Despite the wealth of data available at local, national, regional, and global levels, policy makers still face challenges in contextualizing and applying this data to education policy and practice.

National representatives in the 36 countries served by the GPE Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Asia and Pacific (EMAP) Hub¹ have identified the effective use of data in education as a key priority area for knowledge creation and exchange.

The traditional approach – capacity-strengthening on how to analyze/use data – is not the only answer. Based on a scoping study and the Hub’s participatory needs assessment, three conditions need to be met to improve uptake:

1. A data-friendly ecosystem
2. A closer linkage between production and uptake of evidence, and
3. Local expertise that informs expertise-seeking arrangements at the global level.

The Hub’s layered, multi-level engagement strategy reflects these three objectives.

The first level of activities focuses on education stakeholders’ exposure to evidence, innovations, peer exchange, and acquisition of basic knowledge and skills through activities such as webinars and conferences. The objective is the creation of a critical mass of policy makers, researchers, civil society representatives and other stakeholders who engage with how data and evidence can be used effectively.

The second level of activities requires more in-depth engagement with a specific theme. It includes activities such as the EMAP Learning Cycles, in which national experts exchange, produce and use evidence to address a specific education challenge.

The third and most in-depth level focuses on tailored support to develop national expertise on a specific identified gap deemed critical by national experts for an ongoing education reform process. Promising results are emerging from this multi-level engagement approach to respond to countries’ demands.

Level 1: A critical mass engages with the use of data for policy making

Knowledge sharing and peer exchange is essential. In webinars, such as “Using ‘Evidence’ in Educational Planning and Management”, “Data that speaks, school reforms that follow” and “Girls’ Education: Counting the Uncounted”, over 700 stakeholders learned about new tools and approaches, and exchanged practical experiences. As a takeaway, a participant from Kyrgyzstan highlighted the importance “that the evidence is used at different levels of involvement in education policy: policy maker (local, national, international) and representatives of civil society.”

Similarly, the KIX EMAP Education Policy and Innovation Conferences (EPIC) provided national stakeholders with a platform to discuss instruments and techniques for using data in policy and planning, and to address inequity and low education quality.

In such opportunities, national actors could also engage with the evidence generated by GPE KIX research projects. A similar opportunity took place in the recent KIX National Uptake Forums in Bangladesh and the Maldives, where national actors had a chance to connect lessons emerging from KIX’s work to existing needs and local policy debates.

Level 2: Strengthening skills of key supporters and users of data for policy and planning

The second level of engagement focuses on capacity strengthening. For example, two KIX EMAP Learning Cycles addressed the topic of data use in education through the use of diagnostic tools and geospatial data. In one of the Learning Cycles, a team from Sindh, Pakistan, produced and published an analysis of girls’ primary school completion in rural areas, along with actionable policy recommendations.

In the Maldives, the Learning Cycle on geospatial data enabled a team of national experts to identify a significant gap in access to higher secondary education in some atolls. The evidence generated prompted the Ministry of Education to change its policy.

According to one of the authors of the Learning Cycle study, “These findings have actually helped our policy makers to make informed decisions regarding providing higher secondary across different regions of the Maldives.”

In October 2021, it was announced that higher secondary education would be accessible across all 20 atolls in the Maldives, encompassing 34 government schools.

Level 3: Customized support for improving the use of data for equity

Developing national expertise on specific gaps for education reform is a long-term goal. The KIX EMAP Hub has been collaborating with Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) on a deeper engagement level through the Rapid Customised Country Support (RCCS) mechanism.

In the words of a government representative, “Although the priorities are set, the big question to answer is ‘how’” to respond and provide concrete solutions that meet those set priorities.

Responding to a request from the MoEYS, the Hub has provided targeted support to the Department of Policy in developing teacher workforce projections. The initiative seeks to address imbalances in teacher distribution, including shortages in rural areas, oversupply in urban regions, and subject-specific gaps at the secondary level.

As the activity progresses, government representatives have already identified several policy recommendations aimed at achieving a more equitable and sustainable teacher allocation system.

The EMAP Hub’s responsive approach to education system needs

Irrespective of the level of engagement, the impact of the Hub’s work on the use of data for policy and planning is ultimately influenced by its ability to listen to demands and co-create relevant responses. National experts are the key drivers of change, and the Hub's support aims to further surface and amplify their expertise and knowledge for better policy and planning decisions.

While the effective use of data is perceived as a key thematic area for transforming education systems, the Hub’s work is not solely focused on this theme. Instead, the Hub addresses other priority areas and remains agile and receptive to the evolving needs of national education systems.

To learn more about the Hub’s work and participate in the activities, reach out to us at the regional level or contact the KIX National Coordinator in your respective EMAP country.

We thank Allison Vas, KIX EMAP Hub, Gita Steiner-Khamsi, KIX EMAP Hub and José Luís Canêlhas, KIX EMAP Hub for their inputs in developing this blog.

1. KIX is a joint endeavor between the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and GPE to connect expertise, innovation and knowledge to support low- and middle-income countries to build stronger education systems and accelerate progress toward SDG 4. GPE KIX Regional Hubs represent a cluster of GPE partner countries and function as regional platforms to facilitate cross-country knowledge exchange and mobilization, learning, synthesis, and collaboration among key national education stakeholders. NORRAG, The Geneva Graduate Institute Global Education Centre, is the Regional Learning Partner hosting the KIX Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Asia and Pacific (EMAP) Hub.