Evolving Pedagogies in Global Education Projects

The advancement of global education efforts requires the collaboration of different actors and institutions, especially in light of COVID-19.

According to World Bank data, before the pandemic 258 million children of primary and secondary school age were out of school, and the learning poverty rate in low-and-middle income countries was 53% - meaning more than half of all 10 year old children were unable to read. The pandemic has only exacerbated this learning crisis, with high likelihood of long-term impacts on the human capital of this generation. Educating girls and boys can boost economic growth, reduce poverty and inequality, and contributes to restoring peace and stability within a state. As well, traditional methods of education are “lecture-style,” memorization based and rely on recall examinations to act as absolute measurement of student learning. These traditional methods, though generally supported by parents or teachers, are often met with low retention and high dropout rates, especially in developing countries.

Our discussion covers topics ranging from unconventional methods of education delivery, the impacts of COVID-19 on global education projects and organizations, education provision targeting girls and young women, and impact measurement for education projects and programming.

Guests:

Tracey Evans - Director of Global Partnerships, Right to Play

Tracey worked for Aga Khan Foundation Canada in Ottawa from 2015 until 2020 as an Education Program Manager, managing a portfolio of gender-responsive education programs across East and West Africa and in Central Asia that cut across the lifelong ladder of learning, from early childhood education through to post-secondary education. In 2021, she joined Right To Play as Director of Global Partnerships where she overseas the organization's institutional relationship with Global Affairs Canada. She is constantly inspired by the learners, teachers and parents she gets to work with, and firmly believes that education is the world’s greatest asset for promoting gender equality.

Mary Ellen Matsui - Development Consultant, Goodwill Industries Ontario Great Lakes

Mary Ellen Matsui is currently the Development Consultant at Goodwill Industries Ontario Great Lakes focussing on mission critical projects surrounding performance management, impact measurement, program design, fund development and marketing. Previously, Mary Ellen was the CEO of Atma, an accelerator for education in Mumbai, India, for 10 years. Atma empowers grassroots educational initiatives to grow, amplify and multiply their impact, to gradually change the future of education in India. Atma adopts a systematic management approach that leads NGOs to scale-up, expand their reach, and dramatically increase student learning outcomes. Over the past decade, she spearheaded Atma’s scale-up strategy, including its geographic expansion and growing the Atma Network, a resource-sharing and collaboration platform.

Produced by:

Mycala Gill - Executive Producer