More than 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied a secondary education since 2021. Shafiqa is one of them. She was 10 when the ban began and now studies alone at home, still hoping to become a doctor. UNICEF continues to support primary and community-based learning while calling for girls’ right to secondary and higher education to be restored. To be forbidden from school is to be cut off from friends, mentors and moments that build identity. Stashed away at home, girls across the country are reporting alarming levels of isolation and psychological distress.
[Blog] Why community engagement is vital to learning ecosystems
The term “community engagement” is commonly used in education settings, but it remains loosely defined. To better illustrate the ecosystem, Emily Markovich Morris and Richaa Hoysala map out community partners in learning and explain how they help education decision makers and practitioners inside and outside the school walls.
Community engagement takes place in different forms across the learning ecosystem, both inside and beyond the walls of schools. Each different model helps build cohesion of a learning ecosystem, and it is this cohesion that prepares children and families to navigate the challenges of today and flourish in the future.
[Webinar] Climate education in action: A collective agenda for building resilient education ecosystems
Date: 26 October 2026.
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. EDT.
Location: Online.
The Center for Universal Education at Brookings will launch a new report, “Innovative approaches to climate education among adolescents and youths in Eastern and Southern Africa.” The report launch and discussion will explore what it will take to turn climate awareness into action across Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The panelists will discuss the policies needed to integrate climate education into national systems, how young people are leading climate initiatives, and the tools and training educators need to incorporate climate learning into the classroom.
[Conference] CIES 2027 Reimagining Life: Education for Planetary Justice
Dates: 3-7 April 2027.
Time: 12 to 5 p.m. (local time).
Location: Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
The 2027 Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) will have the theme of “Reimagining Life: Education for Planetary Justice.” This theme invites inquiries, critiques and experiments in remaking education to meet the challenges of democratic life and planetary survival. The call for papers has opened.
Find out more about the conference.
[Book] Disability, Education and International Development. A Social Justice Approach
How can the international development community better support inclusive education for children with disabilities in low- and lower-middle-income countries? This book by Dr Guy Le Fanu critically examines current approaches to disability and education in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, offering a roadmap for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Note: This book is also being added to EENET’s online library.
[Blog] Lessons on Tech-Enabled Inclusive Education in Ghana: Nudges and Real Behavioural Change
Over the past four years, EdTech Hub has led two major implementation research initiatives to evaluate how digital tools can support vulnerable learners in primary school: a large-scale study on nudge messaging to improve post-pandemic attendance in Northern Ghana (2022–2023), and an implementation research project testing digital screening and remote coaching for neurodivergent learners in Greater Accra (2025–2026).
At first glance, sending text reminders to rural caregivers and deploying digital screening tools for urban teachers seem like distinct interventions. Yet, examining them side-by-side yields vital insights for global EdTech policy. Together, they demonstrate that technology cannot act as a standalone solution, but must address structural realities, deliver actionable pedagogical content, and integrate into community support networks.
[Blog] From Readiness to Real Change: What Ghana and Malawi Teach Us About Digital Inclusion for Learners with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
Across Africa, education systems are turning to technology to help make education more inclusive. Digital tools can support screening, individualised education plans (IEPs), teacher supervision, and communication with families. But an important question remains: can digital tools truly improve support for learners with neurodevelopmental disabilities in low-resource settings?
Evidence from Ghana and Malawi suggests that the answer is yes, but only if technology is introduced as part of a wider system of support.
[Blog] Reimagining Inclusive Education in Malawi Through EdTech
Across Malawi, learners with special educational needs are often identified late. Even when they are identified, consistent support remains difficult to sustain. Limited resources, a shortage of specialised expertise, and heavy reliance on paper-based systems compound these challenges. As a result, learning poverty among learners with special educational needs is much higher than the general population, contributing to elevated rates of grade repetition and school dropout.
The Remote Enablement and Assessment for Children’s Health and Education (REACH) project is an EdTech implementation research study designed to test practical solutions to these challenges. Rather than introducing entirely new systems, the project builds on existing tools and practices, aiming to strengthen and streamline the support already available to learners with special educational needs and disabilities.
[Webinar video] Financing Inclusive Education for Every Child
The International Disability Alliance published the recording of the recent webinar on financing inclusive education, co-organised by IDA, International Disability and Development Consortium, Humanity & Inclusion, Inclusion International, Light for the World and Sightsavers. The webinar discussions highlighted both the progress being made and the urgency of increasing investment in quality, inclusive education for children with disabilities. The webinar provided a valuable opportunity to share evidence, country experiences and practical lessons ahead of the upcoming GPE and ECW replenishments.
[Webinar video] Inclusive Learning Principles in action across the sport and physical activity sector
The UK based Activity Alliance brought together partners from across the sport and physical activity sector for a webinar exploring what inclusive learning looks like in practice. Rather than simply revisiting the principles, the webinar focused on what happens when organisations start putting them into action.
Speakers shared examples of how they are using the Inclusive Learning Principles in their own work, alongside practical ideas and quick wins that other organisations can take away. Although the audience were mostly UK based sport and physical activity organisations, their ideas might be useful globally.