What can education data do to improve learning? Evidence from the Pacific Islands
This blog was originally published on UNICEF Website.
Data from UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey – Education Analysis and Global Learning for Equity (MICS-EAGLE) project, supported by GPE KIX, is currently being used in Tonga to raise awareness about the importance of inclusive education through community outreach, highlighting the need for supporting children with disabilities for their learning
What can education data do to improve learning experiences for children? How is education data useful for teachers?
When you imagine data, you may think of numbers laying in a thick report on a dusty shelf in some office, forgotten by all.
In the education sector, data provides concrete evidence to support decision-making and policy changes.
Anecdotal evidence from teachers on the importance of ECE attendance
Sitting with the head teacher, ECE teacher and the ECE focal of the Ministry of Education and Training at the ECE center, Tongoleleka Government Primary School, Ha’apai, Tonga.
Brightly coloured walls welcomed me as I entered the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centre, which is annexed to the Tongoleleka Government Primary School in the outer islands of the Kingdom of Tonga. I could see that the room was filled with handmade toys and pictures, creating a vibrant learning environment for children. In one corner of the room hung the Tongan alphabet and numbers. After taking in the lively atmosphere of the classroom in awe, I sat down with the teachers to listen to their stories.
“When I see the Grade 1 students with experience in ECE, there is a huge difference between those that do not have that experience. They are ready to learn and already understand the basic concepts in mathematics and reading,” says Lesieli, head teacher and the Grade 1 teacher at the school.
Vea, who teaches ECE at the school added that children in ECE are not only learning about numbers and alphabets but also how to act in school and socialise with others.
“They know how to play with others in a friendly way and also know how to follow the school timetable and rules,” she says.
Despite the benefits, Vea highlighted challenges.
“Some parents do not understand that ECE is important, and so they do not send their children to our ECE classes.”
Vea regularly visits surrounding neighbourhoods to encourage parents to enrol their children in ECE classes but this strategy does not work for all parents.
Similar testimonies on the benefits and challenges of ECE attendance were heard throughout my visit to the ECE centres. During 2020 and 2021 in Tonga, the new ECE curriculum was launched and more than 90 per cent of the ECE teachers were trained and placed in the newly established ECE centres across the country. Timely visits are conducted to coach teachers and provide ongoing support to strengthen the quality of the delivery of the ECE classes within each island groups, yet the challenge of low enrolment persists.
Global evidence shows the importance of ECE attendance
At least 175 million children, half of the pre-primary school-aged children in the world are not attending pre-primary education despite proven evidence of life-long benefits of ECE. Globally, evidence shows that prolonged attendance in high-quality ECE significantly enhances children’s cognitive and social-emotional development.
Country specific data also shows proof that ECE attendance is important
The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey – Education Analysis and Global Learning for Equity (MICS-EAGLE) in Tonga shows that there is an overall 15 per cent difference in children developmentally on track for ECE attendance compared to those without. MICS assesses children aged 36 to 59 months (three years to nearly six) in language/literacy, numeracy, physical, socio-emotional and cognitive development and assesses whether they are developmentally on track. This is important data to generate to understand if each country is meeting the Sustainable Development Goal 4, target 4.2 "to ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education" by 2030.
The data shown above on the ECE attendance and the benefits to children being developmentally on-track in Tonga backs up the anecdotal evidence that the teachers shared during my visit to the ECE classes.
But why are some parents not sending their children to ECE?
“Why do you think some parents do not send their children to the ECE classes?”
This is the question I asked the ECE teachers I met during the trip. Every time when this question was asked, the teachers seemed to be a little stuck with the answer but eventually, after some thought, they responded that they think parents do not understand the importance of ECE. This shows the lack of awareness among some parents on the benefits of their children attending ECE which is borne out in global and country level data.
Education data for community awareness raising
When I presented the data from Tonga MICS-EAGLE during a two-day workshop to government officials including the Ministry of Education and Training in Tonga, the participants were happy to see the data shown.
In Tonga, at the start of every year, the Ministry of Education and Training conducts outreach campaigns to the communities through radio programmes to advocate the children to be enrolled in ECE classes and in 2025, they are planning to highlight the data generated from MICS to show parents the benefits of ECE attendance. During this workshop, participants identified gaps in education policy and implementation, noting that enforcement and awareness at the community level of legal requirements are lacking. Data from Tonga MICS-EAGLE Survey has informed education planning, but further data utilization is needed for community awareness raising.
Participants from the MICS-EAGLE validation workshop in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
Education data to drive change at the community
Going back to my first question - What can education data do to improve learning for children? How is education data useful for the teachers? Education data plays a vital role in improving learning outcomes for children. It supports evidence-based policy decisions and helps teachers and policy-makers communicate the importance of education to parents. The impact of data is amplified when combined with narratives, making it more effective in driving change.
In Tonga, government officials are committed to using data to track education sector performance and they have already started collecting their second MICS data. The MICS data is currently being used to raise awareness about the importance of inclusive education through community outreach, highlighting the need for supporting children with disabilities for their learning.
Meanwhile, other Pacific Island Countries are embarking on a data journey with the MICS Survey. In 2024, Tonga and Samoa launched their second MICS Survey, whilst the Federated States of Micronesia is about to pilot their first MICS Survey. Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Fiji and Nauru have already generated evidence through the Survey and are planning to use the results to review and inform their education sector.
UNICEF Pacific is also supporting these countries to use the data for public and community awareness raising. Across the Pacific, education data will drive change at both policy and community levels, ensuring all children have a strong foundation for holistic development.
This work was supported by the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange, a joint endeavour with the International Development Research Centre, Canada.
