Blog

At its latest meeting, the Education International Africa Regional Committee (EIARC) has taken stock of current and upcoming activities and challenges for educators and their unions in the region and called on member organisations to join the Education International Go Public! Fund Education campaign.

Opening the meeting held in March 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa, EIARC Chairperson Christian Addai-Poku stressed that it has been eight years since our governments adopted the global education goal, the sustainable development goal (SDG) 4.  He, however, regretted that more than half-way to 2030, the deadline for achieving the global education goal, many children, youth and adults in Africa remain excluded from education.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated education challenges on the African continent. This, coupled with conflict and climate change, has seriously impacted countries, education systems and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have wiped out two decades of education gains in Africa,”

Read more about the conference on the Education International website.

CSIE have written a blog on the DfEs latest improvement plan.  They state how it is not unusual to read a document which appears committed to inclusion, and to wonder if its intention is to create inclusive change or just pay lip-service to it.

One year on from the publication of the Green Paper, the DfE has published the ‘SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan’, outlining how it intends to move forward in light of the consultation responses received.

‘This latest offering from the Department for Education (DfE) is not talking the talk. First it speaks of a strong commitment to developing inclusive education, then it announces plans to strengthen alternative provision and prepare teachers to work in separate settings. This flies in the face of inclusion and goes against the spirit of the Equality Act and its commitment to disability equality’.

‘In our opinion, and we are certainly not alone in our thinking, more special schools and alternative provision does not inclusion make’. CSIE

Read more on the CSIE website

Educational technology, arguably, plays an important role in helping to ensure children / young people with disabilities in low and middle income countries (LMICs) have fair and optimised access to the school curriculum and ensuring they have opportunities to develop their independence, agency, and social inclusion.

This systematic literature review, supported by the World Bank and UKAID suggests two sets of recommendations for further research into EdTech and disability:

• The first set of recommendations address ways of increasing our evidence base of robust studies on how EdTech can be used to support the education of diverse groups of learners in LMICs.
• The second set of recommendations are addressed at policy makers and donors who are responsible for implementing EdTech programmes within LMICs.

Sarah Brown, Justin Van Fleet, Peter Laugharn, and Sabrina Habib weigh in on the global crisis in early years care and outline what philanthropy and governments can – and should be – doing to fix it.

 “We know that across the world, less than 10 percent of budgets in health education are invested in the youngest children, and we want that amount to be at least 10 percent and more, and we want a UN decade for action on early childhood care, education and development to start this year.”’ ~ ‘Justin van Fleet, Theirword President.

Other campaign asks from Theirworld include: investment in a fully-trained, qualified and funded early years workforce; publishing of annual data on government spending on early childhood development; more family-friendly polices such as income support programmes, parental leave and affordable childcare for working parents; and the creation of a more integrated approach to early years interventions across sectors and government.

Listen to the podcast.

EENET has simplified and relaunched our online shop!

Feel free to have a browse – you can order free printed copies of Enabling Education Review and many other inclusive education materials.  All you need to do is browse the list of materials, fill in a form, submit it online, and we’ll send you the requested materials

Don’t worry if you know someone who might want to order printed materials but they can’t order online, feel free to email us the list of what they want and we can post it to them free of charge.

EENET’s online library provides a huge selection of free digital materials but not everyone is able to download or print documents from the internet. That’s why we still prioritise the distribution of free hard copies.

Happy browsing!

In 2021 EENET helped CBM to develop an inclusive education training guide – for CBM staff, partners and other NGOs.

The training package is based around a number of frequently asked questions about inclusive education. Each question is followed by background information for the facilitator along with a number of activities which can be selected according to time available and participant level of knowledge / priorities. The aim is to have engaging participation and discussion to explore principles and share knowledge, understanding and promising practices.  There are handouts, additional case studies and references for further reading to support further self-study.

The guide is now available in French and Spanish!

#GirlsInICT Day was celebrated globally on the 27th April 2023.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies, identified “Digital Skills for Life” as their theme for Girls in ICT 2023.

For girls and young women to thrive in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education goals and careers, they need to acquire skills to become both ICT users and creators in the digital world.  This year and every year, ITU and partners work together to inspire and encourage girls to pursue a future in ICTs and to empower them by ensuring they have the necessary skills, confidence and support to achieve their goals.

Check out their Facebook page for Girls In ICT day global events!

The INEE Community of Practice (CoP) is an online platform that facilitates peer-to-peer communication and moderated discussions on the full range of education in emergencies topics in many languages. The platform intends to cultivate collaborative relationships and meaningful exchanges – both synchronous and asynchronous – for sharing knowledge and local wisdom, amplifying voices, developing resources, informing policy, building capacity, undertaking joint advocacy, and identifying content worthy of wider dissemination.

The list of thematic channels grows gradually as members express interest in specific topics or countries and currently include topics such as inclusive education, early childhood development, higher education, data and gender etc.

There are five generic public channels based on the five INEE languages – Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish – that act as first entry and common areas for all participants in their preferred language of communication.

The CoP is a service for INEE members.

If you are not yet a member, you can join the network for free by registering on the website.

Go and check it out!