Access and Participation
Pauline Rose is a professor of international education at the University of Cambridge and director of the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre. In this video Pauline discusses findings from a HEART think piece: How can education systems become equitable by 2030?, written by herself and Ben Alcott. She speaks about inequalities in access to education… Read more
The mass expansion of higher education is one of the most important social transformations of the second half of the twentieth century. In this publication, scholars from 15 countries, representing Western and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Israel, Australia, and the United States, assess the links between this expansion and inequality in the national context. Contrary to… Read more
Mario Novelli is a professor of the Political Economy of Education at the Centre for International Education, University of Sussex. Professor Novelli talks about a new rigorous literature review on the political economy of education systems in conflict-affected contexts of which he was the lead author. There has been an increased interest in political economy… Read more
This report identifies research on the outcomes of school feeding programmes which are mixed but largely positive. Some programme costs and design considerations are presented which provide lessons for sustainability and affordability. Some cost-benefit analyses are also included and trade-offs discussed. Key points for consideration in programme design include: Geographical targeting. Biscuits are a significantly… Read more
Dr Tristan McCowan is a researcher at the Institute of Education, University College London. He was the expert adviser for the latest HEART topic guide on Higher Education. The topic guide looks at building the capacity of higher education (HE) systems and enabling structures in low-income countries. It also looks at how effective partnerships can… Read more
Overview of key findings: The cost of secondary education, including fees, other direct costs and opportunity costs constitute the primary barrier to secondary education in most contexts. The costs are often higher for girls than boys. Strategies that address the cost barriers, such as fee elimination and cash transfers are generally effective at increasing girls’… Read more
Higher Education (HE) plays a major role in building a nation’s intellectual capital required for poverty reduction, sustainable development and positive engagement in the global knowledge economy. This topic guide aims to answer the questions, how can the capacity of HE systems and structures in LMICs best be built and how can effective partnerships be generated to best support the process. To answer these questions, the guide presents evidence of the critical role of HE for overall national development, examines the key policy issues and barriers to building capacity in HE in low income settings and reviews the evidence from a number of different innovations that have attempted to overcome these barriers. Read more
Some of the worst violations of the rights to education around the world occur in contexts of emergency and protracted crisis. Around 37 million primary and lower secondary age children are out of school in crisis affected countries. Education is the most effective way of reducing poverty and inequality. In contexts of emergencies and protracted crises,… Read more
The 2011 EFA Global Monitoring Report exposed the hidden crisis of education in conflict-affected countries. Two years later, to mark the birthday of Malala, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot by the Taliban as she was exercising her right to go to school, this policy paper shows that urgent action is needed to bring education to the… Read more
Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities which aims to promote awareness and action around disability inclusion. This year the theme is ‘Inclusion matters’ and a recent GSDRC guide written for development and humanitarian professionals, highlights just how much inclusion matters. Or rather, how much lack of inclusion matters. Disability is not rare…. Read more
This topic guide summarises some of the most rigorous available evidence on the key debates and challenges of disability inclusion in development and humanitarian response. Disability does not necessary imply limited wellbeing and poverty. Yet there is growing evidence that the estimated one billion people with disabilities face attitudinal, physical and institutional barriers that result in… Read more