The UNESCO report Deepening the debate on those still left behind finds significant weaknesses in global education data. It examined primary and secondary data from 120 countries but included only 28 of the 82 low‑ and low‑middle‑income countries, and it found no assessment data for science in any low‑income country. The report was published on 27 April and was produced in collaboration with SciDev.Net’s Global desk where it first appeared.
Manos Antoninis, director of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring unit, said that limited data collection capacity and the absence of systematic national assessments make it difficult to track changes in learning in the global South. He warned that the available sample offers a general sense of conditions but is far from comprehensive, and he recommended a longer term monitoring programme so policymakers can design better education policies.
The report notes large gains in attendance and enrolment in the last 20 years and reports a gender gap of less than one percentage point overall in primary and secondary education. Yet it also highlights persistent pockets of exclusion: in some parts of Sub‑Saharan Africa and South Asia girls’ participation still lags and learning outcomes are weak for both sexes. UNESCO director Audrey Azoulay said many girls in poor rural areas still face closed doors to education, and she pointed to Afghanistan where girls have been deprived of learning, reversing progress by about 20 years.
Data gaps also hide social norms and stereotypes. The report cites research from Malawi, Nigeria and Sierra Leone showing that attitudes and poverty are major reasons girls leave school early. It observes that boys tend to do better than girls in early maths but that the gap narrows or reverses later, and that gender gaps in reading and maths are strongly correlated. Antoninis suggested this pattern may partly explain why fewer girls choose STEM careers. The report calls for more role models, policies to keep girls in STEM and for NGOs to help change mindsets.
Difficult words
- assessment — process of testing or evaluating knowledgeassessment data, assessments
- systematic — done in an organized, regular method
- enrolment — official process of joining a school or course
- gender gap — difference in outcomes between men and womengender gaps
- exclusion — being left out of schools or services
- social norm — common behaviour or belief in a communitysocial norms
- role model — person who people admire and imitaterole models
- monitoring programme — ongoing plan to regularly check progress
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Discussion questions
- How could a longer-term monitoring programme help policymakers design better education policies in low-income countries?
- What steps could NGOs take to change mindsets and keep more girls interested in science or maths?
- The report notes big gains in attendance but also persistent exclusion. What challenges might explain these mixed results in some regions?
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