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UNICEF's Global Initiatives in Education and Child Development

UNICEF's Focus on Equity and Education

  • Ivelina Borisova is an early learning specialist at UNICEF headquarters.
  • Her role involves guiding approximately 600 colleagues in education across over 150 countries.
  • These colleagues support ministries of education and governments in enhancing their programming.

Core Focus: Reaching Marginalized Children

  • A central theme in UNICEF's work is equity, particularly reaching the most marginalized children.
  • In education, this translates to focusing on:
    • The 200,000,000 children lacking access to pre-primary education.
    • The 250,000,000 children who are not learning despite attending school.
  • Emphasis is placed on providing opportunities to children outside the system who need them most.

Global Strategy and Diverse Contexts

  • UNICEF operates in 50 countries specifically for education and 90 countries across all sectors.
  • Given the diverse contexts, a global strategy must address varied opportunities and challenges.

Prioritizing Early Childhood Education

  • Ministries of Education with limited budgets (e.g., less than 20,000,000) face numerous priorities.
  • These priorities include primary, secondary, and pre-primary education.
  • While many prioritize reading and writing, they may not realize that these skills develop in early years.
  • Starting early is seen as the best strategy for later success in school.

Multigenerational Approach

  • Working across the developmental continuum facilitates a multigenerational approach.
  • While much work is concentrated in early years, there's a growing opportunity to support younger adolescents.
  • Well-protected, educated, and healthy adolescents are more likely to provide similar opportunities for their children.

Comprehensive Support and Innovative Programs

  • UNICEF's programming increasingly builds a continuum of support for families and children.
  • This includes innovative programs such as:
    • Accelerated programs
    • Vocational opportunities
    • Parenting support for young adolescents with children.
  • All initiatives are viewed through the lens of equity.

Child Protection and Care

  • Recent data indicates that over half of children worldwide do not receive adequate care and protection to fulfill their developmental potential.

Collaboration and Evidence-Based Practices

  • UNICEF interacts with governments, NGOs, service providers, and civil society organizations.
  • Collaboration with academic partners enriches UNICEF with new evidence and ideas from institutes and universities.
  • Academics share the latest studies in child development with UNICEF.
  • Bridging academic evidence with political will and action on the ground is a key aspect of UNICEF's work.

Dedicated Individuals

  • Working with committed individuals across sectors who deeply care about children's well-being is highly rewarding.
  • Supporting children with such dedication is inspiring.