Early in the year, we had to postpone the conference. We are therefore pleased that the Asia hub of the PAL Network has re-planned and are ready to welcome participants to the two-day biennial conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 5th-6th November 2019. This conference is expected to convene 150 delegates to discuss the theme of equitable and inclusive learning for all children. The keynote speakers are Dr. Rukmini Banerji, Chief Executive Officer, Pratham Education Foundation, Prof. Lant Pritchett, Research Director at RISE, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford and Prof. Pauline Rose Director of the REAL Centre, Cambridge University.
Visit our website for more information.
Pre-UKFIET Conversation: What Must We Do to Bring SDG 4 Back to Track?
On 16th September 2019, in Oxford, UK, PAL Network held a pre-conference conversation with several global researchers and affiliates. The main speaker was the Head of Education Standards and Methodology Section, UNESCO Institute for Statistics Dr. Friedrich Huebler. Participants discussed the efficacy of assessments and utilization of the evidence collected for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goal 4. PAL members and friends made 11 presentations at the UKFIET Conference held from 17th to 19th September whose theme was ‘Inclusive Education Systems: futures, fallacies and finance.’
More here.
Common Assessment in Early Grade Numeracy: Members Seek to Generate Comparable Data
Implemented in 13 countries, the PAL Network common assessment in early grade numeracy will generate data on children’s learning levels that is robust and comparable. Member organizations implementing the assessment are gearing up for data collection between October and December 2019. In August, over 30 participants met in Limuru, Kenya for four days to agree on methodological processes of the assessment. In September, each country conducted surveyor trainings and pilot field visits in five rural communities. Connect with us @palnetworkHQ for more developments.
A New Vision for Education Reform in Kenya
On 16th August 2019, PAL Network and Zizi Afrique Foundation played a key role in the 3rd National Curriculum Reforms Conference whose theme was Expanding Inclusion: Reaching Every Learner through Education Reforms. The conference gathered over 2000 education participants. The keynote speakers included Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Deputy Minister for Education in Ghana and Rakesh Rajani, Vice president, Co-Impact.
Setting the Tempo on Action Programs: More Countries Trial CAMaL
From July to September, TEP Centre, Nigeria; Uwezo Uganda; Zizi Afrique, Kenya; Uwezo Tanzania and MIA Mexico conducted trainings on the Combined Activities for Maximized Learning (CAMaL) approach in different contexts. With support from Pratham, PAL members from Mozambique and Zizi Afrique inducted curriculum developers from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and accompanied them to school for eight days of ‘Do It Yourself’. For more information, check our Action page.
Shining the Spotlight on the Early Years: ASER India and Pakistan begin!
The Annual Status of Education (ASER) 2019 has begun! This year India and Pakistan will focus on the early years ‘dubbed Baby ASER’, collect data on schooling or pre-schooling status of young children and explore selected competencies that international research has identified as important predictors of future success. Besides early years, ASER Pakistan will collect learning assessment data on disability and inclusion.
Follow @asercentre and @ASERPAKISTAN pages for more exciting updates.
PAL Network Latin America Hub meeting | 24th September 2019 | Mexico The Latin America Alliance for Education Quality hub of PAL Network that brings together members from Mexico and Nicaragua held its second meeting to share and learn from each other on the successes and challenges of the past year. They also deliberated on ways to support Network expansion and promote visibility of PAL activities within the region.
Safeguarding Training for Member Organizations| 23rd-26th July, 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya PAL Network conducted a four-day training on safeguarding to help member organizations implementing citizen-led assessments and actions to protect children and other vulnerable populations. Read more.
Common Assessment Regional Training |October – November 2019 Regional training for East & Southern Africa, West Africa, Central America and South Asia regions are set for mid-October to mid-November. The training will induct the PAL Network staff, project management team and working group members from 13 countries on all tools and processes related to the common assessment.
Call for Papers: Education Conference 2020|3rd-5th April 2020| Bangkok, Thailand The International Institute of Knowledge Management (TIIKM) invites call for papers for its upcoming 6th International Conference on Education– (ICEDU 2020). Read more.
Left Behind in School The ‘Left Behind in School’ evidence brief presents data from PAL Network and shows that many children do not progress through school according to prescribed age-grade norms, with important implications for learning. Read more.
Early Childhood Education and School Readiness in India The recently published book “Early Childhood Education and School Readiness in India” builds on findings from the longitudinal, mixed-method study of early childhood education, referred to as the IECEI study. Six of the book’s 12 chapters were written by staff at ASER Centre. Read more.
