Latin America & the Caribbean

This report analyzes and presents the Consultation findings, draws trends, and provides guidance for action. It shows how, by implementing the provisions of the Consultation, States can accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, while invites a reflection on possibly reviewing the framework of the right to education to further respond to new challenges and put an end to increased inequalities worldwide.

Inclusion and equity in education can be improved when there are investments in children’s health and nutrition through well-designed school feeding programmes that provide food to children in school. Both a social safety net and a school health intervention, school feeding provides an opportunity for education systems to address multiple barriers at once.

Inclusion in education must start in the early years when the foundation for lifelong learning is built and fundamental values and attitudes are formed. Inequality in learning and development emerges during early childhood, before children begin primary school. Beginning to address inclusion when children begin primary school is simply too late.

The document is primarily intended for education policy-makers and planners, school management, principals, teachers and other school staff; and may also be of interest to organizations of persons with disabilities, parents’ associations, youth organizations, the media and the wider public. This document aims to improve understanding of how violence and bullying impacts learners with disabilities, encourage further research and generate evidence about effective interventions.

While girls continue to face severe disadvantages and inequalities in education, the report shows that boys in many countries are at greater risk than girls of repeating grades, failing to complete different education levels and having poorer learning outcomes in school. No less than 132 million boys of primary and secondary school age are out of school. They urgently require support.