Blog

In the past, school lessons in Nepal were taught only in Nepali, a language many children did not speak at home. It was a well-meaning effort to prepare the children for the wider world, but it often left children fearful of speaking up. This began to change with the introduction of multilingual education (MLE) training programs.

Teachers participated in the training, which encouraged them to start education in the mother tongue of the children and gradually introduce Nepali as a second language. Parents describe the shift in their children’s confidence and eagerness to share what they learn. The multilingual approach helps close the gaps that too often leave children behind, especially those from ethnic minorities, remote areas or low-income families.

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BERA (the British Educational Research Association) have published several blogs on how digital technologies have been used with forcibly displaced populations in educational provision. In this special issue of blogs, emphasis is placed not on the technological sophistication of the models being discussed but rather on the notion of ‘connectedness’. Connectedness promotes embeddedness in local and global communities, values the opportunities and pedagogical importance of face-to-face instruction supported by technology, and is rooted in collaboration, pastoral support and human relations.

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A new report released by Education Cannot Wait estimates that 258 million school-aged children and adolescents now have their education affected by crises worldwide. Of these, 93 million are entirely out of school, while millions more remain enrolled but struggle to learn under conditions that undermine their progress and increase their risk of dropping out.

One of the key findings: The number of children affected by crises has increased by 21 million in just 18 months, reaching an estimated 258 million worldwide. The findings point to a crisis that is growing in scale, highly concentrated and deeply unequal. Educational exclusion is shaped by where children live, the type of crisis they face and whether they are displaced, living with a disability or otherwise marginalised. While the concentration of need creates opportunities for targeted action, the report makes clear that access alone is not enough. Effective responses must help children stay in school, learn, progress and successfully transition through education.

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In observance of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, INEE has developed open source advocacy resources, based on inputs from INEE members working with LGBTQIA+ learners and organizations.

INEE encourage all to use this resource to highlight key messages and recommendations for providing safe, protective, affirming education for LGBTQIA+ learners living in crisis-affected contexts. The resources include graphics but also a link to a podcast and further resources on the INEE website.

Read more information and access the resources.

UNICEF have published this report, which draws on evidence from multiple fields to present a framework for understanding children’s evolving capacities. The authors note:

“The United Nations has pointed to growing evidence of a pushback against children’s rights and respect for their evolving capacities in favour of a stronger emphasis on parental rights. In addition, climate change and environmental degradation are negatively impacting the lives of many more children… Furthermore, the United Nations estimates that hundreds of millions of children live in conflict zones, facing profound and often devastating immediate and long-term consequences.. Given these shifts and their tremendous impact on children and families, it is time to re-examine how the concept of evolving capacities is being applied and understood to advance child rights.”

Download and read the report.

Summaries in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish are available

Right to Learn Afghanistan co-facilitated an INEE Meet-Up for refugee education in Pakistan. With thousands of Afghan teachers and students being repatriated amid political upheaval, scaling teacher professional development (TPD) focused on inclusion was urgent. In the session, Right to Learn Afghanistan highlighted preliminary research findings from a Global Partnership for Education (GPE-KIX) project examining inclusive education  teaching practices among Afghan schools in Pakistan, and explored practical strategies for scaling this particular TPD approach for refugee educators beyond northern Pakistan. Right to Learn wanted to scale their model by “scaling up”, “scaling out”, and “scaling deep”. The scaling strategy included UNHCR and the regional Department for Education. In this blog Right to Learn mention the barriers and the successes to their strategy.

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In the Palestinian context, the value of technology extends beyond improving the quality of educational delivery; it is also crucial for maintaining the continuity of learning under stressful and complex circumstances.

Education in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, has faced a profound crisis in recent years, disrupting school attendance and forcing large numbers of children out of in-person learning for extended periods. Furthermore, a significant number of schools and educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed, making access to education a daily challenge, not merely a matter of educational development. Despite the importance of tools and platforms, the teacher remains the crucial factor in the success of inclusive education.

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Every child deserves to walk through a classroom door and feel they belong. Yet for millions of children with developmental disabilities, that simple reality remains out of reach. Recent research by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) on inclusive early learning in Kenya asked the question “What does inclusion look like when the classroom door closes?”.

The findings of the research offer a clear-eyed snapshot of where we stand today and a roadmap toward a future where every child truly belongs. The children with developmental disabilities are not waiting for a future where they can belong. They are ‘here’ now. They are in our communities and ready to learn. The question for us – as educators, policymakers, and researchers – is whether we are ready to build education systems that are ready for them.

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