Ressources

Latin America and the Caribbean has the largest and most challenging socio-economic inequalities in the world, which have shaped its education systems over the decades. This report looks at everyone both in and excluded from education in the region, pinpointing barriers facing learners, especially when multiple disadvantages intersect. The report also explores challenges in education posed by COVID-19 and the need for urgent action to prevent an exacerbation of inequalities.

Produced by the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report team, in partnership with the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC) and the Laboratory of Education Research and Innovation for Latin America and the Caribbean (SUMMA), the report assesses key solutions for greater inclusion through several case studies from the region. It provides in-depth analysis on challenges to inclusion in education arising from migration and displacement in Colombia and Costa Rica; remoteness in Brazil and Suriname; disability in Cuba and Nicaragua; gender in Peru and Jamaica; sexual orientation, gender identity and expression in Chile and Mexico; poverty in the Dominican Republic and Honduras; ethnicity in Bolivia and Ecuador; and incarceration in El Salvador and Uruguay.

Building on the 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report, this regional edition concludes that strong laws and policies in Latin America and the Caribbean demonstrate a commitment to inclusion, but that the daily realities faced by learners suggest implementation is lagging. Recommendations are aimed at promoting more inclusive education systems to benefit all children and youth, no matter their background, identity or ability. The recommendations provide a systematic framework for identifying and dismantling barriers for vulnerable populations, according to the principle that ‘every learner matters and matters equally’.