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EdTech for Learners with Disabilities in Primary School Settings in LMICS: A Systematic Literature Review

Educational technology plays an important role in ensuring children and young people with disabilities have fair access to the school curriculum, along with opportunities that can help develop their independence and social involvement. EdTech can play a powerful and dominant role in supporting children’s learning, and they do this by providing access to technology and making sure children can use this technology appropriately and independently. This can give the children the opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the full school curriculum’s benefits. EdTech focuses on making a positive difference mainly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

A review of published papers establishes how successful EdTech has been in terms of improving educational access, learner engagement, viability, and learning outcomes in LMICs.

Read the review.

Survey – UNESCO’s work on Inclusion in Education

This message is sent on behalf of the UNESCO IOS Evaluation Office.

Version française ci-dessous.

Versión en español a continuación.

The UNESCO Internal Oversight Service (IOS) Evaluation Office with the support of an independent external consultant team from ‘Ockham IPS, Netherlands’ is currently conducting an evaluation of UNESCO Education Sector’s work on Inclusion in Education.

In order to take stock of achievements so far, as well as to explore the potential for strengthening the UNESCO Education Sector’s work with a focus on inclusion as well as for enhancing inclusion mainstreaming in education, this survey is designed to collect information on how UNESCO Member States and external stakeholders (UN and other partners, experts, donors, and other stakeholders) perceive UNESCO’s work and its role in the area of inclusion in education.

Your input is therefore of significant value for the evaluation and you are cordially invited to participate in the evaluation survey for external stakeholders, which will take about 15-20 minutes to complete. Your responses will be collected anonymously and will only be analyzed and presented at an aggregated level. All data will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality.

Kindly note:

When we refer to inclusion in education in this survey, we refer to the idea that: “Every learner matters and matters equally”.
Working on inclusion in education is regarded as a process that helps overcome barriers to the presence, participation and achievement of all learners.

Access the online survey.

The deadline for completing this survey is Sunday 25 July 2021.

Should you have any technical problems or questions, please feel free to contact Mr Gert-Jan Lindeboom from the evaluation team at g.lindeboom@ockham-ips.nl or Ms Syreen Forest at the UNESCO Internal Oversight Service, Evaluation Office at s.forest@unesco.org.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

With kind regards,

The UNESCO Internal Oversight Service (IOS), Evaluation Office

Version française:

Ce message est envoyé de la part du Bureau de l’évaluation de l’UNESCO (IOS)

Chère Madame, cher Monsieur,

Le Bureau de l’évaluation du Service d’évaluation et d’audit de l’UNESCO (IOS) mène actuellement, avec le soutien d’une équipe d’évaluateurs externes et indépendants de la société ‘Ockham IPS, Pays-Bas’, une évaluation portant sur le travail du Secteur de l’éducation de l’UNESCO dans le domaine de l’inclusion dans l’éducation. Nous avons élaboré la présente enquête afin de faire état des succès enregistrés jusqu’à présent et d’identifier les domaines potentiels dans lesquels le Secteur de l’éducation pourrait renforcer son action en matière d’inclusion, y compris afin d’améliorer l’intégration de l’inclusion dans l’éducation.

Cette enquête est conçue pour recueillir des informations sur la manière dont les États membres de l’UNESCO ainsi que les parties prenantes externes (ONU et autres partenaires, experts, organismes donateurs et autres parties prenantes) perçoivent le travail de l’UNESCO et son rôle dans le domaine de l’inclusion dans l’éducation.

Votre contribution est ainsi d’une grande valeur pour l’évaluation et vous êtes cordialement invité à participer à cette enquête en ligne destinée aux parties prenantes externes. Il vous faudra 15-20 minutes pour y répondre. Vos réponses seront enregistrées de manière anonyme et les résultats ne seront présentés qu’à un niveau agrégé. Toutes les données seront traitées avec le plus haut degré de confidentialité.

Remarque :

Lorsque nous faisons référence à l’inclusion dans l’éducation, nous nous référons à l’idée selon laquelle :

« Chaque apprenant importe et importe de la même manière ».

Le travail en matière d’inclusion dans l’éducation est considéré comme un processus qui aide à surmonter les obstacles qui limitent la présence, la participation et la réussite de tous les apprenants.

Veuillez cliquer sur ce lien pour accéder à l’enquête.

La date limite pour y participer est le dimanche 25 juillet 2021.

Si vous avez le moindre problème technique ou des questions, n’hésitez pas à contacter M. Gert-Jan Lindeboom de l’équipe d’évaluation à l’adresse électronique g.lindeboom@ockham-ips.nl ou Mme Syreen Forest du Bureau de l’évaluation du Service d’évaluation et d’audit de l’UNESCO (IOS) à l’adresse électronique s.forest@unesco.org

 

Merci d’avance pour votre participation.

Bien à vous,

Le Bureau de l’évaluation du Service d’évaluation et d’audit de l’UNESCO (IOS)

 

Versión en español

Este mensaje se envía en nombre de la Oficina de evaluación de la UNESCO (IOS)

Estimada señora, estimado señor,

La Oficina de evaluación del Servicio de Supervisión Interna (IOS), con el apoyo de un equipo de consultores externos independientes de “Ockham IPS, Holanda”, está realizando una evaluación sobre el trabajo de la UNESCO en el campo de la inclusión en la educación. Hemos desarrollado esta encuesta con el objetivo de informar acerca de los éxitos alcanzados hasta el momento y explorar áreas potenciales en las que el Sector de educación podría fortalecer su acción en materia de inclusión, incluida la transversalización de la inclusión en la educación.

Esta encuesta está diseñada para recopilar información sobre cómo los Estados Miembros de la UNESCO y las partes interesadas externas (Naciones Unidas y otros socios, expertos, agencias donantes y otras partes interesadas) perciben el trabajo de la UNESCO y su papel en el campo de la inclusión en la educación.

Vuestra contribución es, por tanto, de gran valor para la evaluación y le invitamos cordialmente a participar en esta encuesta en línea destinada a las partes interesadas externas. Le tomará alrededor de 15-20 min responderla. Sus respuestas se registrarán de forma anónima y los resultados solo se presentarán a nivel agregado. Todos los datos serán tratados con el mayor grado de confidencialidad.

Toma nota de que:

Cuando hablamos de la inclusión en la educación, nos referimos a la idea de que: «Todos los estudiantes importan e importan del mismo modo».

Trabajar en aras de la inclusión en la educación se considera como un proceso que ayuda a superar barreras a la presencia, la participación y el éxito académico de todos los estudiantes.

Haga clic en este enlace para acceder a la encuesta.

La fecha límite para participar es el domingo 25 de julio 2021.

Si tiene problemas técnicos o preguntas, no dude en ponerse en contacto con el Sr. Gert-Jan Lindeboom del equipo de evaluación en g.lindeboom@ockham-ips.nl o con la Sra. Syreen Forest de la Oficina de evaluación de la Oficina Interna de la UNESCO. Servicio de Supervisión (IOS) a la dirección de correo electrónico s.forest@unesco.org

Gracias de antemano por su participación.

Atentamente,

La Oficina de evaluación del Servicio de Supervisión Interna (IOS)

New website section on DPO capacity building, Uganda

We have introduced a new section on our website that focuses on one of our current projects in partnership with Norwegian Association of Disabled. The project – which is part of the Norad-funded Together for Inclusion programme – helps disabled persons organisations (DPOs) gather knowledge and skills on inclusive education and develop a clear vision for the education system’s future. DPOs are not always strong advocates of inclusive education, so this capacity building project helps them more effectively engage with schools and education authorities to advocate for change.

The DPO capacity building project is showcased on the website with information on its background, the process, and recently produced project materials. The process page outlines the main project stages as: selecting and supporting trainers, developing training modules, and action research. A video is also included which provides skills for inclusive facilitation.

JEiE Special Issue on Early Childhood Development in Emergencies

The latest issue of `Journal on Education in Emergencies` (JEiE) – Volume 7, Number 1 – focuses on the early development of young children in emergencies, and raises awareness to some lessons that are being learned. This is relevant as more and more children are being born into crises, which can negatively impact their lives. This publication includes research articles, field notes, book reviews, and commentaries.

The full text of each article is available in English, with the abstract and title of each article being available in Arabic, French, Portuguese, and Spanish as well as English.

This issue of JEiE, along with previous issues, can be downloaded for free from the INEE website.

Teachers as agents for change for inclusive education webinar

Date: Tuesday 29 June 2021.

Time: 12:30-13:35 CEST.

Hosts: Network of Education Policy Centres, European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education and International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030.

Register online.

This interactive webinar will highlight the efforts and activities of teachers across the Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia region who work hard to make sure every child has the right to go to school and learn, regardless of who they are and where they live. Sharing these experiences means that insights can be provided into innovative practices that are mentioned in the regional report, and networks of teachers, that are working hard to overcome barriers restricting inclusive education, can be connected.

This event will be held in English, and led by teachers from Croatia, Albania, Turkey, Bosnia, and Herzegovina.

Inclusive Education for Migrants and Refugees

Date: Thursday 24 June 2021.

Time: 11:00 GMT/07:00 EST/13:00 CET.

Register online.

Because of increasing conflicts, there has been a rise in the numbers of migrants and refugees; so this virtual event will mainly focus on the importance of national education programs and policies that can support inclusive education for migrants and refugees. This is even more relevant now as access to social services during the pandemic have been halted and discrimination has been worsened. The speakers at the panel will share good practices in education to help contribute to preventing further discrimination and rupture of the social fabric.

Speakers:

Dr. Angeliki Aroni – Head, Unit for Integration and Support, Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Greece.

Ms. Afshan Khan – UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, andSpecial Coordinator, Refugee and Migrant Response in Europe.

Ms. Maria Lucia Uribe – Executive Director, Arigatou International Geneva.

Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta – Director, UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa.

Mr. Javed Natiq – Education Sector Lead, World Vision Afghanistan.

Enhancing inclusive and equitable quality education among boys and girls

Date: Thursday 17 June 17 2021.

Time: 1:15-2:30pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)/6:15pm-7:30pm BST.

Register online.

This free online event aims to discuss how development and humanitarian actors are trying to address the existing gaps in inclusive education for boys and girls with disabilities, which have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and work on ways to improve education access to these children. The speakers will present approaches that can help fill in existing knowledge gaps on the learning of boys and girls with disabilities, their learning environment, and how it meets their needs. Evidence and case studies, that concern the programming on education and how disability inclusion has been embedded in both design and implementation, will also be talked about.

The event will be available in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish, with closed captions and ASL interpretation provided.

Launch of JEiE Special Issue on ECD in Emergencies

Date: 23 June 2021.

Time: 9-10:30am EDT.

Register online.

This virtual event focuses on early childhood development (ECD) in emergencies and will feature contributing authors, issue editors, and guest speakers drawing attention to the efforts that address the needs of young children and families living in humanitarian situations. Lessons learnt from these efforts will also be shared. The articles that will be featured look at ECD in a range of different ways: education, health and nutrition, child protection, mental health and psychosocial support, and response caregiving.

This webinar will be hosted in English and have English live captions.

Speakers (main panel):

  • Jonathan Seiden, PhD student at Harvard Graduate School of Education, presenting “Effects of Two Early Childhood Interventions on the Developmental Outcomes of Children in Post-Earthquake Nepal”.
  • Fabiola Lara, Senior Specialist on Early Childhood Care and Development at Save the Children, presenting “Building Resilience and Mitigating the Impact of Toxic Stress in Young Children: A Model for Transforming Parenting and Male Caregiving in El Salvador”.
  • Ayat Al Aqra, Early Childhood Development Manager for the Ahlan Simsim program in Jordan, and Katelin Swing Wilton, Senior Specialist in Early Childhood Development at International Rescue Committee, co-presenting “Home Visiting in the Middle East: Reflections on the Implementation of Reach Up and Learn”.
  • Samier Mansur, co-founder of LiveSafe mobile safety app and founder of No Limit Generation, presenting, “Accessible Strategies to Support Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing in Emergencies: Experience from the Rohingya Refugee Camp”.

CoSP14 side-event: Building Back Better: Accessibility in Inclusive Education

Date: Thursday 17 June 2021.

Time: 3:00pm-4:15pm EST.

Register online.

This virtual event will focus on UNICEF’s new accessible digital resources for education catalogue. These resources are made for classrooms, home learning, and on-the-go learning; including tools and content to support inclusive education in all of these areas. They are specifically made or found to ensure they can be used in both low and high-resource environments, span open-source to paid solutions, and showcase a range of approaches for the production, distribution, and implementation of accessible digital content for education.

CoSP14 side-event: Making Disability-Inclusive Education a Priority

Date: Wednesday 16 June 16 2021.

Time: 10:00am to 11:15am EST.

Register online.

This virtual COSP side-event will share lessons and experiences from The World’s Bank’s programs, such as ways to put disability-inclusive education into action, in the context of low-income countries.

There will be International Sign and live captioning available for this event.

Speakers:

  • Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, Global Disability Advisor, The World Bank.
  • Shwetlena Sabarwal, Senior Economist, The World Bank (Nepal).
  • Mupuwaliywa Mupuwaliywa, Economist, The World Bank (Zambia).
  • Nancy Mendy, Principal Education Officer, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, The Gambia.