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In this commentary, the authors share some of the lessons on family, school, and community engagement from their collective work, and a workshop plan for school educators, education leaders, and organizations striving to identify barriers to and opportunities for stronger family, school, and community partnerships.

“In recent research conducted by CUE in collaboration with schools and community organizations on six contents, participants across countries and demographics noted a blame game between families and educators. Educators often felt that families were not sufficiently motivated and interested in their child’s education, while families felt that educators often blamed them for challenges to their children’s learning and development. Naming and breaking the blame game, and using approaches to build relational trust between families and educators, is critical to supporting all children, especially children with disabilities.”

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In this blog – ‘Co-creation of innovations for education systems transformation: Insights from CAMFED Zambia participation at the 3rd KIX Continental Research Symposium’ – Namenda Malupande, Executive Director of CAMFED Zambia, writes about her impressions from the third KIX Africa Continental Symposium.

“I found the sessions that addressed inclusive education practices for vulnerable children in Africa particularly enriching. They highlighted innovative approaches from across the continent, such as the use of tools designed to contextualize life skills assessments and initiatives aimed at breaking barriers.”

Namenda then focuses on the importance of role models, and the importance co-creation.

“This collaborative model ensures that initiatives are sustainable, scalable and responsive to context, addressing barriers to education while promoting long-term impact within government systems and community structures.”

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Every child has a right to quality education. But for millions of children with disabilities, this right is still out of reach. Across many countries, children with disabilities face systemic exclusion from school — not because they can’t learn, but because the systems aren’t built to include them.

That’s why the Inclusive Futures consortium — including Sightsavers, Humanity & Inclusion UK, International Disability Alliance, Light for the World, Sense International, and ADD International — and grassroots disability leaders from Africa and Asia are demanding real change.

They have released a joint statement and an open letter calling on world leaders, donors, and education stakeholders to act now to deliver inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all. Sign the letter. Raise your voice. Be part of the solution.

Read more details and take action now.

The theme for this year’s Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) conference was ‘Envisioning Education in a Digital Society’. Although many examples of positive and innovative uses of digital technology were presented, strategies for reaching the most marginalised learners, including children with disabilities, were rarely discussed.

This blog shares highlights from five presentations that Sightsavers was involved in, focusing on disability inclusion and digital education covering everything from early years learning to data to gender-based violence.

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In celebration of Global Action Week for Education (28 April – 5 May 2025), a coalition of leading international NGOs and organisations of persons with disabilities released a powerful joint statement calling for urgent action to end the exclusion of children with disabilities from education systems worldwide and are collectively calling on others to sign this open letter.

n this blog, Johannes Trimmel, Inclusive Futures disability inclusive development programme director, sets out a clear, achievable path to change, rooted in six years of proven practice from the Inclusive Futures initiative.

Read the blog.

The British Council has updated its professional development website for English language teachers. It has published an updated CPD framework:

The framework recognises the need for teachers to be lifelong learners, and can be used at any point in your teaching career as a tool to enable you to understand and plan your own development. If you’re a teacher educator, the framework can also support you in the creation of training and learning resources for teachers.”

The website has further resources, for example, “Using inclusive practices”.

Access the website.

The Human Rights Council is preparing for the first session of the Open-ended intergovernmental working group on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

If you want to make sure inclusive education is part of the conversation, you can take part by sending a contribution by 18 May 2025. There is also an opportunity for children to participate – the deadline for submissions from children is 8 June 2025.

Read more information about taking part. 

At the GDS 2025, a session titled “From Gradual Actions to Systems Change: Transforming Education Systems to be Inclusive and Accessible to All,” gathered key global actors to identify concrete steps for accelerating inclusive education systems. A major outcome of the session was the launch of a new coalition led by the UK, Norway, UNESCO, UNICEF, IDA, and IDDC, joined by other global partners such as the Government of South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Global Partnership for Education. This coalition aims to drive the development of inclusive education systems worldwide.

Read more details.

A defining moment of the Summit was the adoption of the Amman-Berlin Declaration on Global Disability Inclusion, advancing the rights of persons with disabilities globally. It reinforces strong commitments to disability-inclusive international development cooperation and humanitarian action, and emphasizes the central role of meaningful engagement with OPDs.

Read the declaration.