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An Unfulfilled Promise: 12 Years of Education for Every Girl Year of publication: 2021 Corporate author: Global Education Monitoring Report Team | UNESCO Just over 25 years ago in 1995, 189 governments adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – a visionary agenda for women’s empowerment and the most comprehensive global policy framework to advance gender equality to date. Girls’ and women’s education and training featured in the document as one of 12 key areas where urgent action was needed to ensure greater equality.Since Beijing, the international community has emphasized the transformative power of girls’ and women’s education and its benefits – not only for girls and women, but for entire societies and even future generations. Under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on inclusive, equitable quality education and lifelong learning sets ambitious targets to ensure equality of opportunity – including a target aiming to ensure that all girls and boys complete 12 years of education by 2030.This short paper explores the evolution of girls’ and boys’ completion rates in primary and secondary education since 1995 – and calls for action to deliver on our commitments to leaving no one behind. 
Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in Education; A Tool on Whose Terms? Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO | Global Education Monitoring Report Team This report recommends that technology should be introduced into education on the basis of evidence showing that it would be appropriate, equitable, scalable and sustainable. In other words, its use should be in learners’ best interests and should complement face-to-face interaction with teachers. It should be seen as a tool to be used on these terms. Midway to the deadline, the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report assesses the distance still to go to reach the 2030 education targets. Education is the key to unlocking the achievement of other development objectives, not least the goal of technological progress. 
Global Education Monitoring Report 2023, Southeast Asia: Technology in Education; A Tool on Whose Terms? Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: Global Education Monitoring Report Team | Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Developed in partnership with the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), and with the contribution of EdTech Hub, the fifth regional report focuses on technology in education in Southeast Asia. Characterized by a variety of contexts and resources, Southeast Asia has experienced a rapid growth in digital technology applications. In education, digital technologies have been identified for their potential to transform education and meet the region’s development aspirations. The regional report investigates both challenges and potentials, which technology as a tool and as a process can potentially contribute to, across and within countries, and education levels. The regional report on Southeast Asia covers 11 countries, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam. Extensive background research informs the regional analysis: 9 country case-studies compiled by local research teams and independent experts; 5 thematic studies produced by SEAMEO centers on open and distance learning, technology for students with disabilities, integration of technology in teaching practices, key policies issues in ICT in education; technology in technical and vocational education and training, and 3 research inputs on ICT in education practices produced by SEAMEO affiliate members and partners. 
[Summary] Global Education Monitoring Report Summary 2023: Technology in Education; A Tool on whose Terms? Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO | Global Education Monitoring Report Team Technology’s role in education has been sparking intense debate for a long time. Does it democratize knowledge or threaten democracy by allowing a select few to control information? Does it offer boundless opportunities or lead towards a technology-dependent future with no return? Does it level the playing field or exacerbate inequality? Should it be used in teaching young children or is there a risk to their development? The debate has been fuelled by the COVID-19 school closures and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. But as developers are often a step ahead of decision makers, research on education technology is complex. Robust, impartial evidence is scarce. Are societies even asking the right questions about education before turning to technology as a solution? Are they recognizing its risks as they seek out its benefits? Information and communication technology has potential to support equity and inclusion in terms of reaching disadvantaged learners and diffusing more knowledge in engaging and affordable formats. In certain contexts, and for some types of learning, it can improve the quality of teaching and learning basic skills. In any case, digital skills have become part of a basic skills package. Digital technology can also support management and increase efficiency, helping handle bigger volumes of education data. But technology can also exclude and be irrelevant and burdensome, if not outright harmful. Governments need to ensure the right conditions to enable equitable access to education for all, to regulate technology use so as to protect learners from its negative influences, and to prepare teachers. This report recommends that technology should be introduced into education on the basis of evidence showing that it would be appropriate, equitable, scalable and sustainable. In other words, its use should be in learners’ best interests and should complement face-to-face interaction with teachers. It should be seen as a tool to be used on these terms. Midway to the deadline, the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report assesses the distance still to go to reach the 2030 education targets. Education is the key to unlocking the achievement of other development objectives, not least the goal of technological progress. 
Learning Counts: Spotlight on Basic Education Completion and Foundational Learning in Africa, 2024 Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: Global Education Monitoring Report Team | Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) | African Union The African Union’s designation of 2024 as the Year of Education highlights the critical importance of education for equipping young Africans with the skills essential for their own and for the continent’s development. It is also a recognition of the multiple challenges ahead before every child can complete primary school having acquire the foundational skills that open the door for lifelong learning. Currently the out-of-school population is rising, one in five children do not complete primary school and, of those who do, only about one in five achieve minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics. African countries have set targets on primary completion and foundational learning but to effectively translate their ambitions into results, the 2024 Spotlight continental report emphasizes the importance of coherence between their curricula, textbooks, teacher guides and assessments. It evaluates the alignment of these policy documents with each other but also with a global standard of what students are expected to know and by when. It also assesses how these key documents are used in classrooms and what the implications are for children’s opportunities to learn. This report is the second in a series of three envisaged between 2022 and 2025, each covering some 12 countries of which a selection is examined in depth, in dialogue with education ministries and national stakeholders. The focus countries for this second Spotlight report cycle were Mauritania, Niger, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. The statistics and analysis presented in this publication aim to feed into the policy dialogue mechanism under the auspices of the African Union and its Continental Education Strategy for Africa. In particular, the Spotlight series aims to spark debate on foundational learning among African countries and encourage them to identify areas for joined action, given that they share a lot of policy challenges. 
#HerEducationOurFuture: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality; the Latest Facts on Gender Equality in Education Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO | Global Education Monitoring Report Team Gender gaps persist in innovation and technology Innovation and technology can be instrumental in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women. Achieving this requires girls and women to be involved in the fields of technology and innovation and their rights in online spaces to be protected. 
Inclusion in Early Childhood Care and Education in High-Income Countries Year of publication: 2021 Corporate author: Global Education Monitoring Report Team | UNESCO | Deloitte Access Economics This report reviews the international research and policy literature concerning approaches to inclusion in early childhood care and education (ECCE) in different high-income jurisdictions globally. Each chapter highlights examples of policies and practices which can foster inclusion in ECCE across the themes set out in the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report in 2020.As a critical period for children’s intellectual, emotional, social, physical and moral development, supporting inclusion in ECCE is of particular importance for supporting lifelong learning and equitable opportunities for all children. A number of key messages emerging from this review that are instructive to designing policies to promote inclusion in ECCE are summarised below. Inclusion in ECCE is fostered through complementary universal and targeted approaches to most aspects of ECCE governance, financing, policy and service delivery. The implementation of ECCE laws and policies is key to supporting inclusion. As the central actors delivering ECCE services, collaboration within the ECCE workforce is crucial to supporting a community of practice which leads and shares inclusion, while avoiding risks of specialisation. Finally, while many existing ECCE policies, resources and tools are grounded in a deficits-based approach to understanding need, inclusion may be better supported through an approach which focusses on child learning needs and strengths. 
SDG 4 Scorecard: Progress Report on National Benchmarks; Focus on Teachers Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO Institute for Statistic (UIS) | Global Education Monitoring Report Team This is the second assessment of country progress towards the benchmarks, or national targets, that countries have set for eight SDG 4 indicators to mark their contribution to the global targets. The assessment covers the period since 2015 and reviews the probability that each country will achieve its 2025 benchmark or – where such a benchmark was not set – the value they would have achieved if they had progressed at the historic (2000–15) rate of the fastest improving 25% of countries.The 2024 SDG 4 Scorecard finds that progress towards national targets is off track for most indicators. In two cases – the gender gap at the expense of boys in upper secondary education completion and public education expenditure as share of total public expenditure – countries are even moving backwards.In contrast, progress is faster in the eighth benchmark indicator, school internet connectivity, which was added following the priority given to digital transformation at the Transforming Education Summit in 2022. One third of countries set national targets in 2023 and progress on the indicator is being reviewed for the first time in this edition.Progress is also relatively fast in the percentage of teachers with minimum required qualifications, which is also the focus indicator of this edition. New evidence is presented on national policies for minimum required qualification levels to enter the teaching profession, compulsory continuous professional development policies, and teacher training policies on technology in education. 
Education and Climate Change: Learning to Act for People and Planet Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: Global Education Monitoring Report Team | Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education Project (MECCE) | University of Sakatchewan How can education lead to climate change action?Despite strong evidence on the impact of education on other development outcomes and the role it plays in developing professional capacity for sustainable development transitions, education is often absent from other sectors’ strategic, policy, planning and financing considerations. The Global Education Monitoring Report is introducing a new series to advance dialogue on the interrelationship of education with the other Sustainable Development Goals.The first paper in the series focuses on climate change. It starts by reviewing the growing impact of climate change on education before turning to the role of education in climate action. Education has a somewhat underappreciated contribution to developing professional capacities for the transition to a green economy. Formal, non-formal and informal learning are also commonly believed to be playing a critical role in motivating actions on climate change mitigation and adaptation.Yet a positive association between education attainment and unsustainable consumption levels, as well as inconclusiveness of much research on the direct impact of education on climate change adaptation and mitigation actions has in part contributed to education receiving low priority in global and national climate change agendas.This paper argues that climate change education needs to adapt to fulfil its potential. The education paradigm cannot rely solely on knowledge transfer but needs to focus on social and emotional, and action-oriented learning.Much of the research has focused on the impact of education attainment and cognitive learning. More research is therefore needed to assess other drivers through which education can influence behaviours and motivate climate change action. Such research is needed to formulate viable education reform packages that improve the curriculum, strengthen climate-readiness of schools and education systems, engage learners and prepare educators accordingly. 
Global Education Monitoring Report 2024/5: Leadership in Education; Lead for Learning Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: Global Education Monitoring Report Team Leadership matters in education. Strong leaders are needed to help institutions, systems and societies change for the better. Strong leaders work in collaboration with other actors towards the same goals. At the school level, they are the principals but also those who surround them, in the school and in the community, in positions of responsibility. At the system level, they are civil servants working as district officers, supervisors or planners. At the societal level, they are political leaders, as well as a very broad range of actors who help shape education goals, from unions and researchers to civil society and the media.Entitled Lead for learning, this report argues that, in pursuing specific goals, education leaders are more than just managers. They are change agents, who need the time, trust and support to focus on setting a vision and developing the people they serve and work with. The report calls for investment in and empowerment of school and system leaders. There should be fair hiring processes and growth opportunities that recognize the full scope of leaders’ roles. Moreover, leadership works best when it is shared, empowering others to lead as they can within their roles.There is no one leadership style that works. Different contexts, capacities and personalities mean that styles vary, and rightfully so. This, combined with the different goals that each leader is trying to achieve, means that their impact is hard to fully assess. Yet, all research points towards the critical need for strong leaders to continuously improve education quality. School leaders are second only to teachers for transforming student outcomes. Meanwhile, politicians wield huge influence in making equitable and inclusive education a national priority.Supporting this seventh Global Education Monitoring Report is a new series of country profiles on PEER, an online resource supporting policy dialogue and describing policies and regulations on school principal selection, preparation and development in the world’s education systems.