Blog

In 2021, Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Information Exchange (KIX) began funding research on gender norms in Burkina Faso, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and São Tomé & Príncipe that could inform knowledge mobilization and capacity strengthening strategies to promote gender equality in schools.

The research team unearthed disparities in girls’ access to education within the region and identified the extent to which inadequate financial resources, child marriage, and familial duties uphold gender inequality in each country context.

Improving knowledge on gender norms to promote gender equality in schools in Africa was foremost a research project. The lead institution, the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), explored innovations on gender equality and analyzed contextual factors that influence the integration of gender equality into education systems.

Read the outcomes (English) and download the reports (French).

The World Future Council is introducing the finalists of the World Future Policy Award for peace and future generations, which takes place on 27 November in Geneva, Switzerland. The World Future Policy Award celebrates top policy solutions for current and future generations. Two education initiatives are among the finalists:

Rwanda’s Peace Education Programme (RPEP) aims to promote peace, social cohesion, and reconciliation following the 1994 genocide. It integrates Peace and Values Education into the national curriculum, focusing on empathy, critical thinking, and conflict prevention. The programme uniquely employs a Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) and narrative-based teaching, using survivor testimonies to deepen understanding of peacebuilding. Key outcomes include improved social cohesion and a stronger culture of reconciliation, positioning the programme as a strong model for peace education.

Executive Order No. 570, implemented in the Philippines institutionalises peace education in basic and teacher education. Its goal is to promote a culture of peace by equipping students and educators with conflict resolution and nonviolent skills. The policy integrates peace education into the formal curriculum and fosters collaboration among government agencies, NGOs, schools and universities. Key outcomes include reduced school violence and the empowerment of educators and students to address the root causes of conflict, contributing to national unity and social cohesion.

Read more information.

School violence is widespread and affects both learners and education personnel. Every month, bullying affects one pupil in three. On the International Day against violence and bullying at school including cyberbullying, on 7 November, UNESCO called for better protection for students against the physical, verbal and psychological aggression to which they can be subjected.

UNESCO’s new report – Safe to learn and thrive: Ending violence in and through education – stresses the key role played by public policies, standards and multi-sectoral cooperation in curbing these phenomena. Today, only 32 states have a comprehensive legal framework to combat violence in schools, according to UNESCO’s monitoring tool HerAtlas.

Read the article with recommendations.

Download the report.

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Information Exchange (KIX) has published the results from its project around gender-based violence (GBV) and equity in rural schools in Latin America. Sex-based discrimination and GBV manifest in various ways. This project increased its efficacy by addressing gender roles, harmful practices towards children, pregnancy in adolescents, and bullying from a gender perspective in addition to sexual violence at schools. In a Nicaraguan municipality this project led to the creation of a medical post for the prevention of teenage pregnancy, and in Honduras local authorities initiated the renovation of safe school toilets.

Read the article (English) and download the reports (Spanish).

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Information Exchange (KIX) has published various papers relating to the GPE KIX initiative: Effectiveness and Scalability of Programs for Children Who Are Out of School and at Risk of Dropping Out in Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.

The initiative ran from May 2021 to December 2023. It implemented and evaluated select educational interventions chosen and adapted to each country’s contexts. The project contributed to an understanding of how these educational programmes work, and factors that determine their success, cost-effectiveness, and scalability.

Read the outcomes and download the reports.

Education Cannot Wait announced new funding for education in Yemen. This is a timely reminder about the fragile situation of education in Yemen:

“A decade of conflict has taken a heavy toll on Yemen’s future generation. Only six out of 10 Yemeni children are in school; and even when they are able to access education, schools are often overcrowded and under-resourced.

“The war in Yemen, which began in September 2014, continues to put millions of people at risk. Economic collapse, natural disaster, disease outbreaks and hunger are impacting the lives and futures of 11 million children. Heavy rains and floods in August 2024 wiped out vital infrastructure including schools, displaced families and destroyed homes in multiple regions.”

Read the ECW press release in English and Arabic.

This blog published by World Bank challenges how teacher training programmes are designed:

“Teachers’ beliefs are rarely incorporated into program design: a study of 45 impact evaluations of teacher-focused interventions found that only eight had data on teacher beliefs. What if we started with asking teachers why they use the methods that they do, what evaluation criteria they use to decide how to teach, whether the ideas in the new program are likely to work (and/or why not), and what might encourage them to consider applying the new method?”

The blog reiterates some of the issues EENET colleagues have raised in various publications. It links also to academic articles and guidance.

Read the  blog: It’s time to consider the teacher’s perspective: Towards a theory of pedagogical change

On 11 October, the world celebrated the International Day of the Girl. This year’s theme was “Girls’ vision for the future”. The UN published a short blog and a solutions briefing paper.

Solution number 3 – education for all girls.

“Today’s generation of girls is disproportionately affected by global crises of climate, conflict, poverty and pushback on hard won gains for human rights and gender equality. Too many girls are still denied their rights, restricting their choices and limiting their futures. Yet, recent analysis shows that girls are not only courageous in the face of crisis, but hopeful for the future. Every day, they are taking action to realize a vision of a world in which all girls are protected, respected and empowered.”

Read the blog.

Download the solutions briefing paper.

The 2024 Education Finance Watch highlights the need for more adequate, efficient, and equitable education spending.

The World Bank has published its latest Education Finance Watch report. It states:

“During the last decade, total education spending by governments, households and donors globally has increased steadily. But this rise has not led to major increases in allocations per child, especially in poorer countries with growing populations. Indeed, globally, total education spending per child has not increased.”

It mentions the impact that debt has on spending:

“In the past 10 years, in developing countries, interest payments on public debt have increased faster than government education spending. Some low and lower middle-income countries allocate nearly the same per capita resources to debt servicing as they do to education.”

Read the blog.