Reaching the marginalized: EFA global monitoring report, 2010; 2010

21Education for All Global Monitoring Report00CHAPTER 5Governmentsneed to use datato targetresources tounderperformingschools and areas1 Set equity-based targets for allof the Education for All goalsInternational development goals such as thoseadopted at Dakar and the Millennium DevelopmentGoals set national targets. Most national educationstrategies do the same. National average targetsare important because they provide valuablebenchmarks for measuring progress – but theyare not enough. Governments should also setequity-based targets that focus on themarginalized. These targets could be defined interms of narrowing disparities based on wealth,gender, language and location. National andinternational reporting on movement towardssuch targets would help increase the visibilityof the marginalized, identify areas of progressand problems, and inform policy choices.2 Develop data collection systemswith a focus on disaggregatedstatistics to identify marginalizedgroups and monitor their progressMonitoring and measurement are critical incombating marginalization. They should be seenas an integral part of strategies aimed at identifyingsocial groups and regions that are being left behind,raising their visibility and identifying what works interms of policy intervention. Effective monitoringand disaggregated data are also a requirement forassessing progress towards equity-based targets.Too often, national statistical surveys fail toadequately capture the circumstances andconditions of those being left behind, reinforcingtheir marginalization. Timely data for monitoringequity gaps in learning are even harder to come by.The Deprivation and Marginalization in Educationdata set developed for this Report could be usedas part of a larger tool kit to strengthen the focuson equity. To inform policy, governments need toinvest more in developing national data systemsthat allow for a more finely tuned understandingof marginalization and its underlying causes.Governments could also use such data to addressthe equity gap by targeting resources tounderperforming schools and areas. It is alsoimportant that data are not seen as a stand-alonepolicy tool. Qualitative research processes thatgive a voice to disadvantaged groups are criticalto developing policies for more inclusive education.When it comes to understanding marginalization,the marginalized themselves are the real experts.3 Identify the drivers ofmarginalization for specific groupsMarginalization in education is the product ofinherited disadvantage, deeply ingrained socialprocesses, uneven power relationships, unfaireconomic arrangements – and bad policies.The overall effect of marginalization is torestrict opportunity as a result of circumstancesover which children have no control, such asparental wealth, gender, ethnicity and language.However, the factors underlying this effect areenormously varied. Poverty, stigmatization, socialdiscrimination, restricted legal entitlements andweak political representation all play a role – andthey combine in different ways in different contexts.The problems faced by slum dwellers are not thesame as those faced by the rural poor. And whilepoverty is a universal source of marginalization ineducation, the poverty-related disadvantagesexperienced by young girls, ethnic minorities orchildren with disabilities are reinforced by socialattitudes that undermine self-confidence and lowerthe perceived value of education. An understandingof these differences is important because, to besuccessful, interventions against marginalizationhave to target specific underlying causes thatblanket interventions may miss.4 Adopt an integrated policyapproach that addresses interlockingcauses of disadvantage, withineducation and beyondThere is no substitute for political leadershipin combating marginalization in education.Governments need to make achieving greaterequity a national policy priority – and they needto communicate the wider social and economicbenefits of more inclusive education.The Inclusive Education Triangle developed forthe Report identifies three broad areas of reform:Governments need to improve affordabilityand accessibility by removing formal andinformal fees and providing targeted supportto the marginalized. Bringing schools closer tomarginalized communities is also vital, especiallyfor gender parity. More flexible approachesto provision, including mobile schools forpastoralists and multigrade teaching in remoteareas, could bring education within reach ofsome of the world’s most marginalized children.272