Learning

GPE works to ensure that millions more children are learning the essential skills they need to thrive in the 21st century.

The world is experiencing a learning crisis, with more than a quarter of a billion children excluded from education. In addition, the school closures spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the crisis and resulted in significant learning loss around the world.

Before the pandemic, already over 50% of children globally left primary school without the most basic reading skills.

Children from the poorest families, girls and children with disabilities face particularly huge barriers to learning in a safe and healthy environment.

To improve learning outcomes, countries need (among other things) reliable learning data, which requires robust learning assessment systems. Unfortunately this is a major challenge in many partner countries.

GPE 2025 identifies learning within its primary goal and as a key priority area for action.

GPE works to transform education systems to reach all girls and boys with quality learning opportunities.

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Learning better in Côte d'Ivoire

Our results

70%
of partner countries
with data improved learning outcomes between 2010-2015 and 2016-2019.
$328 million
were invested
in activities to improve learning in FY 2022.
74%
of active implementation grants
invested in activities related to learning assessments in FY 2022.

Sources

Publications

Value for money guidance note: Textbooks and learning materials
Summative evaluation of GPE's Assessment for Learning (A4L) initiative
GPE’s support to regional networks on learning assessment
21st century skills: What potential role for the Global Partnership for Education?

GPE in action

GPE helps countries achieve improvements in learning along each stage of a child's education, including early learning, foundational skills such as literacy, numeracy, socio-emotional learning and the wider range of skills necessary to prepare students for the 21st century. This may include supporting distance learning and strengthening capacity for inclusive data collection to monitor learning.

Driving system transformation in support of better learning outcomes: Under its operating model, partner countries develop Partnership Compacts that mobilize coordinated action and financing in support of priority reform areas, which can include the improvement of learning outcomes. In so doing, GPE enables transformational change at the country level.

Incentivizing learning: Partner countries applying for GPE support consider the enabling factors that can spur system transformation, including data on learning outcomes. In addition, countries receive their full grant allocation once they demonstrate progress in the collection and availability of such data.

Enabling enhanced data and information on learning: Funding to enhance education systems supports diagnostics, data collection and capacity building in relation to learning outcomes and related factors, including teachers and teaching, curriculum, books and learning materials.

Supporting investments that lead to better learning: Grant support for system transformation can cover a wide range of activities that promote better learning in partner countries.

Tracking learning outcomes: Through its results framework, GPE monitors how much children are learning at various stages in the primary and lower secondary cycles, including their proficiency in reading and mathematics.

Creating and sharing knowledge: A key theme of the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is learning assessments and several of the KIX grants cover activities and research related to learning.

Latest blogs and news

June 05, 2023
Learning better in Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d’Ivoire wants to improve children learning and bring back those who are not in school in the formal system through catch up classes. A program targets 6 regions that have the highest poverty rates and the lowest...