate the role of research and evidence as one of the eight priority change strategies for children. This report therefore is an account of the first year of work to generate critical evidence to inform programmes, policies and advocacy for children and young people around the world
Getting into the Game Report Summary: Understanding the evidence for child-focused sport for development
Publication

Getting into the Game Report Summary: Understanding the evidence for child-focused sport for development

Sport is a powerful tool for involving all children – including the most marginalized and vulnerable – in group activities from an early age (UNHCR, 2013). For this reason, sport for development (S4D) organizations use sport as an inclusive means of helping children to improve their health; to develop their physical abilities; to develop their social, educational and leadership skills; and of course, to play and have fun. S4D initiatives come in various forms – from those that build personal and social programmes around sport, to those that include sport as one of many approaches to achieving social goals. This new UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti summary report analyses available evidence on S4D initiatives for children and youth. The findings cover how the key outcomes of education, social inclusion, protection and empowerment link to sport; what works in practice and how it works; the main challenges for implementation; and recommendations for better policy, practice and research.
An Unfair Start: Inequality in Children's Education in Rich Countries
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An Unfair Start: Inequality in Children's Education in Rich Countries

In the world’s richest countries, some children do worse at school than others because of circumstances beyond their control, such as where they were born, the language they speak or their parents’ occupations. These children enter the education system at a disadvantage and can drop further behind if educational policies and practices reinforce, rather than reduce, the gap between them and their peers. These types of inequality are unjust. Not all children have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential, to pursue their interests and to develop their talents and skills. This has social and economic costs. This report focuses on educational inequalities in 41 of the world’s richest countries, all of which are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and/or the European Union (EU). Using the most recent data available, it examines inequalities across childhood – from access to preschool to expectations of post-secondary education – and explores in depth the relationships between educational inequality and factors such as parents’ occupations, migration background, the child’s gender and school characteristics. The key feature of the report is the league table, which summarizes the extent of educational inequalities at preschool, primary school and secondary school levels. The indicator of inequality at the preschool level is the percentage of students enrolled in organized learning one year before the official age of primary school entry. The indicator for both primary school (Grade 4, around age 10) and secondary school (age 15) is the gap in reading scores between the lowest- and highest-performing students.
DEVELOPING A GLOBAL INDICATOR ON BULLYING OF SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN
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DEVELOPING A GLOBAL INDICATOR ON BULLYING OF SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN

The rate of bullying among children is a key indicator of children’s well-being and an important marker for comparing global social development: both victims and perpetrators of bullying in childhood suffer across various dimensions, including personal social development, education, and health, with negative effects persisting into adulthood. For policymakers and professionals working with children, high rates of bullying amongst children should raise warning flags regarding child rights’ failings. Moreover, bullying amongst school-aged children highlights existing inefficiencies in the social system, and the potential for incurring future social costs in the communities and schools in which children live their lives. Inevitably, these concerns have contributed to bullying becoming a globally recognized challenge – every region in the world collects information on children’s experiences of bullying. Yet, despite the identification and monitoring of bullying having global appeal, so far, a validated global measure has not been produced. To fill this gap in knowledge, this paper develops a global indicator on bullying amongst children using existing school-based surveys from around the world. The findings of this paper show that bullying is a complex phenomenon that takes multiple forms, and is experienced to widely varying degrees across the world.
Key Findings on Families, Family Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals: Synthesis Report
Publication

Key Findings on Families, Family Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals: Synthesis Report

This synthesis report, ‘Families, Family Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Key Findings’ explores how the role of families, and family policies from around the world, can contribute to meeting the SDG targets. Given the key role families and family policies play in determining social progress, and in view of the national and international focus on meeting the SDGs by 2030, the timing of this publication is opportune. The report summarizes evidence across the six SDGs that cover poverty, health, education, gender equality, youth unemployment, and ending violence. It highlights important issues that policy makers may wish to consider when making future policies work for families, and family policies work for the future. Given the broad scope of the SDG ambitions, a key contribution of this work is to map how the successes of family-focused policies and programmes in one SDG have been successful in contributing to positive outcomes in other SDG goal areas.
Adolescents’ Mental Health: Out of the shadows. Evidence on psychological well-being of 11-15-year-olds from 31 industrialized countries
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Adolescents’ Mental Health: Out of the shadows. Evidence on psychological well-being of 11-15-year-olds from 31 industrialized countries

Mental health is increasingly gaining the spotlight in the media and public discourse of industrialized countries. The problem is not new, but thanks to more open discussions and fading stigma, it is emerging as one of the most critical concerns of public health today. Psychological problems among children and adolescents can be wide-ranging and may include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), disruptive conduct, anxiety, eating and mood disorders and other mental illnesses. Consistent evidence shows the links between adolescents’ mental health and the experience of bullying. Collecting internationally comparable data to measure mental health problems among children and adolescents will provide important evidence and stimulate governments to improve psychological support and services to vulnerable children.
Children’s Involvement in Housework: Is there a case of gender stereotyping? Evidence from the International Survey of Children's Well-Being
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Children’s Involvement in Housework: Is there a case of gender stereotyping? Evidence from the International Survey of Children's Well-Being

Evidence from national studies in developed and developing countries suggests that girls spend more time on housework. The most common explanation relates to behaviour modelling as a mechanism of gender role reproduction: children form habits based on parental models. This brief shows that participation in household chores is an essential part of children’s lives. There is a common pattern of a gender gap between boys’ and girls’ daily participation in housework across a diverse range of socio-economic and cultural contexts in 12 high-income countries. The persistence of this gap points to gender stereotyping – a form of gender role reproduction within a family that potentially can reinforce inequalities over the life-course.
Is University Education More Important for a Boy than for a Girl? Social approval of unequal educational opportunity across 21 countries
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Is University Education More Important for a Boy than for a Girl? Social approval of unequal educational opportunity across 21 countries

The attitudes that we hold are shaped and nurtured by society, institutions, religion and family; they involve feelings, beliefs and behaviours and represent a form of judgement. These attitudes and values define the power relations, dynamics, opportunities and choices between men and women, boys and girls. Societies vary significantly in the scale of egalitarian attitudes and beliefs related to gender roles and opportunities in education, politics, the family, and the workforce. Progress towards more egalitarian gender values is crucial for achieving gender equality among children and young people, which in turn is a pre-condition for sustainable development.
Quality of Childcare and Pre-Primary Education: How do we measure it?
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Quality of Childcare and Pre-Primary Education: How do we measure it?

Early childhood development is a driving force for sustainable development due to its multiplier effects not only on children but also on the community and society at large. Access to ECEC alone is insufficient for achieving positive child outcomes – it must also be of high quality. This Brief aims to summarize the key points of ongoing debate on this issue, and outline some of the challenges faced by high-income countries. A step towards a more holistic monitoring of ECEC would be to develop a coherent national strategy that recognizes diversity while addressing disparities; to respond to the needs of both child and family through strong partnerships with parents and ECE practitioners; and to apply measurement tools that capture a child’s engagement rather than test readiness.
Does Keeping Adolescent Girls in School Protect against Sexual Violence? Quasi-experimental Evidence from East and Southern Africa
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Does Keeping Adolescent Girls in School Protect against Sexual Violence? Quasi-experimental Evidence from East and Southern Africa

Sexual violence against women and girls is widespread globally. In their lifetime, one in three women will experience intimate partner physical or sexual violence and 7 per cent will experience forced sex by someone other than an intimate partner.
Global Kids Online, Research Synthesis 2015–2016: Summary
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Global Kids Online, Research Synthesis 2015–2016: Summary

Research is invaluable for contextualising online experiences in relation to children’s and families’ lives and the wider cultural or national circumstances. The Global Kids Online project aims to connect evidence with the ongoing international dialogue regarding policy and practical solutions for children’s well-being and rights in the digital age, especially in countries where the internet is only recently reaching the mass market.
Measuring Adolescent Well-being: National Adolescent Assessment Cards (NAACs)
Publication

Measuring Adolescent Well-being: National Adolescent Assessment Cards (NAACs)

Advocacy and action for adolescents have been hampered by the lack of a concrete results framework that can be used to describe the state of the world’s adolescents and serve as a basis for goals and targets. In order to fill this gap, UNICEF, in collaboration with key partners, is facilitating the development of an outcome-based framework that incorporates the key dimensions of an adolescent’s life and a proposed set of globally comparable indicators that will provide a common platform to track the progress of adolescent development and well-being. The domains that have been selected for measurement are: health and well-being, education and learning, safety and protection, participation, transition to work.
Towards Inclusive Education: The impact of disability on school attendance in developing countries
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Towards Inclusive Education: The impact of disability on school attendance in developing countries

The paper aims to reduce the global knowledge gap pertaining to the impact of disability on school attendance, using cross-nationally comparable and nationally representative data from 18 surveys in 15 countries that are selected among 2,500 surveys and censuses. These selected surveys administered the Washington Group Short Set (WGSS) of disability-screening questions, covering five functional domains of seeing, hearing, mobility, self-care, and remembering, and collected information on educational status.
How Inequalities Develop through Childhood: Life course evidence from the Young Lives cohort study
Publication

How Inequalities Develop through Childhood: Life course evidence from the Young Lives cohort study

Tackling poverty and inequalities is now embedded within the mandates of governments and organizations worldwide. UNICEF has been a leader on this, and concern about inequalities has also been picked up in the debates surrounding post 2015 development goals.
Understanding Governance of Early Childhood Development and Education Systems and Services in Low-Income Countries
Publication

Understanding Governance of Early Childhood Development and Education Systems and Services in Low-Income Countries

This initial exploratory study examines the governance and finance of Early Childhood Services (ECS) in three countries (Cambodia, Kenya and Lao People's Democratic Republic) using an in-depth qualitative approach. The methodologies and tools provide an innovative strategy built upon the literature of governance and finance to understand how to improve access, quality and equity of ECS.
Education, Urban Poverty and Migration: Evidence from Bangladesh and Vietnam
Publication

Education, Urban Poverty and Migration: Evidence from Bangladesh and Vietnam

Despite the acknowledged importance and large scale of rural-urban migration in many developing countries, few studies have compared education outcomes of migrants to those for people born in the city. This paper uses recent data from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam, to examine educational expenditure and children’s grade attainment, with a focus on poor households.
Childhood Poverty and Education in Bangladesh: Policy implications for disadvantaged children
Publication

Childhood Poverty and Education in Bangladesh: Policy implications for disadvantaged children

This paper offers a theoretical understanding of childhood poverty and educational exclusion, building on the empirical findings of fieldwork carried out in Bangladesh to develop case studies addressing the questions, why do so many socio-economically disadvantaged children tend to drop out from formal secondary school, and why do some succeed?
Good Governance of Early Childhood Development Programmes in Developing Countries: The need for a comprehensive monitoring system
Publication

Good Governance of Early Childhood Development Programmes in Developing Countries: The need for a comprehensive monitoring system

There is need for a holistic, comprehensive ECD monitoring system that covers the multiple facets (i.e. education, health, social protection and the social and economical context in which the child is born) of public and private ECD interventions in a country. Such a system is essential for ensuring that all children can reap the benefits of ECD. It serves as a means of support and oversight for monitoring the performance and planning of ECD policies and programmes in developing countries. The paper highlights the importance of comprehensive ECD monitoring for making evidence-based decisions, and discusses practical issues to take into consideration when developing such a system.

Journal Articles

Teacher Training and Textbook Distribution Improve Early Grade Reading: Evidence from Papua and West Papua.
Journal Article

Teacher Training and Textbook Distribution Improve Early Grade Reading: Evidence from Papua and West Papua.

While numerous studies evaluate the effectiveness of teacher training and textbook distribution programs, few look at the effects of training programs on vulnerable students, those at the lower end of academic performance. Addressing this gap is important to improve the efficiency of student learning and address the equity gaps in early education. Our study makes this point with two models of a program that combines teacher training with textbook distribution in Papua and West Papua Provinces of Indonesia. Between two waves of data collection in 2015 and 2017, we find that participation in the program is significantly associated with improvements in early grade reading ability, observing increases in reading scores (with or without adjustment for time spent in the program). We also find a significant decline in zero-scorers, that is, students who cannot read a single word correctly; students in program schools (under both models) are at least 80 percent less likely to score zero than their peers in control schools by 2017. Our approach highlights the importance of incorporating the equity perspective in program evaluation through an explicit focus on vulnerable students.
Impacts of health-related school closures on child protection outcomes: A review of evidence from past pandemics and epidemics and lessons learned for COVID-19
Journal Article

Impacts of health-related school closures on child protection outcomes: A review of evidence from past pandemics and epidemics and lessons learned for COVID-19

Through a rapid review drawing on pandemics and epidemics with associated school closures, this article aims to understand first, the state of the evidence on impacts of school closures on select child protection outcomes and second, how governments have responded to school closures to protect the most vulnerable children. Only 21 studies out of 6433 reviewed met the inclusion criteria, with most studies exploring the effects of Ebola. While few studies were identified on harmful practices, a more robust evidence base was identified in regards to adolescent pregnancy, with studies pointing to its increase due to the epidemic or infection control measures, including school closures. The evidence base for studies exploring the impact on violence outcomes was limited, with sexual violence and exploitation located in a few studies on Ebola. Important lessons from this exercise can be applied to the COVID-19 response, particularly the inclusion of the most vulnerable children in programming, policy and further research.
Potential effects of COVID-19 school closures on foundational skills and Country responses for mitigating learning loss
Journal Article

Potential effects of COVID-19 school closures on foundational skills and Country responses for mitigating learning loss

This article investigates to what extent disrupted schooling and dropout affects children’s acquisition of foundational skills prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using household survey data from thirteen low- and lower-middle-income countries, we find that missing or dropping out of school is associated with lower reading and numeracy outcomes. Drawing on global surveys conducted during the pandemic, we find that countries’ remote learning responses are often inadequate to keep all children learning, avoid dropout, and mitigate the learning losses our findings predict, particularly for marginalized children and those at the pre-primary level.
Education response to COVID 19 pandemic, a special issue proposed by UNICEF: Editorial review
Journal Article

Education response to COVID 19 pandemic, a special issue proposed by UNICEF: Editorial review

This editorial paper presents 11 papers related to the special issue proposed by UNICEF on the Education Response to COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic provoked an education emergency of unprecedented scale. At its onset in February 2020, school closures were announced in the worst-hit countries. At the peak of the crisis, 90 per cent of learners worldwide had had their education disrupted. Some learners, especially those from the most marginalised population groups, were put at risk of permanent dropout, provoking long-term and significant negative effects on children’s life-long wellbeing and the socio-economic development of their communities and countries. This special issue, which received contributions from UNICEF staff and various researchers, focuses on the impact of school closures, the effectiveness of remote learning solutions, equity implications, the mitigation of learning loss and notions around re-opening better. Different research perspectives and evidence is gathered to help strengthen policy considerations and future planning. The conclusion emphasizes building on the innovative solutions generated by the response to the crisis to make education systems more resilient, whilst also reinforcing the focus on equity and inclusion so that pre-existing disparities are not exacerbated in the future.

News & Commentary

Two children in Guinea are sitting at a table and looking at a tablet.
Article

A Tale of Two Classrooms (and Seventy Tablets)

By Marco Valenza (UNICEF Innocenti), Mouctar Diallo (UNICEF Guinea), & Thomas Dreesen (UNICEF Innocenti) In January 2023, two primary schools in Conakry, Guinea, embarked on a journey to re-imagine their day-to-day education through technology. The students accessed classroom content through the Learning Passport (LP), a cutting-edge digital learning platform that is currently deployed in 36 countries worldwide including in development and humanitarian settings.   In resource-constrained environments like Guinea, digital learning initiatives typically place a lot of focus on technology-related concerns -- such as procuring devices in large quantities, installing connectivity at school, or fixing electric boards. Absorbed by these preoccupations, programme managers and government officers focus less on supporting schools to manage changes linked with introducing technology in the classroom, which is nonetheless as critical as technology.  Educational technology is not a “plug-and-play” solution. In order to harness the potential of digital learning for building foundational and digital skills through personalized content, schools must adjust their everyday classroom activities. However, the time and resources that it takes to do so is often-underestimated. Guinea’s tale of two classrooms illustrates what is needed -- beyond technology -- to make digital learning work for children’s learning.  Technology As a Bottleneck…And a Solution  Guinea's 2020-2029 National Education Plan recognizes digital learning as a pivotal driver for advancing quality education in the country. According to a 2019 assessment, 55 per cent of Guinean children did not achieve minimum competency in reading at the end of their primary schooling cycle, and 68 per cent of children performed below the expected grade-level competences in mathematics.  To address this learning crisis, the LP provides access to literacy and numeracy courses that were specifically developed for Guinean third and fourth graders. These resources were validated by the National Institute for Research and Pedagogical Action (INRAP), Guinea’s accreditation body, ensuring full alignment with the national curriculum.  "The effectiveness of an education system depends on the quality of educational inputs such as the use of learner-centered pedagogical innovations," commented Guillaume Hawing, Guinea’s Minister of Education, who included the LP among the “Priority Projects” of his department. "With UNICEF support, the Government of Guinea is firmly committed to improving teaching and developing learning tools through the implementation of the Learning Passport. This platform, which allows students and teachers to improve their skills, is a real opportunity to help ensure that every child has access to quality education," added Félix Ackebo, UNICEF Representative in Guinea.  In a country where only 22 per cent of the population uses the internet, the LP provides offline access to these educational resources. Content was pre-downloaded onto tablets provided by UNICEF. However, simply providing technology is insufficient.  So, what can Guinea’s tale of two classrooms teach us about using technology to support students’ learning?  Photo A. In this classroom, up to six students share the same screen.   In this first classroom (Photo A), tablets are barely visible amid students eagerly engaging with their teacher. Students’ engagement when using the LP has never been an issue, but the six-student-to-one-tablet ratio certainly was.  Photo B. Two or maximum three students follow the course on the same tablet in this other classroom.   In the second classroom (Photo B), there are only two, sometimes three, students per tablet. Remarkably, both schools received the same number of tablets (35), had similar class sizes (56 vs. 51), an equal number of LP-trained teachers, comparable infrastructure and commitment from school directors. Both schools are located just 20 minutes apart from each other.  What explains this difference? The answer came from regular monitoring and class observation. Lessons Learned: Scheduling Matters   The scheduling of classes using the LP partially explains this discrepancy. In the first school, two classes were scheduled to use the tablets simultaneously. That means that the stock had to be divided across two classes, resulting in a less favorable student-to-tablet ratio. The school director’s will to expand the number of classes and children using the LP during the regular week motivated this strategy.  Operational Challenges Limit the Full Utilization of Tablets Teachers and school directors insisted: "We need more devices", echoing the practitioners’ and government officials’ tendency to focus primarily on technology. But would providing more tablets solve the issue? Evidence from the field suggested otherwise. On average, we observed 24 tablets being used in classes, even in the school that allocated all its 35 tablets to one class at a time. This meant that over 30 per cent of available tablets remained unused. Teacher feedback and school monitoring highlighted that this under-utilization was primarily due to operational challenges related to charging and transferring tablets to and from the charging station. Teachers reported difficulties in starting and finishing lessons on time when incorporating technology – an alarming issue if technology reduces the time that students spend learning.  Charging and transferring devices efficiently requires dedicated personnel within the school, as teachers do not have the capacity to take on these additional tasks. The intention of digital learning is to make the teachers’ workload easier -- not add to their burdens. While some schools filled this personnel gap through community-based volunteers, the recruitment of an operations officer should become part of digital learning programmes. Besides helping with device management, operations officers could also assist teachers in addressing technical issues during classes, which will enable teachers to concentrate on delivering their lesson plan rather than troubleshooting the LP. Neglecting proper technology management will mean that devices will collect dust. Embedding Technology, Not Just Procuring It   Technological barriers undoubtedly hamper schools’ ability to deliver digital learning in low-resource contexts. Schools need support in procuring enough devices for their students. But devices without a robust management system will result in their under-utilization and other inefficacies, such as high tablet-to-student ratios, which reduce students’ ability to learn. Ongoing research in schools has allowed UNICEF Programme Managers to detect these challenges and help schools correct them along the way.  The tale of these two classrooms reminds us that providing technology alone does not guarantee success. Embedding technology – within a well-planned scheduling system and with adequate operational support – is fundamental to fulfill the promises of digital learning in Guinea and beyond. Pour lire ce blog en français, cliquez ici. 
3 smiling girls hold tablets containing the Accessible Digital Textbook.
Article

Innovating for Inclusion

By Sophia Torres, Ursula Hinostroza, Lucia Varela and Komai GarabelliChildren with disabilities remain one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in society. Children with disabilities are 49 per cent more likely to have never attended school compared to children without disabilities. Even when in school, children with disabilities still face unique and additional barriers to learning, including limited access to appropriate and accessible teaching and learning materials.  New and innovative technologies can be catalytic to advance inclusion in education to ensure ALL children can access, participate and learn in school. The UNICEF-led Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADT) initiative, in collaboration with Ministries of Education and implementing partners, follows Universal Design of Learning (UDL) principles to design and produce accessible digital textbooks (ADTs) for children with and without disabilities, to ensure that all students can learn together. ADTs have accessibility features such as sign language videos, navigation support, voice over and image descriptions, subtitles and interactive UDL activities.  In Uruguay, UNICEF and the National Administration of Public Education (ANEP)1, have designed and tested the first ADT for primary education in the country: Cuaderno para leer y escribir en primero. The ADT offers much more than a traditional textbook, with a variety of accessible writing and reading activities, covering topics like vocabulary, decoding, and phonological awareness. Accessible features of the Accessible Digital Textbook: Cuaderno para leer y escribir en primero To ensure the quality and fit for purpose of the ADT, user testing was carried out to see how children were able to engage with its features. The user testing encompassed four types of schools, involving groups of children aged 6 to 12. Each group consisted of 4 to 5 students, including children with learning difficulties, visual impairments, hearing impairments, intellectual disabilities and students without disabilities. Students used their personal accessible devices provided by Ceibal2. Each group was supervised by a teacher and additional support from specialized teachers was provided based on the specific needs of students. © UNICEF/Uruguay/2023/Rivara. Children with hearing impairment interacting and using the Accesible Digital Textbook:                   Cuaderno para leer y escribir en primero Findings All children were very engaged and motivated when using the ADT. Their proficiency with digital devices used regularly for leisure and academic purposes enabled them to navigate and interact with the textbook effectively.   Both the group of students without disabilities and those with learning disabilities engaged with the ADT independently or with minimal support. This independence is closely linked to the design of the book, which was intended to coexist with and complement other tools that students are already familiar with, such as Ceibal devices, browsers and media players. Teacher guidance was key to support children with different types of disabilities when first introducing the ADT in class to explain specific features. Some students with intellectual disabilities faced some difficulties activating and deactivating the audio function, as well as forwarding and rewinding the videos, at the beginning of the user testing.  Uruguayan sign language videos and interactive activities were greatly appreciated by children with hearing disabilities. Especially as some students with hearing disabilities are much more familiar with sign language and are just starting to learn to read and write.  Students with visual disabilities encountered difficulties making use of the screen reader function in the ADT, which is commonly not used for early grades. Thus, it is recommended that the ADT incorporates voice over and audio descriptions for images and icons instead of a more advanced screen reader function.   The user testing research highlighted tangible areas for improvement in the software, such as:  Ensuring the sign language videos fit properly on the screen across different devices to prevent any cutoff. Enhancing the clarity of instructions to avoid errors or confusion when selecting answers. Improving the visibility of the index button to prevent confusion with the background. Making changes to the font for improved readability. © UNICEF/Uruguay/2023/Rivara. Child with hearing impairment developing a writing task in the Accessible Digital Textbook:       Cuaderno para leer y escribir en primero  Receiving the children's input in this process was fundamental and very enriching for the improvement of the book. Uruguay's first Accessible Digital Textbook is now available for use in schools throughout the country.UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight is working together with UNICEF’s regional and country offices in Latin America and the Caribbean to embed mixed-methods research into the ADT initiative. The research aims to learn from children and teachers how to improve inclusive learning experiences, and share these findings with partners, teachers, developers, and governments facing similar challenges worldwide. This is part of a global initiative to build implementation research into de the deployment of digital learning to learn and improve programmes globally.  Para acceder a la versión en Español de este artículo, hacé clic aquí.  1In addition to being the body responsible for the planning, management and administration of all primary and secondary schools, as well as teacher training in the country, ANEP is the entity that produces, edits and distributes all the books of primary education text.2 Ceibal is the center for educational innovation with digital technologies in Uruguay. It arises as a policy of one laptop per child. Currently, it promotes the integration of digital technologies in education, in order to improve learning and promote processes of innovation, inclusion and personal growth. 
A teacher is looking over the shoulder of a student in Ghana.
Article

3 Outcomes of Research Co-creation

Authors: Kevin Clidoro and Sophia Kousiakis  While there are many valuable innovations in education, few are brought to scale. The Data Must Speak (DMS) Positive Deviance Research and District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) teams strive to ensure that innovations in education are scaled up by co-creating research with key partners and stakeholders from inception to policy transformation. Both initiatives are funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) which promotes actionable research and improved evidence use that is demand-driven by national education systems. How does a co-creation approach strengthen the use and impact of our research? The DMS research and DHIS2 teams share the outcomes from co-creating research on utilizing Education Management Information System (EMIS) data. Outcome 1: Well-aligned research with in-country priorities and needs The EMIS hosts most of a country’s education-related data and can inform priorities for improving the education system.  Countries face recurring challenges to build, maintain and utilize the EMIS data. Improving management information systems, such as EMIS, is more than finding the perfect software -- but a socio-technical undertaking filled with people and social networks. DHIS2 deploys a participatory action research approach, working closely with education partners and stakeholders at national, district and school levels to inform data systems strengthening.  University partnerships play a central role in cultivating in-country capacity to design, implement and maintain DHIS2. This drives innovation in the DHIS2 ecosystem that is government owned and responds to local needs.  In The Gambia, a PhD candidate based in the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) is focusing work on key policy directives connected to decentralized EMIS routines, such as data collection, validation and use. In tandem, a diploma and Master program in information systems, with a specialization in education management, is being established at the University of The Gambia (UTG); a partnership between MoBSE, UTG and University of Oslo. This initiative supports local institutions' engagement in EMIS research, provides training that is connected to real-world experiences and prepares a future EMIS workforce within the Ministry of Education (MoE). As part of its Stage 1 analysis, DMS research works with MoEs to harness the power of existing administrative datasets in generating evidence and improving decision-making.  The DMS research merges EMIS datasets with other existing datasets, such as examinations and learning assessments, across multiple years. For instance, the DMS team, together with the Niger MoE, linked EMIS data with local data on poverty to better understand the relationship between various socio-economic factors and school performance. In Côte d’Ivoire, the DMS team used an external database containing information on the presence of cocoa fields within a specific school’s vicinity. Linking EMIS data with such information resulted in deeper analysis regarding the relationship of schools’ context and performance.  The commitment of MoEs to utilize existing administrative datasets ensures that together, we can understand contextualized and specific education challenges within the country – such as resource allocation, teacher placement and learning outcomes.   Figure 1. Stages of DMS Positive Deviance Research Outcome 2: Strengthened capacities on data use and empowerment of education stakeholders  Continuous EMIS strengthening efforts are enabled by long-term investments in local capacity and community resources. The DHIS2 ecosystem enables a range of contributors -- ministries, education staff, researchers, experts, developers -- to build meaningful applications and services on top of EMIS. These services have an open-source license which enables access, improves data literacy, enhances ownership and allows innovations to be shared. In Uganda, various ministry departments, districts and partners identified a need to streamline, integrate and routinize data collection efforts, to reduce ad hoc data calls to district levels. Together, a digital integrated tool was developed, with dashboards depicting termly data for each implementation site, and program-specific dashboards visualizing gender, inclusive education, school feeding and health-related data. To date, District Education Offices (DEOs) have been able to submit enrollment numbers for 2023/24 budgeting, supported partners targeting learners for accelerated education programs, improved teacher transfers as well as provided accurate figures for health interventions targeting polio immunization and tetanus vaccinations. In addition, the tool has enabled districts to respond to data requested for scientific research by local universities.   Figure 2. A digital platform ecosystem approach to EMIS strengthening The empowerment of districts with data is essential to meet the many challenges faced in ensuring all children and youth gain their right to participate in quality education, as the district is the appropriate level for aligning national policies and interventions with reality on the ground. Capacity building of district staff is key in improving data use. The ability of districts to collect, analyze and share data with stakeholders has demonstrated the crucial role DEOs can have in improving education service delivery through evidence-based planning and resource allocation.  Outcome 3: Improved research uptake and impact on education systems Research co-creation improves evidence uptake and impact. When MoEs and key partners are meaningfully engaged throughout the entire research process, they become champions of the research who use the evidence to inform their own decision-making. To date, the DMS research has informed formal education sector planning processes in Lao PDR, Nepal and Zambia. In Ghana, the MoE has incorporated DMS research findings and recommendations into its application for a GPE Systems Capacity Grant, which aims to establish unique school identifiers to track school progress and identify trends over time, including within EMIS. Similarly, in Cote d’Ivoire, the MoE is convening a technical team to establish unique school identifiers to be able to keep track of the progress of cohorts of students through multiple years.  MoEs recognize the power of existing administrative datasets. Partner governments have demonstrated commitment through follow-up actions -- like mobilizing their own resources to continue strengthening their data systems, and increasing the use of existing data, which extend beyond the life of the DMS research. While a research co-creation approach can be challenging, it is ethical and inclusive. It also proves to be necessary in ensuring that investments to addressing education challenges are sustainable. Through a co-creation approach, research is aligned with in-country priorities, capacities are valued and strengthened, and uptake and impact are improved. For the DMS research and DHIS2 teams, a co-creation approach means always placing students and education stakeholders at the center of research and innovation.  This blog is the last in a three-part series sharing the value of prioritizing co-creation approaches when designing and implementing education research. The first blog detailed the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of the DMS research co-creation approach and the second blog described the realities and circumstances that arise when co-creating research.The DMS Positive Deviance research aims to mitigate the learning crisis by using existing data to understand the behaviours and practices of exceptional schools (i.e., positive deviant schools). It is co-created and co-implemented with Ministries of Education, partners, and key stakeholders. The DMS research relies on mixed methods and innovative approaches (i.e., positive deviance, 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. The 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. It is made possible through a coalition of donors: Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX), Hewlett Foundation, Jacobs Foundation, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), Schools2030 initiative (Aga Khan Foundation), and UNICEF internal resources.   The HISP Centre at the University of Oslo (UiO) has a 30-year history with information systems strengthening; solidified into a vibrant ecosystem, around an open-source digital platform, DHIS2. Since 2019, DHIS2 has seen uptake in the education sector in 6 countries: eSwatini, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, The Gambia, Togo and Uganda. By leveraging a proven innovation in the health sector, the project seeks to enhance demand for data use at all levels of the education system, addressing the lack of a “turnkey” EMIS, that can be used sustainably and at scale. HISP groups act as the primary liaison to ministries and are led by DHIS2 experts, several of whom have completed PhD and MSc programs related to DHIS2/Information Systems at UiO or partner universities. They are staffed with experienced DHIS2 implementers, developers and trainers, who provide support for national, regional and international projects. DHIS2 for Education is made possible by Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX), a joint endeavor by GPE and International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and internal HISP Centre research funds.     

Events

A girl writes on a blackboard.
Event

Data Systems and Data Use in Education: Data Must Speak (DMS) Positive Deviance Research

The Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX), in partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), is pleased to invite you to the Third Annual KIX Symposium, which will be held virtually on October 12-13, 2022 from 12 NN – 1:30 PM CET.   
The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery
Event

The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery

The global disruption to education caused by the COVD-19 pandemic is without parallel and the effects on learning are severe. The crisis brought education systems across the world to a halt, with school closures affecting more than 1.6 billion learners. While nearly every country in the world offered remote learning opportunities for students, the quality and reach of such initiatives varied greatly and were at best partial substitutes for in-person learning. Now, 21 months later, schools remain closed for millions of children and youth, and millions more are at risk of never returning to education. Evidence of the detrimental impacts of school closures on children’s learning offer a harrowing reality: learning losses are substantial, with the most marginalized children and youth often disproportionately affected.This December 6th, building on the close collaboration of UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank under the Mission: Recovering Education, the three organizations will launch a joint report on the state of the crisis.The Report – titled “The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery” – charts a path out of the global education crisis and towards building more effective, equitable, and resilient education systems.Learning losses can be reversed if countries act now!The cost of keeping schools closed is steep and threatens to widen existing disparities for children and youth. Reopening schools and keeping them open should remain the highest priority for countries, as growing evidence indicates that with adequate measures, health risks to children and education staff can be minimized.The event will feature the participation of Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO, Robert Jenkins, Global Director of Education, UNICEF, Jaime Saavedra, Global Director of Education, the World Bank, as well as a panel of government officials and international education stakeholders who will reflect on the evidence presented in the joint report and lessons from country experiences in support of learning recovery from around the world. The panel will be moderated by Andrew Jack, Global Education Editor, Financial Times.
Mediterranean Dialogues
Event

Mediterranean Dialogues

Mediterranean Dialogues is the annual high-level initiative promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ISPI (Italian Institute for International Political Studies) in Rome. On 2-4 December, more than 40 live session with 40+ ministers, over 100 business representatives, and members of the civil society from the MED region will share their views. 

Project team

Thomas Dreesen

UNICEF Innocenti

Erica Aiazzi

UNICEF Innocenti

Cécile Avena

UNICEF Innocenti

Bella Baghdasaryan

UNICEF Innocenti

Amparo Barrera

UNICEF Innocenti

Jessica Bergmann

UNICEF Innocenti

Carlos Bueno

UNICEF Innocenti

Emilie Buttarelli

UNICEF Innocenti

Marta Carnelli

UNICEF Innocenti

Antoinette Charpentier

UNICEF Innocenti

Kevin Clidoro

UNICEF Innocenti

Renaud Comba

UNICEF Innocenti

Jessica Daminelli

UNICEF Innocenti

Ghalia Ghawi

UNICEF Innocenti

Thomas Godfrey-Faussett

UNICEF Innocenti

Pierre Gouëdard

UNICEF Innocenti

Ursula Hinostroza

UNICEF Innocenti

Ximena Játiva

UNICEF Innocenti

Mabruk Kabir

UNICEF Innocenti

Sophia Kan

UNICEF Innocenti

Alexis Le Nestour

UNICEF Innocenti

Andrea Lépine

UNICEF Innocenti

Michelle Mills

UNICEF Innocenti

Ana Luiza Minardi

UNICEF Innocenti

Risako Ninomiya

UNICEF Innocenti

Dita Nugroho

UNICEF Innocenti

Meri Poghosyan

UNICEF Innocenti

Svetlana Poleschuk

UNICEF Innocenti

Rafael Pontuschka

UNICEF Innocenti

Cristina Ramos

UNICEF Innocenti

Dominika Safin

UNICEF Innocenti

Dominika Safin

UNICEF Innocenti

Sonakshi Sharma

UNICEF Innocenti

Ryan Shawn Herman

UNICEF Innocenti

Marco Valenza

UNICEF Innocenti

Stefania Vindrola

UNICEF Innocenti

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Education

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Reopening With Resilience

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Blogs

Why we need to channel teachers' voices: Perspectives from an Ethiopian student turned education researcher

Can more women in school leadership improve learning outcomes?

Learning from highly effective schools in Lao PDR

Can we count on parents to help their children learn at home?

How prepared are global education systems for future crises?

How are sport for development organizations keeping children healthy during COVID-19?

How sport can help keep children engaged during COVID-19: Innovations by South African S4D organizations

Safeguarding and sport for development during and after the pandemic

Bright Beginnings: Community-Based Early Childhood Education in Rural Bangladesh

Promising Futures: Vocational training programme in rural Bangladesh

Educating the hardest to reach: Lessons from non-formal education in Nepal

COVID-19 and education: The digital gender divide among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa

Lessons from COVID-19: Getting remote learning right 

How involved are parents in their children’s learning? MICS6 data reveal critical insights

Can broadcast media foster equitable learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

Remote Learning Amid a Global Pandemic: Insights from MICS6

Getting the "development" right in Sport for Development

Improving education systems from beyond school walls

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COVID-19 and Education for Children: Lessons Learned

A Conversation with our Education Team

Nobel laureate Prof. James Heckman talks about ECD

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Comparing inequality in adolescents’ reading achievement across 37 countries and over time: outcomes versus opportunities

Early school failure predicts teenage pregnancy and marriage: A large population-based cohort study in northern Malawi

Failing to progress or progressing to fail? Age-for-grade heterogeneity and grade repetition in primary schools in Karonga district, northern Malawi

A Longitudinal Analysis of Well-Being of Ghanaian Children in Transnational Families

Transnational migration, gender and educational development of children in Tajikistan

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What Have We Learnt? Findings from a survey of ministries of education on national responses to COVID-19