First, recognise their fundamental right to education. Second, start counting them. “The answer is 4!” says Patricia, 10, as she walks confidently to the board to solve a problem during math class. She goes to school in Sandema, Ghana. At first glance, her classroom appears to be like any other, but a closer look reveals some… Read more →←
Topic: Data and research
Despite significant investments going into improving the performance of teachers, evidence suggests there is a crisis in both teaching and learning. Why have we (governments, development partners, stakeholders, ‘experts’) got it so wrong? And what could we change in the future? Having worked on teacher programmes in developing… Read more →←
Do leaders, citizens and donors agree on the most important development challenges to solve in the countries where they work? Whose support and what conditions make progress more or less likely? Which international donors do leaders prefer as development partners? To answer these questions, the Listening to Leaders 2018 report draws… Read more →←
Quality pre-primary education is critical to a child’s cognitive, social and emotional development, growth, school readiness and future economic potential. However, only 42 per cent of children in sub-Saharan Africa participate in any organized pre-primary education before the typical enrolment age for grade one. And those that… Read more →←
UNICEF has commissioned 10 papers by leading researchers and practitioners to stimulate debate around educational challenges in Eastern and Southern Africa: a region where most children attend school, but many are not learning the basics. While the articles have academic roots, they are not research papers, nor do they represent… Read more →←
In the Data and Analytics Section of UNICEF, we produce many reports based on the in-depth database we maintain here in HQ. However, in March, we launched a flagship report: Progress for Every Child in the SDG Era. The report looks across all 232 SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) indicators, identifies the 44 that refer directly to… Read more →←
Ebola deaths in Sierra Leone made international headlines. But there’s no doubt what the bigger killer is: malaria. Each death is its own tragedy. I felt it immediately when stepping into the Koroma’s home. Family members were trying to cope with the loss of Kadiatu, their breadwinner who, after a brief illness, had died two… Read more →←
New research shows that an investment of just $4.70 per newborn over the next 10 years would be enough to increase the rate of children under six months who are exclusively breastfed to at least 50 percent, the global target. The result of this $5-per-child investment? Saving more than 500,000 children’s lives. The research was… Read more →←
Last year, close to one million babies died on their first day of life, and 2.7 million during their first 28 days. Almost half of all under-five deaths took place during this newborn period. And 2.6 million babies were stillborn. These first hours, days and weeks constitute the most dangerous period in a human life. In the poorest, most… Read more →←
Data hold more potential than ever before to shape the lives and living conditions of children. Much of that potential is the result of the rapid expansion of data sources and uses. We’ve seen firsthand what those results can be. Whether it is improving government data systems to improve the delivery of education and social… Read more →←
