1. 2016 Global Education Monitoring Report SDG 4 Workshop Medellin 6 September 2016
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2. Monitoring of SDG 4: GEM Report mandate
“…request that the EFA GMR be continued as an independent GEM Report, hosted and published by UNESCO, as the mechanism for monitoring and reporting on the proposed SDG 4 and on education in the other proposed SDGs, within the mechanism to be established to monitor and review the implementation of the proposed SDGs” INCHEON DECLARATION
“…the mechanism for monitoring and reporting on SDG 4 and on education in the other SDGs… It will also report on the implementation of national and international strategies to help hold all relevant partners to account for their commitments as part of the overall SDG follow-up and review.”
FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION
The new Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report), which builds on the experience of the previous EFA Global Monitoring Report series, received a mandate by the Incheon Declaration and Education 2030 Framework for Action to assess the progress of education under the new 2030 Agenda.
This is the first in a 15 year series of Reports. The theme of the first report is the complex relationship between education and the other SDGs, along with the monitoring implications for SDG 4. It shows that, for education to deliver its full potential to contribute to the SDG agenda it is necessary for school participation rates to increase dramatically, for learning becomes a lifelong pursuit, and for education systems fully embrace sustainable development.
[The previous presenter] explained the context of SDG4 and how the indicators were proposed. It is clear that the new education agenda, with its greatly expanded scope, poses significant challenges to monitor and report progress on SDG 4. This presentation explores the monitoring section of the Report which tackles these challenges and provides evidence on indicators in [Colombia] and recommendations at the national, regional and global level.

3. Evidence Critical issues Target 4.1: Primary and secondary education
Global indicator: The share of those who reached a minimum level of proficiency in reading and mathematics was, respectively:
- 68% and 52% in grades 2/3 (in 2013)
- 90% and 58% at the end of primary (in 2013)
- 49% and 26% at the end of lower secondary (in 2012)
Thematic indicator (example): according to WIDE, the percentage of those who had completed each level of education in 2010 was
- 94% in primary education
- 76% in lower secondary education
- 66% in upper secondary education
Evidence
Critical issues
The definition of ‘minimum level of proficiency’ is yet to be defined. Colombia needs to participate in the process of deciding how these levels are to be set - directly as a member of the UIS-coordinated Technical Cooperation Group which meets next in October 27-29
Ensure there is a national learning assessment process in place that monitors in a consistent way over time whether (and which!) children and young people are learning what is expected
For each target, selected evidence is presented separately for the global indicators (one per target) and for some of the more numerous, supplementary thematic indicators. A set of critical issues for monitoring is also discussed. It is important to stress that Colombia is a country that has paid a lot of attention to monitoring its education system. Target 4.1 focuses on primary and secondary education.
The global indicator focuses on learning outcomes in reading and mathematics. Reported estimates of the share of Colombian students who reach the minimum proficiency level were based on TERCE for grades 2/3 and the end of primary – and on PISA for the end of lower secondary education.
The international community has not yet defined what should be ‘a minimum proficiency level’ of ‘relevant and effective’ learning outcomes. Therefore, comparisons are still only possible between countries which have participated in the same assessment. A process led by the UIS has been set up to reach consensus. This should happen in an open and collaborative way, taking the priorities of countries into account and helping build robust national learning assessment systems.
Colombia also has SABER, a well-developed national learning assessment in grades 3, 5 and 9. It is important to maintain quality standards so that its results monitor learning over time and across different groups of students so that they can also be used to report for the global indicator.
With respect to thematic indicators, the new agenda marks an important step forward with its emphasis on completion relative to participation. In 2014, 80% completed primary, 68% completed lower secondary and 52% completed upper secondary school according to the World Inequality Database on Education which used the MICS survey.

4. Evidence Critical issues
Target 4.2: Early childhood care and education
Global indicator 1: No data reported for Colombia on under 5 years of age who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being
Global indicator 2: No data is reported either on the percentage of children aged one year before the official primary entry age enrolled in pre-primary (or primary) school
Evidence
Critical issues
Establish a regular mechanism for assessing whether children reach their development potential
Monitoring of participation requires looking at the full diversity of services, including programmes outside of pre-primary education.
In Target 4.2 on early childhood, two global indicators were proposed exceptionally.
The first focuses on ensuring children begin school ‘developmentally on track’ and ‘ready for primary school’. This is a complex notion as it involves monitoring across cultures with different perceptions of child development. UNICEFs Early Childhood Development Index represents one measurement approach. However, this measure focuses strongly on early literacy and numeracy. Moreover, Colombia does not participate in the relevant survey. The search for a neutral and feasible measure of early childhood development must continue both globally and in the country.
The second indicator focuses on participation and the percentage of children one year younger than the official primary school entry age were enrolled in pre-primary or primary school. This way of reporting may overestimate participation because it includes children who are in primary but may not have attended pre-primary school. No data is reported for Colombia. Moreover, more work is needed for surveys to capture the full diversity of relevant programmes outside of formal pre-primary education.

5. Evidence Critical issues
Target 4.3: TVET, tertiary and adult education
Global indicator: No data is reported on the percentage of adults who participated in formal and non-formal education - but of all those enrolled in formal education, the share of adults was 3% in primary and 11% in lower secondary education in 2014
Thematic indicator (example): in 2014, the tertiary education gross enrolment ratio was 51%
Evidence
Critical issues
Establish monitoring tools that can capture the large and growing diversity of learning programmes for this target
Costs of TVET, tertiary and adult education must also be monitored to guide government policy
Target 4.3 captures technical and vocational education and training (TVET), tertiary education – as well as adult education by virtue of the global indicator, which focuses on the percentage of adults who have participated in any kind of education during the previous year. However, currently, only Europe monitors this indicator with a survey every five years. Colombia needs to introduce monitoring tools that capture the diversity of learning opportunities for adults. However, Colombia reports on the percentage of adults in the formal education system, which is the indicator that has been proposed as a temporary replacement.
Among thematic indicators, the tertiary gross enrolment ratio was 56% in 2014.
What is missing both for technical, vocational, tertiary and adult education are indicators and methods of assessing affordability, which is a key concept in the target and a core issue for policy makers.

6. Evidence Critical issues Target 4.4: Skills for work
Global indicator: No data for Colombia on percentage of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills by type of skill
Thematic indicator (example): - 62% of year olds had at least completed upper secondary education in 2010
Evidence
Critical issues
Consider how to monitor digital literacy skills and ICT skills in a way which is culturally relevant and suitable
Hold a national debate on what other skills for work need to be monitored in the country
Target 4.4 refers to skills for work. However, uncertainty around what skills can apply across economies and jobs and how they can be measured is reflected in the indicators proposed.
One indirect indicator is the percentage of the population who have attained a particular level for education. For example, in Colombia 62% of year olds had attained upper secondary education in However, attainment is not a direct measure of any skill.
Outside of literacy and numeracy, covered under Target 4.6, ICT skills can be a potential candidate as they have become essential to work in diverse contexts and could be measured more systematically. However, only Europe and a handful of non- European countries provide such estimates, which are self-reported by individuals.
Digital literacy is a better marker for this target than ICT skills, as it is directly assessed and more related to the use of skills. However, monitoring of digital literacy is limited to a few rich countries so far. Monitoring globally requires keeping up with rapid technological change and keeping diverse contexts in mind – or else risk measuring a very culturally biased concept.
Colombia also participated in the 2012 PISA which collected information on financial literacy skills of 15-year olds. It is important to debate what skills the country considers important for work and think of ways to monitor them.

7. Evidence Critical issues Target 4.5: Equity
Global indicator: In Colombia, there were 108 females for every 100 males enrolled in secondary education in but also according to WIDE, 90% of the richest youth and 28% of the poorest youth completed upper secondary education in 2010
Thematic indicator (example): There is no data in Colombia on the effectiveness of policies to address disadvantage in education
Evidence
Critical issues
Ensure education disparities are monitored not only by gender but also by location and wealth
Try to measure other forms of disparity, by language, disability and displacement
Create a mechanism to collect and compare information about education financing policies successfully addressing disadvantages in education – and compare with similar countries
The SDG agenda requires a major shift in monitoring and reporting on inequality to ensure no one is left behind. Target 4.5 reflects concerns about equity in education.
The proposed global measure of inequality is the parity index, which has been used for a long time as a measure of gender disparity. Based on this measure, for example, we know that for every 100 males enrolled there were 108 females in secondary education.
Disparities for all education indicators can also be defined with reference to characteristics other than gender such as location and wealth. For example, in Colombia while 90% of the richest youth completed upper secondary education in 2010, only 28% did so among the poorest.
More broadly, disparities are only one aspect of the target. For example, in the case of gender, beyond parity it is important to consider other aspects of gender inequality, including textbook bias or discriminatory classroom practices, for which no monitoring indicators or tools have been proposed yet.
And other dimensions of inequality deserve attention. For example, it would be important to know the education status of children affected by displacement, which is a major barrier to learning - and deserves a consistent monitoring mechanism.
Finally, knowing about inequalities is powerful but not enough. A mechanism is needed for countries to exchange information about what is working in addressing disadvantage in education and learn from each other.

8. Evidence Critical issues Target 4.6: Literacy and numeracy
Global indicator: There is no data on the distribution of youth and adults by proficiency level in literacy and numeracy - but a study in urban Colombia showed that 36% of adults scored at the lowest proficiency level (at the same time, the official adult literacy rate is 95%)
Thematic indicator (example): In 2010, 5% adults with no schooling or incomplete primary education were enrolled in primary education
Evidence
Critical issues
Build a national system to directly monitor adult literacy and numeracy skills
Build a national system to monitor participation in adult literacy programmes – and the characteristics of participants
Target 4.6 refers to literacy and numeracy skills. The global indicator shifts attention from thinking whether an individual is literate or not to a more nuanced concept of levels of proficiency in literacy skills. However, such data is only available for very few rich countries, which participate in relevant assessments. A World Bank study in urban Colombia showed that 36% of adults only reached the lowest proficiency level in literacy skills.
However, as such assessments are prohibitively expensive to run in poorer countries, international coordination will be needed to support countries to develop their own literacy and numeracy assessments. These will need to strike a careful balance between letting a country proceed on its own and ensuring assessments reach global quality standards.
In the absence of data on literacy proficiency levels, reporting based on traditional literacy rates fills the gap. In Colombia, according to the official estimate 5% of adults lack any literacy skills.
There are major challenges in monitoring adult participation in literacy programmes. This is partly because of the diversity of providers and partly because of the general lack of interest in monitoring adult education opportunities. 5% of adults with no schooling or incomplete primary education were enrolled in primary education in

9. Evidence Critical issues
Target 4.7: Sustainable development / global citizenship
Global indicator: There is no data on the extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies (b) curricula (c) teacher education and (d) student assessments
Thematic indicator (examples): In Colombia - 65% of 15-year old students scored at the lowest level of proficiency in an index of environmental science knowledge - more than 40% of grade 8 students did not know the purpose of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Evidence
Critical issues
An approach needs to be taken towards monitoring the content of education and what is taught in classrooms: collect and communicate information about the content of curricula; coordinate with other countries in the region through regional or international organizations to work on the task
Monitoring progress towards target 4.7 on sustainable development and global citizenship is not easy. Currently, there is no data on the global indicator. The GEM Report feels that this target needs a more rigorous approach of monitoring the content of education and what is taught in classrooms and offers examples of relevant analyses of curricula and textbooks.
A more systematic listing of national curriculum frameworks and textbook content would be informative about national commitment to sustainable development. Such information could be usefully exchanged at the regional level between countries with similar contexts.
Beyond content, it is also essential to think of desirable results. There are some assessments of civic skills or scientific knowledge mainly targeting richer countries but in which Colombia has participated. But there is no global consensus yet on what these relevant skills are – and what prospects there are for countries to reach common ground.

10. Evidence Critical issues Target 4.a: Learning environments
Global indicator: - According to UIS, 94% of primary and secondary schools had access to electricity, and 88% had access to computers for pedagogical purposes, in 2011
Thematic indicator (example): According to TERCE, among grade 6 students, 19% had experienced physical violence and 34% psychological violence
Evidence
Critical issues
Introduce regular monitoring of school infrastructure
Ensure different types of measures of violence in school are developed and monitored – and work to align with other countries’ definitions
While Target 4a is based on the principles of a child-friendly school – child- centredness, democratic participation and inclusiveness – not all these are possible to monitor at a global level. Attention therefore turns to more measurable aspects of learning environments, starting with infrastructure.
In Colombia, according to UIS, 94% of primary and secondary schools had electricity and 88% had access to computers for pedagogical purposes. At the same time more work is needed on other aspects such as standards for students with disabilities or structural safety.
Among thematic indicators, evidence is accumulating on school-related violence, a global phenomenon. In Colombia, according to TERCE, among grade 6 students, 19% had experienced physical violence and 34% psychological violence. It is important for the country to develop measures of school-related violence that are also aligned with definitions elsewhere in the world.

11. Evidence Critical issues Target 4.b: Scholarships
Global indicator: In 2014, US$35 million was awarded to Colombia in scholarships and imputed student costs (but this is a partial measure)
Thematic indicator (example): There is no measure of the number of scholarships
Evidence
Critical issues
Participate in process for developing a global mechanism for reporting on scholarships that includes information on the number of scholarships and the characteristics of their recipients, including their origin, destination and field of study
Target 4b on scholarships could exacerbate inequality, because beneficiaries tend to come from more advantaged backgrounds and because resources could be used for developing tertiary education systems in the respective countries. The Report finds that the formulation of the target is lacking in several respects. For example, it does not specify whether recipients should return to their home countries. While all scholarships should be monitored, they should be counted as contributing to the target only if they are at least partly publicly funded, because it is not possible to hold non-government providers to account.
There is no information on the numbers of scholarship recipients. A new global mechanism is needed for reporting on scholarships that includes information on the scholarships and their recipients, including their origin, destination and field of study.
Aid data can give some information on the volume of scholarships offered using government funds. In 2013, US$35 million in aid was allocated to scholarships and imputed student costs. But it is a weak indicator because only a few countries (such as France, Germany and Japan) report scholarships as aid.

12. Evidence Critical issues Target 4.c: Teachers
Global indicator: In 2014, there were 98% of primary teachers and 99% of secondary teachers who have received at least the minimum organized teacher training
Thematic indicator (example): The pupil/trained teacher ratio in secondary education was 25:1 in 2014
Evidence
Critical issues
Collaborate with other countries to develop comparable measures of qualified and trained teachers
Personnel databases need to be better linked to overall EMIS to monitor the distribution of teachers, their working conditions and attrition rates
Consider expanding tools that collect information directly from teachers, for example on their continuous professional development
There is a dearth of data on monitoring target 4c on teachers. In the case of the global indicator, the main challenge is the lack of a consistent definitions of what is a trained teacher, as standards vary a lot across countries. While we know that 98% of primary and 99% of secondary school teachers were trained, it is hard to interpret this information relative to other countries. There were 25 pupils per trained teacher in both primary and secondary education in 2014.
The target is also quite unambitious in focusing only on the supply of qualified teachers. For that reason, the GEM Report also looks at the issues of teachers motivation and support, which are presented in the Framework for Action. But around the world information is patchy because personnel databases are not closely linked to overall education management information systems.
Other aspects call for different sources. For example, assessing teacher pay relative to other professions requires the use of labour force surveys. Assessing teacher professional development requires direct surveys of teachers. Such tools exist for high income countries and should be considered for use in low and middle income countries.

13. Evidence Critical issues Finance
There is no global indicator but countries are committed to spend at least 4% of GDP and/or at least 15% of government expenditure on education
In Colombia, the government spent 4.7% of GDP and 15.9% of government expenditure on education in 2014
Evidence
Critical issues
A comprehensive picture of all finance sources is needed: institutionalize national education accounts approach to capture government, external and household financing sources
A lack of adequate and equitable finance was a key reason why the world fell short of achieving the Education for All goals between 2000 and Yet no SDG 4 target specifically relates to education finance. On the other hand, the Education Framework for Action calls on countries to allocate at least 4% of GDP and at least 15% of total government expenditure to education. Colombia exceeds both thresholds.
What is also emerging is that looking separately at financing from governments or donors is not sufficient. To get a comprehensive view of how much is being spent on education from all diverse sources, national education accounts are needed following the example of health. This is likely to highlight the extent to which households often have to pick up a large part of the bill.

14. Recommendations: National level
Build capacity
Education ministries should use the findings of household surveys to monitor inequality in their education systems.
Establish a national assessment framework that monitors a range of learning outcomes, including for those who left school early.
A focus on education quality means more than just a focus on learning outcomes: review curricula and textbooks as well.
Monitor a fuller range of lifelong learning opportunities, including adult education.
Share best practices of education policy and systems within organisations of regional cooperation.
Use national education accounts approach to improve monitoring of spending.
Credit: UNESCO/Nguyen Thanh Tuan
Looking at each target separately is likely to overwhelm policy makers as to what needs to be done as a matter of priority. The Report recommends six key steps to strengthen national monitoring of education in the next 3 to 5 years:
Ministries of education are not always aware of the extent of education inequality. Outside of Education Management Information Systems, other evidence produced by national statistical agencies through household or labour force surveys can produce highly relevant information. Ministries of education should be more involved in the design of such surveys and the use of their results.
If they have not done so already, countries should establish a sample-based national learning assessment to monitor progress in a range of learning outcomes over time. They should also seek to monitor the skills of those who have left school early.
Assessing the quality of education cannot be reduced to learning outcomes. It should include looking at policies, curricula, textbooks and teacher education programmes, judging them against the way they address tolerance, human rights, and sustainability, for instance.
Schooling alone cannot deliver all the expected outcomes from improved education by We need to focus on lifelong learning, yet at present, the education opportunities of adults are barely being monitored at all. 
Countries should be encouraged to engage in debates and exchange ideas on good practices of key education policies, for example how to address disadvantage in education. This could be best achieved within regional organizations engaged in education, as examples from Europe and Latin America suggest.
Finally, countries are encouraged to adopt a national education accounts approach to improve monitoring of education spending not only from governments and donors but also from households, which would help understand better whether the costs are shared fairly.

15. Recommendations: Regional level
Support peer learning
Voluntarily exchange information on education systems and policies with other countries in the region to better understand good practices and challenges
Involve regional organizations to make global education agenda more specific to regional context, e.g. OEI
Credit:GEM Report / Anup Vaswani
Countries increasingly collect better and more systematic information on education results through quantitative indicators. But governments also need comparative qualitative information to understand how other countries in a similar situation have responded to address education challenges.
In some parts of the world, countries have engaged in a voluntary exchange of information on their education systems and policies to learn from each other. This has been facilitated by the respective regional organizations, such as the European Union in Europe and the Organization of Ibero-American States in Latin America. The role of regional organizations, such as [name of regional organization] is critical and can help make the global education agenda more specific to the contexts of their members. The results of regional monitoring are also much more likely to be used in policy-making and sustained over time, not least because governments have an interest in neighbouring countries’ performance.

16. Recommendations: Global level
Generate consensus
Give countries chance to contribute to discussions on SDG 4 indicators in an informed and meaningful way: ensure decision-making mechanism of Technical Cooperation Group strengthens its legitimacy
Foster coordination
Introduce international household survey dedicated to education
Support monitoring of learning outcomes with code of conduct among donors to pool resources
Establish research hub related to the new global indicators
Credit:GEM Report / Sydelle Willow Smith
Finally, the Report has a number of recommendations to make at the global level.
First of all, in the coming months it is expected that the final pieces of the monitoring architecture will be put in place – both through the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG indicators for the global indicators and the Technical Cooperation Group for the SDG4 thematic indicators.
The Technical Cooperation Group, which is being convened by UIS and UNESCO, offers countries a promising forum to contribute to the education monitoring agenda on an ongoing basis. It is important for countries to be supported to contribute to the process in an informed and meaningful way. The monitoring section offers a reference for the forthcoming discussions regarding definitions and methods.
Beyond definitions, there is also the issue of global coordination to develop and provide measurement tools to support the SDG4 monitoring agenda. The GEM Report has three recommendations.
- First, with the expanded agenda and given the considerable gaps in a number of indicators, an international household survey programme dedicated to education is now needed. Existing questions in major cross-country multi-purpose surveys such as the DHS, MICS and LSMS are insufficient. Potential donors need to discuss the cost-effectiveness of a new tool of this kind.
- Second, a consistent approach is needed to support countries to build their national assessment systems to monitor learning outcomes. A code of conduct among donors and a common pool of resources is needed that would help build country capacity without overlaps and help them access shared resources.
- Third, with the expanded scope of the Education 2030 agenda, it is clear many indicators have not yet been measured on a global scale. Several issues of comparability arise, especially those related to learning outcomes, from early childhood development to digital literacy skills. A research hub should be set up to focus on issues related to the global monitoring of education. Education could draw lessons from partnerships or networks in health or agriculture that have pooled research resources to the same effect.
While there has been a lot of discussion on a data revolution driven by technology, it is clear that the main issues in education monitoring for the next 15 years call instead for more resources and better coordination.
We do not need a technology-driven data revolution but rather (i) better coordination between agencies (ii) more resources