SC Sweden OpenEMIS Applied Research P0704

Technical Support for Applied Research and Data Management for Tracking Inclusive Education

Applied research in Kosovo, Bangladesh, and Indonesia to improve data management practices for tracking children with disabilities in and out of schools. 

Save the Children, with support from the IKEA Foundation, is currently implementing projects focusing on inclusive education to reach the most marginalized children, including children with disabilities in 9 countries in Asia and Europe. One of the key challenges is that education systems are not responding to the needs of children with disabilities because these children tend to remain unseen and uncounted. Data collection on children with disabilities is thus limited and are seldom included in national statistics.

Despite significant progress at the global level in improving access to education, many children are still out of formal school system due to poverty and social exclusion. Children with disabilities face some of the biggest barriers because of social stigma, inadequate facilities, and poor infrastructure, marginalizing them and removing their right to education.

In the last five years, with the support of IKEA Foundation Soft Toys Campaign funds, Save the Children has championed the education and protection of children with disabilities by including them in education policy and positioning the topic at the top government agendas in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Romania, and Kosovo. To catalyze this progress and ensure governments take responsibility for children with disabilities, these children need to be documented and included in government education statistics.

The Education Management Information System (EMIS) captures information on all children with and without disabilities in Bangladesh, Kosovo and Indonesia by assessing gaps in existing data collection mechanisms, testing reliable data collection, then managing and sharing this information in an open environment. This helps education stakeholders and ministries in better allocating resources based on clear data and evidence of affected children, advancing policies that enable all children to receive a quality education and thrive.

Project Profile