Education in emergencies data

Today, 127 million primary and secondary school-age children and young people living in crisis-affected country are out of school. This is almost half of the global out-of-school population.     

One of the key challenges facing education in crisis-affected countries is the lack of accurate, reliable and timely data, essential to drive effective education responses. Available data is often fragmented with collection and use reflecting and reinforcing existing misalignments between humanitarian and development programming. This leads to the inaccurate identification of vulnerable groups and their needs, the misdirection of already insufficient funding and poor decision-making that does not respond adequately to integrate their needs into policy and programme interventions.     

UNESCO is working to improve the production, analyses, dissemination and utilization of Education in Emergencies (EiE) data, through better coordination, standardization and integration into institutional systems. It also aims to bridge the gap between humanitarian and development programming pre, during and post-crises. Better coordinated and improved access to quality data leads to greater inclusion of the most vulnerable populations and better sector-wide delivery of equitable, quality and lifelong learning needs for emergency, disaster and crisis-affected populations.

A key channel to coordinate, standardize and harmonize EiE data is institutional education information systems which, when adapted to crisis contexts, can better identify, address and monitor the education needs of vulnerable populations. UNESCO, including IIEP, in partnership with NORCAP and supported by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), is working to strengthen institutional education information systems for data driven education in emergencies and resilience to crises. Activities at country and global level support the alignment of data collected and used by both humanitarian and development partners, as well as education authorities. 

UNESCO in partnership with SIDA, Education Above All and UNHCR are also developing standards and guidelines to better harmonise and integrate EiE data in information systems as well as improving existing data quality assurance and dissemination of EiE data.  

Going beyond technical support and capacity development, UNESCO aims to facilitate the generation, dissemination and exchange of information and knowledge on EiE Data practices, policies and legislative frameworks. This supports the development, implementation, and monitoring of evidence-based institutional education policies aimed at building system resilience, including those related to data and information, in pursuit of meeting the SDG4 goals. UNESCO’s advocacy for greater institutionalization of EiE and EiE data is enabled through active engagement on global coordination groups such as the Geneva Global Hub on Education in Emergencies, the INEE Data Reference Group on Education in Emergencies, OCHA Data Responsibility Working Group, Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES), Global Coalition for the Protection of Education from Attack (GCPEA), International Data Alliance for Children on the Move (IDAC), and others.