This research article considers different approaches to lesson observation and their potential for understanding and evaluating classroom practice in sub-Saharan Africa.
It includes a critical appraisal of Teach, a recent World Bank initiative and reviews evidence from school-based research from the region to identify four salient aspects of conditions for learning: the use of languages; the role of peers; the use of resources to support learning; and differentiated support.
UNICEF have released their report ‘Children in Crisis – UNICEF emergency response in
Sudan and neighbouring countries’ explaining impact of the conflict on children and their education.
Schools and learning institutions in conflict affected areas remain mostly closed. Nearly 7 million school-age children were already out of school before the conflict, one in three girls and one in four boys. These numbers have increased significantly, especially in Khartoum, with girls less likely to return to school. Out of school children are at greater risk of physical and mental threats, including recruitment into armed groups and GBV.
UNICEF is supporting children’s access to safe schooling and other learning
opportunities by providing supplies to schools, individual learning materials
and establishing safe and child-friendly learning spaces such as 42 E-learning centers
currently operational.
Date: Wednesday 7th June 2023
Time: 09:30 ET / 13:30 GMT
The Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI) supports 8 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone) to tackle the root causes of gender inequality and develop gender-transformative education systems.
Within the framework of the GCI, UNGEI and Dalberg undertook community-based research to better understand the social determinants, norms, and perceptions hampering girls’ education in Sierra Leone and identified positive pathways to transform social norms and help girls and boys fulfil their dreams.
The live webinar will bring together education stakeholders from national and global levels, including youth activists to reflect on the study results and identify actions needed to effectively transform social norms within the education system and beyond.
The latest edition of Inclusion Now magazine is now available.
The magazine comes out three times a year and includes articles on inclusive education: personal experiences, opinion pieces, policy updates and research.
In this edition there is a tribute to Joe Whittaker, a visit to Pyrcroft Grange school, the SEND Review, and an article on the history of the movement.
Text and audio versions are in the articles or you can read it in magazine format on Issuu.
Inclusion Now is produced in collaboration with ALLFIE, World of Inclusion and Inclusive Solutions.
At its latest meeting, the Education International Africa Regional Committee (EIARC) has taken stock of current and upcoming activities and challenges for educators and their unions in the region and called on member organisations to join the Education International Go Public! Fund Education campaign.
Opening the meeting held in March 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa, EIARC Chairperson Christian Addai-Poku stressed that it has been eight years since our governments adopted the global education goal, the sustainable development goal (SDG) 4. He, however, regretted that more than half-way to 2030, the deadline for achieving the global education goal, many children, youth and adults in Africa remain excluded from education.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated education challenges on the African continent. This, coupled with conflict and climate change, has seriously impacted countries, education systems and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have wiped out two decades of education gains in Africa,”
Read more about the conference on the Education International website.
CSIE have written a blog on the DfEs latest improvement plan. They state how it is not unusual to read a document which appears committed to inclusion, and to wonder if its intention is to create inclusive change or just pay lip-service to it.
One year on from the publication of the Green Paper, the DfE has published the ‘SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan’, outlining how it intends to move forward in light of the consultation responses received.
‘This latest offering from the Department for Education (DfE) is not talking the talk. First it speaks of a strong commitment to developing inclusive education, then it announces plans to strengthen alternative provision and prepare teachers to work in separate settings. This flies in the face of inclusion and goes against the spirit of the Equality Act and its commitment to disability equality’.
‘In our opinion, and we are certainly not alone in our thinking, more special schools and alternative provision does not inclusion make’. CSIE
Read more on the CSIE website
Educational technology, arguably, plays an important role in helping to ensure children / young people with disabilities in low and middle income countries (LMICs) have fair and optimised access to the school curriculum and ensuring they have opportunities to develop their independence, agency, and social inclusion.
This systematic literature review, supported by the World Bank and UKAID suggests two sets of recommendations for further research into EdTech and disability:
Date: Monday 12 June.
Time: 14.00 – 15.30 GMT+2.
VVOB is hosting a webinar to celebrate the release of the fourth volume of NISSEM’s Global Briefs which looks at Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in a variety of global contexts.
This fourth volume entitled ‘Doing More with Language Teaching’ provides a rich contribution to the research literature on the relationship between language teaching and Social and Emotional Learning. It features 16 papers by 37 contributors highlighting the importance of Social and Emotional Learning for learners’ well-being and holistic development, and how language interventions can be strengthened to support SEL.
Sarah Brown, Justin Van Fleet, Peter Laugharn, and Sabrina Habib weigh in on the global crisis in early years care and outline what philanthropy and governments can – and should be – doing to fix it.
“We know that across the world, less than 10 percent of budgets in health education are invested in the youngest children, and we want that amount to be at least 10 percent and more, and we want a UN decade for action on early childhood care, education and development to start this year.”’ ~ ‘Justin van Fleet, Theirword President.
Other campaign asks from Theirworld include: investment in a fully-trained, qualified and funded early years workforce; publishing of annual data on government spending on early childhood development; more family-friendly polices such as income support programmes, parental leave and affordable childcare for working parents; and the creation of a more integrated approach to early years interventions across sectors and government.
EENET has simplified and relaunched our online shop!
Feel free to have a browse – you can order free printed copies of Enabling Education Review and many other inclusive education materials. All you need to do is browse the list of materials, fill in a form, submit it online, and we’ll send you the requested materials
Don’t worry if you know someone who might want to order printed materials but they can’t order online, feel free to email us the list of what they want and we can post it to them free of charge.
EENET’s online library provides a huge selection of free digital materials but not everyone is able to download or print documents from the internet. That’s why we still prioritise the distribution of free hard copies.
Happy browsing!
