Following four regional calls for proposals between July and September 2020, 22 projects have been selected to generate and mobilize knowledge to address shared policy challenges and strengthen national education systems in GPE partner countries.

Implemented by Canada’s International Development Research Centre, the GPE Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) connects the expertise, innovation and knowledge of GPE partners to help partner countries build stronger education systems, thereby accelerating progress towards achieving SDG 4.

With a combined budget of almost $20 million, regional grants will:

• Build knowledge about innovative solutions to shared policy challenges in GPE partner countries and how their positive impacts can be scaled up
• Support the use of that knowledge in and across education systems for policy, practice and technological development and implementation
• Strengthen capacities to generate and use knowledge and innovation for education.

Each call for proposal was designed to respond to shared education policy challenges of GPE partner countries in each of the four KIX regions of Latin America and the Caribbean; East and Southern Africa (Africa 19); West and Central Africa and the Indian Ocean (Africa 21); and Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

To identify these challenges, the four KIX regional hubs led a process from March to July 2020 across partner countries to identify policy priorities in their region. This process involved consultation with government and non-governmental education stakeholders and regional experts, as well as a review of education sector plans and regional education analyses.

Grants awarded in the Latin America and the Caribbean hub

The priorities identified for this region are: rural inequalities; context-specific capacity building efforts; and gender equity and inclusion in education planning and practice.

The selected projects include:

• Digital adaptations for effective and inclusive distance learning in rural communities in Honduras and Nicaragua
• Adapting and scaling peer tutoring for teachers and school leaders for equitable rural education
• Strategies to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and foster equity in rural schools 
• Strengthening teachers and school principals´ capacity for scaling innovation from the bottom up in the education system in the Caribbean.

Grants awarded in the East, West and Southern Africa hub (Africa 19)

The priorities identified for this region are: strengthening in-service teacher mentorship and support; increasing access to early childhood care and education for rural and marginalized children; increasing access to quality education for rural and marginalized children; and strengthening the utilization of learning assessments.

The selected projects include:

• Scaling a youth-led social support and mentorship program to improve quality of education for marginalized girls in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
• The Back2School Project: Scaling an accelerated learning model for out-of-school girls in rural communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania
• A comparative study of accelerated education programs and girls’ focused education models in Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone
• Strengthening school based in-service teacher mentorship and support
• Adapting assessment into policy and learning (ADAPT): Adolescent 21st century skills in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania
• The inclusive home-based early learning project.

Grants awarded in the West and Central Africa and the Indian Ocean hub (Africa 21)

The priorities identified for this region are: pre- and in-service teacher training; offering opportunities for out-of-school children and youth; promoting gender equality and girls’ success in school; and quality teaching and learning in multilingual environments.

The selected projects include:

• Improving knowledge on gender norms to promote gender equality in schools in Africa
• The Forum of African Women Educationalists’ gender-sensitive school model as an innovative response to the challenge of gender equality
• Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teacher and student education for primary schools–STEPS
• A new model of bridging classes to improve learning of out-of-school children and youth
• Improving community teacher development in the digital era
• Strengthening bilingual and multilingual learning systems in francophone Africa.

Grants awarded in the Europe, Asia, and the Pacific hub

The priorities identified for this region are: realizing the potential of new curricula; optimizing education management information systems (EMIS); inclusive access and stronger learning outcomes; and improving distance teaching and learning.

The selected projects include are:

• Effectiveness and scalability of programs for children who are out of school and at risk of dropping out in Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal
• The impact of gender and inclusive pedagogies on students’ participation and learning achievement at secondary school during the pandemic and beyond
• A multi-modal approach to teacher professional development in low resource settings
• Distance education to improve quality and access to school education in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan
• School leaders as agents of change towards equity and inclusion
• Data-driven school improvement - Opportunities, challenges and scalable solutions.

All projects will begin implementation in the coming months following grant contract finalization.