Blog

In this blog, we hear from four humanitarians who share their stories on education.

For example, Noureldeen Salah, Education Officer, Gaza, State of Palestine, said: “I recently met a seventh-grade girl who ran to her mother after a few hours in a learning space, saying, ‘I can’t stop learning! There is so much I don’t know yet.’ Learning made her feel ‘like I’m flying, and education is the key to rebuilding our country.’”

And Mohamad Kinan Turkawi, Education Officer, Syria, said: “One moment I’ll never forget was when UNICEF supported children with visual impairments to learn in Homs. The number of children attending classes doubled. Seeing their smiles and the hope in their parents’ eyes was powerful. For many, it felt like the start of a new life.”

Read the stories.

The International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education has published a special issue on “the future of the curriculum”. Most articles are open access and come from a variety of countries.

Yana Manyukhina, in the editorial, writes: “Collectively, the papers in this special issue outline a vision of curriculum futures that is both ambitious and achievable. It is ambitious in its commitment to genuine student agency, democratic participation, and holistic development. It is achievable because it builds on existing good practice, demonstrated innovations, and children’s own capabilities and interests. This vision recognises that the challenges facing young people today – from climate change to social fragmentation to technological disruption – require educational approaches that develop not just academic knowledge but also critical thinking, empathy, creativity, and capacity for collaboration. It acknowledges that children are not empty vessels to be filled with predetermined content, but active meaning-makers who bring valuable knowledge and perspectives to their educational experiences.”

Read the journal.

In Argentina, indigenous children, boys and girls, have to learn in an education system that is monocultural and monolingual. In 2006, “Intercultural Bilingual Educational policies” were adopted and there are now formally certified Indigenous teachers. Indigenous teachers make significant contributions to their communities by serving as cultural brokers, project designers, environmentalists, local agricultural promoters, land defenders, and translators, among others. They connect children and youth to educational opportunities and other rights. Given their own educational trajectories, Indigenous women teachers, particularly, are at the forefront of addressing limiting gender norms, attitudes and practices. However, despite the vital role Indigenous teachers play, educational policy has neglected to address the systemic barriers that Indigenous women encounter in their journey to become teachers.

Read the article.

The Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Education for Latin America and the Caribbean, SUMMA, has published its Education Innovation Map to highlight initiatives, programmes and practices that are proven to be effective, create value and contribute to improving the quality, equity, and inclusion of education systems.

It is a map that offers relevant and pertinent information on the type of problems that school communities are facing, the way in which they are solving them and the type of results that such solutions are showing.

Look at the map.

In 2023, education and gender experts from South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Malawi met to exchange ideas on how to end school-related gender-based violence.

In 2025 they met again to discuss their progress: Zambia had finalised and disseminated Child Safeguarding Guidelines for the Education Sector; Uganda had implemented initiatives from policy alignment to training and learner empowerment; South Sudan drove interventions forward despite armed conflict and climate shocks; and Malawi had developed standards for a National Safe Schools Framework.

Read the blog.

This blog talks about the work of the Hanuman Community Learning Center (HCLC), a small space that offers learning to out-of-school children. Apart from the learning centre, HCLC ran sensitisation campaigns in communities and organised child-led advocacy campaigns:

“In one powerful initiative, children showcased their artwork, crafts, and songs to Janakpur City officials to urge stronger action against child labor and demand every child’s right to education.”

Read the blog and learn more about HCLC.