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Equity and inclusion in education

Ensuring no child or adolescent is left behind

You nearly hear the laugh of these children of the indigenous community of Chicoy of Todos Santos Cuchumatánin in the province of Huehuetenango, Guatemala on October 16, 2019 as they enjoy their last day of school.

UNICEF/UNI235471/Willocq

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Our challenges

All children and adolescents have the right to quality education in environments that promote the development of their full potential¹.

All children and adolescents have the right to quality education in environments that promote the development of their full potential. Nonetheless, children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean still face many challenges.

Current data on out-of-school children frequently fail to reflect the most vulnerable populations, such as children and adolescents with disabilities and those belonging to indigenous or Afro-descendant peoples. Insufficient and inaccurate statistical information has caused many vulnerable communities to remain historically invisible, which has helped naturalize their exclusion.

UNICEF's Strategic Plan 2022-2025 highlights the importance of an equity and inclusion approach to promoting the right to quality intercultural education and the rights of children and adolescents with disabilities in all target populations to make sure no one is left behind.

We focus our efforts on two lines of work: intercultural education and inclusion of children and adolescents with disabilities, to ensure everyone learns and acquires critical life and work skills.

Inclusion & Disabilities

Intercultural Education

What do we do?

As part of our pledge to leave no child or adolescent behind, we support our country partners in the following:

Increasing equal and inclusive access to quality education from early childhood through adolescence.
Improve the quality and relevance of educational services, learning, skills development and ensure the active participation of children and adolescents, including in emergency or fragile contexts.
Promote early childhood development and ensure all children -including children with and without disabilities and those from indigenous or Afro-descendant communities- are included in education systems.
Provide technical assistance for planning, implementing and evaluating policies and programs for intercultural and disability-inclusive education.
Promote the quality and relevance of the curriculum to improve learning and active participation of the most excluded children and adolescents, including in humanitarian and fragile contexts.