GEM Report December News Alert

As COVID-19 exacerbated inequalities to breaking point in 2020, the GEM Report emphasised the urgent need for improved inclusion in education

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and all the challenges that it brought, 2020 has been a very busy year for the GEM Report team, which has been working hard to present tried and tested ways to achieve greater inclusion in education.

Over 130 national, regional, and international events, webinars, panel discussions and consultations were attended and organised by the team presenting and debating the following new products:

• The full 2020 GEM Report on inclusion and education is available in 4 languages: English / Français / Español / العربية.

• The 2020 Summary Report is available in 24 languages: English /  ‪Français‪ / Español / العربية / Русский язык / 汉语 / Tiếng Việt / हिन्दी / Bahasa Indonesia / Deutsch / som  / Kiswahili / ភាសាខ្មែរ / Português / монгол хэл / 日本語 / ภาษาไทย / ລາວ/ မြန်မာ / 한국어 / Türk / Polski / ελληνικά / اردو.

• The Youth Report version is available in English.

• The Gender Report is available in English.

• The Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Report is available in English / ‪Español. The Portuguese version will be published in early 2021. A summary with key messages and recommendations is available in English / ‪Español ‪/ Português.

• Three policy papers were produced: Aid to education and COVID-19, Impact of COVID-19 on cost of implementing SDG 4, and Preparing teachers for inclusion

• Two new websites were launched: Profiles Enhancing Education Reviews (PEER) with 160 profiles on inclusion and Scoping Progress in Education (SCOPE) with five stories supported by interactive visualizations to allow readers to follow key global education trends.

The GEM Report World Education Blog has engaged over 200,000 visitors on its 121 posts this year, and received over 40,000 views both in April and May for its COVID-19 and Education blog series. Its Spanish counterpart also featured over 60 blog entries in 2021 and attracted 150,000 visitors.

Looking forward to 2021

Already, several activities are lining up for the new year including:

• A new series of country profiles on the GEM Report PEER website on laws, policies and programmes related to equitable finance, with an accompanying policy paper detailing core trends and recommendations (23 January)

• A Regional Report on Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia on inclusion and education (3 February)

• The 2021/2 GEM Report on non-state actors in education, its summary and youth version and new country profiles on regulations of non-state actors on PEER website (October)

You can stay informed about all forthcoming events and publications through this newsletter, on the GEM Report website, and by keeping an eye on the GEM Report’s events calendar.

Celebrations of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Learners with disabilities remain one of the most excluded and marginalised groups and the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected their lives and mental well-being.

The GEM Report took part in several topical discussions about their inclusion in education over the week.  A side-event was held during the 13th session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations, Inclusion International and the GEM Report. The team also presented at the International symposium on inclusive education for learners with disabilities hosted by UNESCO.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, one event was co-hosted with the International Disability Alliance and a second by the Red Intergubernamental Iberoamericana de Cooperación para la Educación de Personas con Necesidades Educativas Especiales (RIINEE) was attended by GEM Report partner, OREALC/UNESCO Santiago.

A fact sheet on education and disabilities was produced in English and Spanish for Latin America and the Caribbean, and in English for sub-Saharan Africa.

Media featured an opinion piece by UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education in El Pais, and a testimonial by the GEM Report’s disability and inclusion champion, Brina Maxino on CNN online and the South China Morning Post, an interview on Europe 1 Radio (France) by Florence Migeon from the Section of Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality at UNESCO, and an interview with the GEM Report senior policy analyst in the New Times, Rwanda. A video message and podcast from Brina Maxino speaking with our Youth Advisor Vivian Onano were also published on social media.

Wishing everyone a peaceful and joyful holiday and all best wishes from the GEM Report team for a happy and healthy start to the new year.