First virtual meeting of UNESCO Global Alliance to Monitor Learning Task Force 4.1

On the 8th of March the first meeting of the UNESCO Global Alliance to Monitor Learning  (GAML) Task Force 4.1 took place virtually. Experts of Center for International Cooperation in Education Development CICED have participated in the meeting.

Task Force 4.1 is formed to support the development of viable methodological options for universal learning indicator 4.1.1 (under the 4th Sustainable Development Goal): “proportion of children and young people in grades 2/3 at end of primary and at end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in  reading and  mathematics, by sex”.

There are three key technical issues to be addressed by Task Force 4.1 in relation to this indicator:

1. Ensuring global comparability of data
2. Defining “minimum proficiency level”
3. Determining appropriate periodicity for data collection.

Task Force 4.1 volunteers are expected to  review studies and products addressing the three key issues, provide supporting evidence or suggest alternatives to the methodological work developed and present technically sound and pragmatic solutions to the GAML Secretariat.

There are approximately 40 volunteers for Task Force 4.1, covering 9 Technical Cooperation Group members and a wide variety of international and national research, education, and development aid organizations. The goal for this first meeting of Task Force 4.1 was to inform all members of the Task Force about  terms and process of work that is already under way  and what  to focus on as a group. Next virtual meeting is planned for April, 2017.

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) launched GAML to support efforts by countries around the world to measure learning outcomes and to use that information to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and to promote lifelong learning for all by 2030.