On the same day UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) released new global numbers of children and adolescents not learning, representatives from regional and international learning assessment institutions gathered in Hamburg, Germany. At the meeting, they accepted a UIS proposal for an interim reporting period that will cover 2017-2019 to support international consistency in reporting against SDGs Indicator 4.1.1: the proportion of children and young people in Grade 2 or 3; at the end of primary education; and at the end of lower secondary education, achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading and mathematics.
The Hamburg meeting also agreed to harmonize national and regional assessments to make sure that countries are compared in a fair way. One note of caution emerged from Hamburg: as technical work is on its way of convergence, countries and global initiatives need continuous financial support to administer learning assessments. GPE will work with UIS to develop a case for investment that will document necessary funding.