Blog

This blog is grounded in the insights and experiences of teachers at the frontline of climate disruption, drawn from research carried out in schools across Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, Kenya, and Rwanda.

With limited textbooks, unreliable internet, or a complete lack of projectors, teachers are relying on what they do have: their voices, imagination, and the resourcefulness of their adolescents and youths. They use drama, songs and storytelling as part of their teaching.

Teachers are using crises as opportunities for delivering climate education content. Drought becomes a case study for water scarcity. A storm becomes an example of extreme weather events.

This study found that teachers are offering rich insights into what truly works to engage young people in climate education.

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Period poverty remains a significant barrier to girls’ education in Zimbabwe. Estimates from Forum for Women Educationalists Zimbabwe Chapter (FAWEZI) and UNICEF suggest that as many as 62% of rural girls miss school during menstruation, losing up to 20% of the academic year.

This blog introduces the reader to Viola Flo-Jo Mutambudzi, a teacher, who started girl’s clubs where girls talk about periods and create reusable menstrual kits. Since the club began, the school has seen a clear drop in absenteeism.

Read more about the project.

UNICEF launched the Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADT) initiative in 2014. These curriculum-aligned books are designed using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles: they offer content in multiple formats, such as audio narration or simplified text, and give students flexible ways to learn.

Using AI to create Accessible Digital Textbooks helps to reduce the time it takes to create the ADT. The process is still led by people – but now they can spend less time on initial, repetitive tasks and more time improving the final product.

In Uruguay, a pilot was launched in 2025 to see how schools used these newly created ADT. In the classroom, students and teachers were learning together. Both teachers and students also had ideas for enhancements. Students imagined voice commands, mini-games and emojis in the glossary. Teachers suggested ways to better meet their students’ needs – like font toggles, different types of questions and making sure activities match the level of the simplified content.

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Basic school infrastructure in Sierra Leone remains built for the ‘average’ child, leaving students with dwarfism to work around desks, boards and toilets that rarely meet their physical needs. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, where disability remains heavily stigmatised and resources are scarce, students with dwarfism struggle to survive in systems built for bodies unlike theirs. However, at Go Primary School, a small private school in the east end of Freetown, 12-year-old Abibatu Kamara sits at a customised desk and chair. She attends weekly sessions with a trained inclusion specialist. “When the classroom fits,” her mother says, “so does her confidence.”

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This blog talks about World Bank projects in Rwanda, Burkina Faso and Cambodia.

In Rwanda, a World Bank project promoted inclusive education by integrating disability-sensitive features into school infrastructure, learning materials, and teacher training. The project prioritized accessibility in new school construction, provided gender-segregated latrines with accessibility features, and embedded Rwandan Sign Language in edutainment episodes to foster inclusion for children with disabilities.

In Burkina Faso, the Improving Education of Children with Disabilities project increased access and quality of education for vulnerable children, focusing on children with disabilities, through targeted interventions in the five poorest regions and the capital city of Ouagadougou. The project combined improved access to preschool and primary education, teacher training on inclusive pedagogy, community-driven SIPs, and awareness campaigns related to disability inclusion.

In Cambodia, the World Bank is supporting efforts to make general education more inclusive by integrating disability screening, support, and infrastructure improvements across more than 1,600 preschools, primary, and secondary schools. The project trains teachers on disability screening, ensures SIPs include concrete activities to support students with disabilities, and provides referrals and equipment (e.g., glasses, hearing aids) for identified students.

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The Zero Project Conference 2026 brought together innovators, policy makers, business leaders, practitioners, and other experts from around the world to celebrate the latest innovations of disability inclusion, as well as innovations relating to Accessibility, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and Crisis Response. Recordings from many of the sessions and descriptions of the awardees can be found on the Zero Project website. Many of this year’s awardees use AI and apps for digital inclusion.

Visit the Zero Project conference website.

Eric is a senior 2 student at a lower secondary public school in rural Rwanda and living with albinism. His pale skin and visual impairment made him vulnerable to bullying in his previous school, where he struggled not because of academic ability, but because he felt excluded and isolated. However, in his new school, he feels safer and performs better in class due to the school’s inclusive environment. This inclusive environment has been reinforced by the return of Francois Zebrera, a teacher who came back after completing his master’s degree in English and Special Educational Needs. Francois introduced practical strategies to help teachers adapt their methods for learners with disabilities. He established a teachers’ learning club. The blog also highlights the role of leadership, working with parents, and the role of civil society.

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Across the Pacific, countries are advancing inclusive education through new policies, nationwide studies including on neurodivergent learners, strengthened teacher training and plans to expand access to assistive technologies. Despite progress, significant challenges remain. Nonetheless, at the heart of the progress made so far is a strong cultural foundation. Community ties, collective decision making and talanoa—open, respectful dialogue—create an environment where inclusion is a shared responsibility.

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The International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-UNESCO) hosted a webinar to explore how stronger education data systems can support more effective and inclusive decision-making. The discussion focused on practical ways to improve Educational Management Information Systems (EMIS) to better identify children with disabilities and their support needs and capture how inclusive and accessible school environments really are. The recording of this webinar is now available on YouTube.

Watch the video.

The OROS webinar on intersectional inclusivity in education took place in November 2025. It explored how intersecting inequalities, such as caste and gender, shape access to education, with insights from Nepal. The recording of the webinar is available online, together with the presentations and outcomes from group discussions.

Access the webinar and presentations.