As we look back on 2023, we are happy to have been able to share positive education stories from several partner countries. Amid a mostly negative news cycle, it’s easy to feel discouraged.

But GPE partner countries are making impressive progress by investing in education, ultimately helping children gain the skills they need to thrive in the world of tomorrow.

The stories from Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Mongolia show, both at the individual level and at the system level, that change is possible.

Read our top stories of change of 2023:

1. Kenya: Investing in education for a better future

Committed to becoming a newly industrialized nation by 2030, the government of Kenya recognized that quality education is vital to achieving its vision. The country has made impressive progress, including reducing the cost of textbooks by 70%, enrolling equal numbers of girls and boys in primary schools, better students’ math skills through teacher training, and setting up an efficient data system to give real-time information on key indicators.

2. Learning better in Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire wants to improve children learning and bring children who are not in school back into the formal system through catch-up classes. A GPE and World Bank-supported program targeted 6 regions with the highest poverty rates and the lowest learning scores. The results were so promising that the government has expanded these interventions to the whole country.

3. Against the odds: How Bangladesh strengthened its education system during COVID-19

GPE funding has supported the government of Bangladesh to respond to the urgent need for distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost 3,000 teachers were trained on remedial education and distance learning strategies. The program helped almost 20,000 primary schools in the most disadvantaged areas reopen safely after COVID.

4. Cambodia: Better teachers produce better students

Even with improved access to education, Cambodia still struggles with high dropout rates, low teaching quality and poor learning outcomes. GPE, UNESCO, UNICEF and USAID have joined forces to help Cambodia transform its education system. With a strengthened teaching force and a focus on the most vulnerable students, more children are getting a quality education.

5. Making education more inclusive in Mongolia: Meet Oyunjargal

Mongolia has embarked on reforms to make its education system more inclusive, particularly for children with disabilities. Because of a hearing impairment, 17-year-old Oyunjargal had not gone to regular school. GPE’s Education Out Loud supported advocacy efforts by Mongolian civil society organizations, including through awareness campaigns on the rights of children. This led to new inclusive education measures and eventually getting 80% of children with disabilities in the country enrolled in schools.