By Ben Alcott, Pauline Rose, Ricardo Sabates and Rodrigo Torres, Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, University of Cambridge

This blog was also published by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)

As governments pursue Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on education, with its strong focus on equity, are they embedding equity at the very heart of their national education plans? Recent research suggests that, in many cases, the answer is no, but it also highlights ‘honorable exceptions’: countries that are tracking equity in access to education and in learning.

In the Handbook on Measuring Equity in Education, published earlier this year by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), we explored how well equity is captured by indicators in today’s national education plans – the main tool used by governments to plan and implement education policy. Our aim is to offer guidance for policymakers when selecting indicators and help them track progress. Continue reading →