Blog – Page 3

[Blog] The right to education for pregnant girls and adolescent mothers: Breaking barriers and biases

Teenage pregnancy and early childbearing are leading causes of girls dropping out of schools, and often result in increased health risks, social stigma and adverse economic impacts throughout the course of their lives.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest regional rate of adolescent pregnancy in the world – discriminatory policies, gaps in the implementation of laws, lack of family support, childcare, school fees, negative social norms, and stigma are barriers that deter girls’ continuation in and re-entry to formal education.

This UKFIET blog discusses lessons from an initiative in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe addressing the challenges faced by pregnant girls and adolescent mothers to access formal education.

Read the blog.

[Conference] UKFIET 2025: Call for abstracts, deadline 21 March

Date: 16-18 September 2025.

Location: University of Oxford Examination Schools, Oxford, UK.

Details of this year’s UKFIET Conference are now on the UKFIET website.

The Conference Committee has developed seven sub themes for the conference, and is inviting submissions of abstracts for a variety of presentation formats. One of the subthemes is “Inclusion and Intersectionality”.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 21 March 2025.

The Conference Committee has also developed guidance for writing a clear/effective abstract and criteria for review, together with an abstract writing pack. Abstract writing drop-in sessions have been set up for early March, offering the opportunity for prospective presenters to ask specific questions.

[Seminar/webinar] Exploring perspectives on out-of-school children’s receptiveness to ACE Radio School, an alternative form of education, in Northern Nigeria

Date: 4 March 2025.

Time: 1 p.m. UTC.

Location: REAL Centre seminar in person at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, or online.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools were forced to close, forcing educational institutions to embrace innovative means of delivering lessons to students. However, many schools, especially government-owned schools in Nigeria, could not swiftly adapt to the internet-dependent mode of teaching students. ACE Radio School, an alternative form of education, was initiated to provide learning to school children without access to remote learning. This seminar explores the research conducted around understanding the factors responsible for the receptiveness of ACE Radio School in Northern Nigeria. The speakers will discuss what factors should be considered for successful design and implementation of educational interventions in the region. Additionally, the speakers will highlight how alternative education can be effective and viable solution to solving the out-of-school crises in Nigeria.

[Seminar/webinar] Education provision for students with disabilities and additional learning needs in Papua New Guinea

Date: 18 February.

Time: 11 to 12:30 UTC.

Location: University of Sussex Campus, Global Studies Resource Centre, Arts C / Zoom Webinar

This seminar will report back on research carried out last year with a Papua New Guinean researcher, Mevelyn Kawane, a lecturer in special and inclusive education at Balob Teachers College in Lae. This case-study based research was carried out over a four-week period in a ‘model’ inclusive primary school with a significant number of learners with DALN. While it was found the teachers had developed their own ‘home grown’ inclusive pedagogical practices to accommodate these learners, it was also found they struggled to meet their needs, particularly the needs of deaf learners. These challenges can be placed in the immediate context of teaching and learning realities and the broader contexts of curriculum reform, culturally embedded pedagogical practices, fragile support systems, and the impact of colonialism, post-colonialism and globalisation on the Papua New Guinea education system.

Education sector gender analysis consultant, Guinea-Bissau

Location: Remote (duty station. Bissau, Guinea-Bissau).

Duration: two months.

Application deadline: 18 February 2025.

UNICEF is seeking an individual short-term consultant to conduct a rapid gender analysis of the Education Sector that will inform the development of the Global Partnership for Education’s System Transformation (STG) application package for Guinea-Bissau in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Investigation (MENESIC) and in consultation with the Education partners. The scope of the gender review will cover pre-school and basic education (grade 1-9) education levels, including alternative education (i.e. formal and non-formal accelerated learning programmes, skills development, vocational trainings, employability programmes).

[Online conference] Education for young people with disabilities in Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan

Date: 4 & 5 February 2025.

Location: Online.

The Disability under Siege Network + is a multidisciplinary programme aiming to transform education provisions for children with disabilities in war affected states, specifically Palestine (Gaza and West Bank), Lebanon, and Jordan. By bringing together a wide range of experts from across the Middle East region and the UK, the network has undertaken transformative research and practical interventions that support disability inclusivity, accessibility, understanding and resilience. There is also a strong focus on arts and culture as a way of increasing representation and changing perceptions of disability in the region. The programme is funded by UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

The final conference marks the culmination of five years of extensive research, networking and impact collaborations across Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. The event aims to bring people together from across the sector including disability activists, practitioners, people with disabilities, academics, and community leaders. We will share new research findings and best practice, discuss the current context and how we address urgent priorities going forward. Sessions will incorporate dynamic discussions, arts and cultural showcases, and policy and practice dialogues, designed to foster collaborative solutions and amplify the voices of those most affected by the intersection of disability, education and war.

[Articles] What parents need for a good start (Early Childhood Matters)

The Van Leer Foundation has published its latest edition of Early Childhood Matters (ECM) on the theme of ‘What parents need for a good start’.

They write: “The needs of parents and caregivers of young children often go unseen and unheard in public life and policy. They face growing pressure, are overworked, and their support systems are strained or disappearing. So what can we do to better support them?”

To read about ECM and access social media resources.

Read the edition of ECM.

[Report] Learning interrupted. Global snapshot of climate-related school disruptions in 2024

A new UNICEF analysis reveals that at least 242 million students in 85 countries or territories had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events including heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods and droughts in 2024, exacerbating an existing learning crisis.

It states that: “Education is one of the most frequently disrupted services due to climate-related events, yet it is often overlooked in policy discussions, despite its crucial role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

Read the article and download the analysis.

[Blog] A right to education for all: Unlocking potential behind bars

“Education in prison is not merely a tool for social rehabilitation but a fundamental human right. At the Montreal International Conference on Education in Prison, this central message resonated as speakers emphasized the necessity of recognizing incarcerated people as rightful holders of this right. Access to education in the prison environment, often characterized by exclusion, must be re-examined through this human-rights lens.” writes Daniel Baril.

“The conference also explored varied teaching methods. Restorative justice, artistic approaches and critical pedagogies emerged as crucial tools for moving beyond purely functional views of prison education. Workshops demonstrated how art, reading and learning foster intellectual, emotional and social change. These activities enable inmates to communicate, reclaim their past and construct positive self-images, even in restrictive environments.”

Read the blog.

[Articles] December issue of the International Review of Education

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning recently published the December 2024 issue of the International Review of Education. Unfortunately, the articles are behind a paywall unless you are subscribed via an institution.

Topics include the impact of conflict and other extreme situations on education and learning (in Kashmir and Ukraine), the role of non-governmental organizations in education advocacy in the European Union, higher education participation among older adults in rural Australia, the impact of social reproduction on the professional lives of young fishers in Senegal, the implementation of education for sustainable development in a high school in Morocco, and the role of culture in teaching and learning in the United States, with a special focus on Indigenous approaches.

If you are lucky enough to have access, read the journal here.

EENET’s mailing list