New Study on SDG Target 4.1 and National Assessment Frameworks for Mathematics

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the UNESCO International Bureau of Education are working together to support national strategies for measuring learning and to enable international reporting on SDG 4.1 within the Education 2030 Framework for Action. Together, they analysed 115 national assessment frameworks, from 53 Member States, using a new coding scheme of mathematical content domains and sub-categories, with the aim of finding ways to link different assessment results and to report them in a globally-comparable way.

Global Consultation on How to Define Scientific and Technological Services

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) has launched a global consultation on a set of key definitions used in “UNESCO’s Recommendation Concerning the International Standardization of Statistics on Science and Technology”. By updating these definitions, the UIS is seeking to improve the accuracy, reliability and comparability of international data on science and technology (S&T).

The Teacher’s Waking Nightmare

You did well at school and at college. You studied hard and made great sacrifices to qualify as a teacher – determined to help the next generation reach their full potential. But now you’re standing in a poorly-equipped classroom in front of 50 children aged from 6 to 11 years old. You have a few textbooks that are falling apart, only a handful of pens and pencils, a few scraps of paper, and no chalk for the chalkboard painted on the crumbling wall behind you. And your pupils are looking at you expectantly, ready for you to teach them everything that they need to know.

News from Hamburg: Big Steps Forward towards Reliable Metrics to Harmonise Learning Assessment Data Globally

On the day that the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) released new global numbers of children and adolescents not learning, representatives from regional and international learning assessments gathered in Hamburg, Germany.

UIS Data Show the Importance of the Culture Sector in the Workforce

The UIS has released new internationally-comparable cultural employment statistics. The collection includes 195 indicators offering a comprehensive perspective of cultural industries in 73 countries and territories. 

The release includes data for the reference year 2015 and detailed metadata for each indicator as well as country-level information.

6 Out of 10 Children and Adolescents Are Not Learning a Minimum in Reading and Math

New data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics show that 617 million children and adolescents worldwide are not achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. The figure signals “a learning crisis” according to the UIS, which could threaten progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

New Data Reveal a Learning Crisis that Threatens Development Around the World

New data released today by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) show that 617 million children and adolescents worldwide are not reaching minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. This signals a learning crisis that could threaten progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Advancing the Agenda on Monitoring Learning Globally

In its efforts to develop methodologies and data reporting for Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), the UIS is inviting technical experts from regional and international learning assessment organizations to a Second Meeting of Cross-National Assessments. Hosted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), the meeting is convened in Hamburg, Germany from 21 to 22 September 2017.

How Do We Develop Education Indicators? Read our New Paper

A new methodological paper explains the process undertaken by UIS experts to produce internationally-comparable education indicators. Entitled “UIS Indicator Development in the Field of Education”, the paper explains how the Institute takes measures to reduce the burden on survey respondents by using existing mechanisms and outlines the steps taken to produce new indicators.