2026 GEM Report consultation

It is essential to promote financing models that prioritize measurable outcomes. Outcome-based funding has demonstrated significant potential in supporting the effective implementation of educational technology (EdTech) tools, ensuring that both industry and educational institutions maintain a shared focus on demonstrable impact guided by clearly defined and progressive performance metrics.

The quality and effectiveness of EdTech tools used in early childhood education must be substantiated through rigorous, evidence-based research. To achieve this, stronger collaborations between academic institutions, policy-makers, funders and industry partners are necessary to ensure the development and validation of tools grounded in sound pedagogical and developmental principles.

Educational progress & pitfalls in developing countries, namely countries in the global south, who are low performers and slow reformers, but able to monitor and evaluate policy change, trends and innovation in post pandemic contexts.

Identify, analyze and disseminate the best available evidence on what works in educational change and policy innovation on global, regional and, particularly, national bases before selecting the countries that may be used as paradigms before the countdown towards the SDG4 progress.

I once said to a high official and former director of the GEM Report that, unfortunately, the LAC region was not going to make it by 2030 and he replied that “no one was going to make it”. Post pandemic evidence and trends show that the world is facing an educational crisis and global achievement gaps in all sustainable development goals. Shouldn’t we be looking on how politics and policies in overall terms impact upon educational development and emerging trends before the countdown towards 2030?

OMEP Response on Early Childhood Participation (SDG 4.2.2)

- Centrality of Early Childhood
OMEP strongly welcomes the inclusion of SDG global indicator 4.2.2 (early childhood participation) as part of the Countdown to 2030 series. Ensuring access to quality and equitable early childhood care and education (ECCE/AEPI/EPPE) is a prerequisite for the fulfillment of the right to education, holistic development, and the achievement of all Sustainable Development Goals.

- Beyond participation: defining what counts
Participation cannot be reduced to enrolment alone. It must capture:

• Age coverage: data should include ages 0–2, 3, 4 and 5, not only the pre-primary cohort.
• Quality of provision: access is meaningful only when services are safe, inclusive, culturally relevant, adequately staffed, and integrated across care, education, health, and protection.
• Equity of access: disaggregation is essential (by income, gender, disability, language, rural/urban location, migration status, and Indigenous peoples).

Determinants of progress

• Countries that show rapid increases in ECCE participation often share certain enabling factors:
• Legal recognition of ECCE as a right with strong policy frameworks,
• Public financing that prioritizes early years,
• Investment in a qualified, fairly remunerated workforce,
• Intersectoral governance linking education, health, nutrition, and social protection,
• Emphasis on cultural and linguistic rights through mother tongue and community-based programs.

- Risks to avoid

• Expansion through privatization that deepens inequities,
• Narrow measurement of participation that overlooks the youngest (0–2 years),
• Reductionist views of “foundational learning” that ignore play, creativity, and holistic development.

- Implications for the post-2030 agenda

• Explicit guarantees of free, quality ECCE from birth to school entry,
• Establishing ambitious but feasible participation targets grounded in rights,
• Strengthening monitoring systems to capture age, quality, equity, financing, and protective environments,
• Ensuring participation data are linked to policy accountability, financing transparency, and equity goals.

Conclusion
Placing early childhood participation (4.2.2) at the center of the Countdown to 2030 is essential. For OMEP, the critical question is not only how many children are enrolled, but also who they are, what kind of services they receive, and whether participation guarantees their right to education, care, and development from the very start of life.

Thankyou for opening a thread for inputs! Three broad topics that I feel are key to unlocking education equity and access:

1. Building the Learning culture: Extended avenues of learning beyond in-person school education play an important role in inculcating the learning culture within large communities. A learning culture embedded into the backbone of community speaks the loudest when it comes to sharing intent. The GEM 24-25 report 'Leadership in Education' covered this beautifully by calling out and actioning leader enablement and their important role in education goals. It would be good to see how some of these initiatives have spanned out and benefitted access and equity. Especially from a view of how they have been able to build learning cultures through extended community participation and societal change. Moreover, the focus on learning as a culture in large communities will set the stage and be a natural progression towards the planned future GEM reports of Quality as well as Relevance.

2. The Digital Divide in the AI era: It was alarming to see the insights from the GEM report that only 15% of the countries implemented one-to-one technology programmes compared to a 30% earlier. The world is undergoing unparalleled technology transformations with Gen AI making giant strides, increasing the digital divide and deeply impacting even a normal well-functioning technology adapted society. In this environment, not having solid technology programmes to help bridge the digital divide not only widens the divide, but also increases the pace at which the divide affects the inaccessible. It would be hugely beneficial to see the GEM 2026 report on Equity and Access cover insights around his and advocate for frameworks that link education to technology.

3. Displaced Communities and Education disruption: The world today is increasingly shaped by conflict, instability and displacement. In this uncertain environment, the role played by host communities and cross-border collaboration cannot be overstated. Building inclusive education systems that recognize prior learning, offer psychosocial support, and foster belonging is essential. As we look ahead to the GEM 2026 report on Equity and Access, the focus on displaced learners can be central and relevant to the global education agenda.

As part of the preparation for the GEM Report 2026, I would like to propose a set of priorities that I believe are essential for ensuring a more equitable and effective global education system:

1. Education in Emergencies and Conflict Zones
   Education in areas affected by war and natural disasters must receive special attention. This includes developing flexible curricula and providing psychological and educational support for children in these environments.

2. Equity in Access to Education
   It is crucial to address educational disparities between genders and between rural and urban regions, while ensuring the inclusion of children with disabilities in the education system.

3. Digital Transformation in Education
   Investing in digital infrastructure and training teachers in e-learning tools has become essential. Access to the internet and devices must be guaranteed for all students, especially in resource-limited countries.

4. Promoting Future Skills
   21st-century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and innovation should be integrated into curricula. Vocational and technical education should also be supported as a vital path for economic development.

5.Fair and Sustainable Education Financing
I call on governments and international institutions to increase spending on education and enhance transparency in resource distribution to ensure they reach the most vulnerable groups.

I hope these points contribute to enriching the content of the report and guiding educational policies toward a more just and sustainable future.

With sincere appreciation,
Moumen Alhatoum

Written comments are also welcome - they can be attached when writing a reply.

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