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GEM 2020: Inclusion and Education – All Means All

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

  • Theme and purpose

    • The GEM Report (Global Education Monitoring Report) is the independent annual publication tracking SDG 4 and education within other SDGs.
    • 2020 focus: Inclusion in education — All means all.
    • Education is a universal right and a pathway to inclusive, democratic societies; Covid-19 has amplified existing inequalities and disrupted learning worldwide.
    • The report promotes widening the understanding of inclusive education to include all learners, irrespective of identity, background or ability.
    • Inclusion is a process and a state of affairs; it requires changes in culture, policy and practice to ensure belonging and equitable access.
    • The CRPD frames inclusive education: Article 24 guarantees the right to inclusive education and calls for an inclusion-oriented system at all levels, but it stops short of a single precise definition, leaving interpretation to governance and contexts (explained in detail in Box 1.1 and Box 1.2).
    • The report emphasizes the risk that inclusion efforts can backfire if not well-supported (e.g., moving students with disabilities into mainstream settings without adequate resources).
    • The report views inclusion as a means to achieve SDG 4’s broader goals of equity, diversity, universal access, and lifelong learning for all.

  • Key concepts and historical context

    • Inclusion is tied to the evolution from charity/medical models of disability to social/rights-based models (Boxes 1.1 and 1.2): disability is seen as arising from barriers in environment and society, not just impairments.
    • General Comment No. 4 (CRPD, 2016) defines inclusive education as a process of systemic reform: eliminating barriers, ensuring equitable and participatory learning, and accommodating diverse needs; placement in mainstream settings alone does not equal inclusion.
    • Inclusion involves transforming culture, policy, and practice across formal and informal education to ensure full participation and achievement for all, especially those excluded or marginalized.

  • Observed patterns and indicators (Highlights from Chapter 1)

    • Disparities exist across regions and groups in access, progression, and learning outcomes.
    • Socio-economic status strongly predicts learning achievement and progression (e.g., wealth gaps in reading/math proficiency and in completing secondary education).
    • Children with disabilities are disproportionately represented among out-of-school populations and face higher barriers to learning.
    • Language of instruction and identification processes can influence learning outcomes and inclusion; exclusions may be undercounted in some assessments.
    • There are large regional variations in how inclusive education is defined and implemented (68% of countries have a definition of inclusive education; only 57% cover multiple marginalized groups).

  • Data and measurement challenges (Chapter 3 focus)

    • Data availability on inclusion is uneven; as of 2015-2019, 41% of countries, representing 13% of the global population, lacked publicly available disaggregated data.
    • Child Functioning Module data indicate that children with disabilities account for a significant share of the out-of-school population (about 15% in the 14-country sample using the module).
    • There is a tendency to overestimate learning outcomes in some assessments, particularly for disadvantaged learners.

  • The representation of diversity and risks to inclusion (Figures and Boxes referenced in Chapter 1)

    • Box 1.1: Evolution of disability concepts (charity/medical/social models) and the social model as a foundation for inclusive education.
    • Box 1.2–1.6: Examples of inclusion challenges across groups (Rohingya, stateless people, Roma in Europe, Afro-descendants in Latin America, albinism in sub-Saharan Africa) to illustrate how multiple identities intersect with exclusion.
    • Figure 1.9 (popular equality vs. equity representation) and Figure 1.10 (All means all) illustrate nuances of equality, equity, and inclusion.

  • Why inclusive education matters

    • Inclusion improves academic achievement, social-emotional development, self-esteem, and peer acceptance; it also reduces stigma and discrimination when properly resourced.
    • Inclusive systems require investments in curricula, teacher training, materials, accessibility, and support services; there may be cost savings from eliminating parallel structures and leveraging one inclusive mainstream system.
    • Economic justifications exist but are not sufficient alone; inclusion is a moral imperative and a foundational prerequisite for SDGs and democratic societies.

  • Guide to the report and its structure

    • The report comprises eight thematic chapters (Ch. 2–Ch. 9 and beyond) plus a monitoring section (Ch. 9–Ch. 21) addressing SDG 4 targets and means of implementation.
    • It integrates country profiles via PEER (Profiles Enhancing Education Reviews) to facilitate peer learning and policy dialogue.
    • The monitoring portion evaluates SDG 4 indicators, data gaps, and measurement challenges, with attention to household surveys, learning assessments, and teacher data, plus cross-cutting issues in governance and finance.

  • Recommendations (Overview of the ten recommendations, Chapter 1)

    • 1) Widen the understanding of inclusive education to cover all learners.
    • 2) Target financing to those left behind; twin-track funding: general and targeted support.
    • 3) Share expertise and resources; move specialist support toward mainstream schools as needed.
    • 4) Engage in meaningful consultation with communities and parents; avoid top-down imposition.
    • 5) Ensure cross-government collaboration; map responsibilities across sectors and levels; decentralization must be matched with capacity.
    • 6) Involve non-government actors to challenge gaps and monitor commitments.
    • 7) Apply universal design to curricula and learning environments; avoid segregated tracks; include diverse languages and representations; ensure adaptable assessment.
    • 8) Prepare and empower the education workforce; train teachers on inclusion; promote diverse teaching staff.
    • 9) Collect data on inclusion with caution against labeling; use Washington Group Short Set and Child Functioning Module where appropriate; avoid harm to learners.
    • 10) Learn from peers; use country profiles and international networks to share experiences and scale inclusion.

  • PEER profiles (Chapter 1, Box context)

    • PEER provides country-level analyses of inclusion and education laws, policies, governance, learning environments, teachers, and monitoring; designed to support policy dialogue and benchmarking.
    • Profiles cover seven areas of information and feed into the broader analysis in Chapter 2.

  • Covid-19 context in Chapter 1 summary

    • The report places Covid-19 as a new layer of exclusion, highlighting remote learning gaps, digital divides, and the risk of widening inequalities if responses are not inclusive.

  • Opening framing from Forewords (Context)

    • The Foreword themes emphasize that inclusion is essential for resilience, equity, and sustainable development; equitable access to education is fundamental in crisis and recovery efforts; call for public policy that addresses intersecting disadvantages.

  • Important acronyms and terms to know

    • SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
    • CRPD: Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Article 24: rights to inclusive education and support within the education system.
    • CES: Not used in this excerpt; focus is on inclusion, equality, equity, and non-discrimination.

  • Key numbers and data points to remember (from Highlights and Chapter 1 context)

    • Out-of-school children, adolescents, and youth: approximately 258 ext{ million} globally; about 17 ext{%} of the global total.
    • In high-income Europe and Northern America, the poorest youth completing secondary school: about 18/100 of the richest peers (i.e., 18 per 100).
    • In sub-Saharan Africa, the situation for poor rural young women completing secondary school is especially dire (at least in 20 countries).
    • Definition of inclusive education: present in 68 ext{%} of countries; only 57 ext{%} have definitions that cover multiple marginalized groups.
    • Since 2015, 41 ext{%} of countries (representing about 13 ext{%} of the global population) had no publicly available disaggregated household survey data.
    • Child Functioning Module data suggest that children with disabilities account for about 15 ext{%} of out-of-school children in the studied sample.
    • Disadvantage and learning gap: in 10 LMICs, children with disabilities were 19 ext{%} less likely to achieve minimum reading proficiency than those without disabilities.
    • In middle-income countries, there has been a 25 ext{ percentage point} increase in participation in education over ~15 years, but by age 15, roughly 75 ext{%} are still in school; of those, only about 50 ext{%} learn the basics.
    • Regional reading proficiency misclassification noted: about 75 ext{%} of students who performed no better than random guessing on MCQs were still labeled proficient in reading in a Latin American regional assessment (15 countries).

  • Conceptual takeaway

    • Inclusion is both an ethical imperative and a practical necessity for higher quality, more resilient education systems.
    • The report emphasizes the need to balance ambitious inclusion goals with realistic implementation, resource allocation, and context-sensitive policy design.

CHAPTER 2. LAWS AND POLICIES

  • Core idea

    • Inclusion in education is driven by international instruments and declarations; national laws translate these into concrete policy action.
    • International instruments have shaped inclusive education; CRPD and Convention-era commitments underpin national laws, but implementation varies and can be hindered by vague or contradictory laws.

  • Legal landscape and focus

    • Laws tend to frame inclusion around disability; many policies emphasize access for persons with disabilities, sometimes at the expense of broader inclusion (Boxed examples illustrate gaps and tensions).
    • Some countries retain segregated education options (special schools) despite commitments to inclusion; others pursue inclusive mainstream education with varying levels of resource support.

  • Covid-19 lens

    • The chapter includes a short section on how Covid-19 challenges interact with laws and policies, highlighting legal and policy gaps in crisis response related to inclusion.

  • Data and implementation gaps

    • There is a need for clearer alignment between international commitments and national implementation; dissonances between law and practice can hinder inclusive education.

  • Practical implications for policy design

    • Laws and policies should clearly define inclusive education beyond disability; ensure universal design, cross-sector coordination, and dedicated funding for inclusion.

CHAPTER 3. DATA

  • Scope and challenges

    • Data collected on inclusion vary across countries; groups monitored differ, and data quality varies.
    • The availability of data on vulnerable populations and disaggregated indicators remains inconsistent.

  • Data types and sources

    • Household surveys, learning assessments, and administrative data are central to SDG 4 monitoring but have gaps, especially for disability, ethnicity, migration, and other minority groups.
    • The Child Functioning Module and the Washington Group Short Set of Questions are important tools for disability data; their uptake is uneven.

  • Qualitative dimensions

    • Beyond quantitative indicators, the report addresses segregation, administrative data, and qualitative aspects of inclusion, such as school climate, perceptions of belonging, and discrimination.

  • Monitoring and reporting gaps

    • The report emphasizes the need for better data to understand who is left behind, how, where, and why, to inform targeted interventions and monitoring progress toward SDG 4.

CHAPTER 4. GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE

  • Collaboration and governance

    • Delivering inclusive education requires multi-actor collaboration: education ministries with other ministries, subnational authorities, NGOs, and communities.
    • Good governance of complex partnerships is essential for implementing inclusive policies at scale.

  • Financing and equity

    • Financing strategies must support both general education funding and targeted interventions for groups at risk of exclusion (twin-track financing).
    • Practical examples include conditional cash transfers and targeted funding in various countries; social protection programs can boost education attainment.
    • Donor and ODA patterns show shifts in aid and the need to align aid with disability-inclusive education.

  • Policy and practice alignment

    • The chapter discusses the need to connect laws, plans, and budgets with on-the-ground implementation and monitoring mechanisms.

CHAPTER 5. CURRICULA, TEXTBOOKS AND ASSESSMENTS

  • Inclusive curricula

    • Curricula should reflect diversity and be adaptable to diverse learners; avoid content that excludes or misrepresents groups.
    • Multilingual and culturally responsive instruction is highlighted (e.g., Odisha, India; indigenous languages).

  • Textbooks and images

    • Textbooks can exclude through omission or misrepresentation; gender, ethnicity, language, and disability portrayals matter for inclusion.
    • Images and language should promote visibility of all learners and challenge stereotypes.

  • Assessments

    • Assessment should be reliable, relevant, and formative; accommodate diverse learning needs; avoid benchmarking systems that disadvantage marginalized groups.

  • Other considerations

    • Early identification of learning needs and the use of inclusive assessment accommodations are emphasized.

CHAPTER 6. TEACHERS

  • Inclusive teaching and teacher attitudes

    • Inclusion requires teachers to adapt to student strengths and needs; attitudes toward inclusion can be supportive but may be mixed (scepticism or fear in some contexts).

  • Training and professional development

    • Teachers need comprehensive training on inclusion; lack of training is a major barrier.
    • In-service training on inclusive education is limited in many contexts; in several African and LMIC contexts, training coverage is low.

  • Staffing diversity

    • There are challenges in achieving diverse teaching staff; representation of minority groups among teachers varies by country.

  • Support and workload

    • Teachers need support to ensure inclusive teaching; the distribution of teaching responsibilities and workload can impact inclusion.

  • Staffing and support personnel

    • Education support personnel play a role in enabling inclusive practices; deployment and adequacy vary by country.

CHAPTER 7. SCHOOLS

  • School ethos and inclusion

    • An inclusive school ethos is foundational; head teachers require professional development to lead inclusion.

  • Access and physical infrastructure

    • Safe and accessible schools matter; many schools lack basic facilities and accessibility features.
    • Universal design and accessible infrastructure (toilets, ramps, classroom layouts) are essential.

  • Technology and inclusion

    • Technology can facilitate participation for students with disabilities but requires investment, teacher readiness, and appropriate pedagogy.

  • Overall conclusions

    • A significant number of schools struggle to implement inclusive policies and practices; systemic changes are needed to enable inclusion across all levels.

CHAPTER 8. STUDENTS, PARENTS AND COMMUNITIES

  • Vulnerable students and belonging

    • Vulnerable students want inclusion but may fear isolation; belonging and sense of safety are critical for engagement.

  • Parental attitudes and involvement

    • Parents can both drive inclusive education or resist it; engagement strategies should address concerns and misconceptions.

  • Communities and civil society

    • Communities and organizations support governments and hold them to account for inclusive education; civil society plays a monitoring and advocacy role.

  • Key takeaways

    • Multi-stakeholder engagement and community-driven approaches are essential for sustained inclusion.

CHAPTER 9. MONITORING EDUCATION IN THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

  • Monitoring framework developments

    • Positive developments in SDG 4 monitoring framework; data gaps remain for several global indicators.

  • Data availability challenges

    • Notable data gaps exist across household surveys, learning assessments, and teacher data, with regional disparities in data availability.

  • Guide for monitoring (print and online)

    • The chapter provides guidance on how to monitor SDG 4 indicators, including the role of PEER and country profiles in tracking policy progress.

CHAPTER 10. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

  • School participation and attendance

    • Focus on attendance vs. completion: disparities persist; in some regions, over-age attendance remains high; and many out-of-school children are not yet ready to re-enter.

  • Learning outcomes

    • Learning challenges include reading and numeracy gaps; even wealthy countries show struggles with reading proficiency benchmarks; language of instruction can affect outcomes for disadvantaged learners.

  • Illustrative focuses

    • Focus 10.1: High rates of over-age attendance in some countries.
    • Focus 10.2: Hidden out-of-school children in high-income countries.
    • Focus 10.3: Low performance in learning assessments; need for improved learning data and context-specific interpretation.

CHAPTER 11. EARLY CHILDHOOD

  • Participation and development

    • Early childhood education participation trends; development is closely linked to later learning outcomes.

  • Early entry dynamics

    • Early entry into pre-primary tends to be more common than previously believed in some contexts.

  • Public provision gaps

    • Public pre-primary education systems are incomplete in many low-income contexts; access remains uneven.

CHAPTER 12. TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL, TERTIARY AND ADULT EDUCATION

  • Access and equity in tertiary and non-formal education

    • Not all countries experience rapid expansion of tertiary education; barriers persist for adults and marginalized groups in pursuing education.

  • Prison education and adult learning

    • Emphasis on education as a right and investment, including in prison settings; adult education participation remains limited in many LMICs.

  • Focus boxes

    • 12.1: Adults pursuing education face multiple barriers.
    • 12.2: Prison education is recognized as a right and an investment.

CHAPTER 13. SKILLS FOR WORK

  • Entrepreneurship and skills needs
    • Focus on necessity entrepreneurship and its implications for skills; linkages between education and employability are examined.

CHAPTER 14. EQUITY

  • Equity in schooling and measurement
    • Focus on issues such as single-sex schools, indigenous identification in surveys, and cross-country variation in equity indicators.

CHAPTER 15. LITERACY AND NUMERACY

  • Literacy programmes and disability inclusivity
    • Programs should strive to reach people with learning disabilities and other barriers; literacy is fundamental but often unevenly addressed.

CHAPTER 16. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

  • Target 4.7 and curriculum breadth
    • Progress in monitoring and reporting on target 4.7 has been incremental; slow textbook development can hinder progress toward 4.7.
  • Curriculum coverage vs. diversity and tolerance
    • Curricula often cover environmental topics more broadly than diversity and tolerance.

CHAPTER 17. EDUCATION FACILITIES AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

  • Facilities and accessibility
    • Primary schools in many poor contexts lack basic WASH facilities and accessible design; safe and inclusive environments are essential.
  • Mobility and safety
    • Safe access to and within schools is critical for inclusion; facilities must accommodate students with disabilities.
  • Attitudes and discipline
    • Corporal punishment remains a barrier; social attitudes influence school climate and inclusion.

CHAPTER 18. SCHOLARSHIPS

  • Scholarships by region and allocation
    • Scholarship patterns show disparities across regions; sub-Saharan Africa scholarships are increasing but require inclusivity.
  • Focus on post-secondary access
    • France and Germany dominate aid to post-secondary scholarships; per-capita differences exist across small states.

CHAPTER 19. TEACHERS (FOCUS CHAPTER)

  • Teacher workforce and education quality
    • Data show disparities in trained teachers by level and region; teacher working hours are misestimated by the public in some contexts.
  • Support personnel
    • The deployment of education support personnel varies; some contexts use teaching assistants to reduce pupil-teacher ratios.
  • Professional development
    • There is a need for ongoing professional development focused on inclusion; teachers’ knowledge and skills are critical to inclusive practice.

CHAPTER 20. EDUCATION IN THE OTHER SDGS — FOCUS ON GENDER EQUALITY, CLIMATE CHANGE AND PARTNERSHIPS

  • Intersections with gender and climate
    • Education’s relationship with gender equality is strong but mediated by norms; climate change education requires stronger capacity building.
  • Cross-sector partnerships
    • Strengthened partnerships and professional capacity are needed to support gender equality and climate change efforts within education.

CHAPTER 21. FINANCE

  • Public expenditure and aid
    • Domestic public expenditure on education and aid to education are examined; aid flows have stagnated around 0.3% of GNI for the past decade.
  • Out-of-pocket and household expenditure
    • Household expenditure patterns show gender bias in education spending in some contexts; lower-income households bear higher relative costs.
  • Donor priorities and financing mechanisms
    • Donors’ approaches to disability-inclusive education are evolving; new financing definitions may improve aid to education monitoring.
  • Aid to education vs. humanitarian aid
    • Humanitarian aid to education is increasing, but overall aid to education faces competition with other priorities and may be misaligned with long-term inclusion goals.

BOXES AND FIGURES (selected overview to reinforce Chapter 1 themes)

  • Box 1.1–1.6 illustrate evolving disability concepts, real-world inclusion challenges (albinism, statelessness, Rohingya, Roma, Afro-descendants), and the legal/rights-based framing that underpins inclusive education.
  • Figure 1.1 to 1.10 illustrate poverty, inequality, out-of-school rates, wealth gaps, and the All Means All concept; these visuals underpin the narrative that exclusion is multi-layered and systemic.
  • Box 2.x and Box 3.x provide country-level and regional case studies (Portugal, Kenya, Fiji, Laos, etc.) to illustrate how inclusion policies are enacted and the challenges in implementation.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT: PEER PROFILES AND METHODOLOGY

  • PEER: Profiles Enhancing Reviews in Education
    • An online tool to monitor national education laws and policies related to inclusion; country profiles cover seven areas: definitions, school organization, laws/policies, governance, learning environments, teachers/support personnel, and monitoring.
    • Profiles support policy dialogue and regional peer learning; available in English, French, and Spanish.
  • Methodology for PEER profiles
    • Based on literature reviews, with selected subnational data; validation requested from countries via UNESCO delegations.
    • Profiles inform Chapter 2 analyses and contribute to monitoring by illustrating diverse national approaches.

SUMMARY OF KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Inclusion in education is a global invariant but is implemented in diverse ways; the central aim is to ensure every learner’s dignity, participation, access, and achievement.

  • The CRPD framework shifted the approach from segregated to inclusive education but requires ongoing cultural, policy, and infrastructure transformation.

  • Data and evidence are critical: without robust, disaggregated data, governments cannot identify gaps, monitor progress, or tailor interventions effectively.

  • Finance and governance are major levers: inclusive education demands both universal provision and targeted resources for the furthest behind, along with cross-sector collaboration and accountable governance.

  • The Covid-19 crisis intensifies exclusion risks, highlighting the need for inclusive digital learning, accessible technology, and resilient education systems.

  • Practical action steps (as per Recommendations): broaden definitions of inclusion, twin-track financing, engage communities, strengthen governance, apply universal design, invest in teacher development and support, improve data collection with safeguards, and promote peer learning and policy exchange.

REFERENCES AND LICENSING NOTES

  • The GEM Report is prepared by an independent team hosted by UNESCO; content reflects the authors’ analyses and does not constitute UNESCO position on all legal matters.
  • The report is Open Access under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO; attribution to UNESCO is required for reuse.