UNICEF’s Learning Passport: What’s data got to do with it?

In today’s fast-changing world, good intentions aren’t enough to drive meaningful progress—we need good data. At UNICEF, data isn’t just something we collect; it’s the fuel that powers every stage of the journey—from designing content and delivering learning, to understanding what’s working and where we can do better. It's how we make sure every click, course, and classroom experience is impactful.

The Learning Passport marked the start of 2025 with some big achievements and impact- including reaching 10.5 million children, young people and educators across 47 countries!

Behind these numbers lies a meticulous and well-structured approach to data - encompassing both platform data analysis and qualitative research. Since the programme’s launch, in addition to analysing user data from the platform, we have also gathered an impressive 77,000 pieces of learner feedback. Regular use of this data is vital in informing the development of the programme, ensuring it remains responsive to the needs of children, young people, and educators.

Pragya Dewan who leads data and analysis for the Learning Passport, plays a pivotal role in this process. Today, we are speaking with her to learn more about her role and how data drives the Learning Passport forward.

What has been your journey with the Learning Passport Programme so far?

I’m an M&E (monitoring and evaluation) specialist in the Learning Passport programme with over a decade of experience across several non-profit and research organizations.

I’ve been working on the programme since 2020, when the Learning Passport was providing education continuity for displaced Rohingya children in Bangladesh. Then came the global COVID-19 pandemic, and suddenly, 1.6 billion students around the world did not have access to education because of school closures. To respond, the programme pivoted to a broader digital learning solution for all children and young people, and has continued to grow ever since.

Why is data important to the programme and how do you use it to inform the learner experience?

An advantage of the Learning Passport is that it gives us real time, objective data and insights, such as how users engage with the platform, which content is popular and where users may be dropping off. I spend my days digging into this data to identify relevant trends that help us, our government partners and in-country teams, adapt and improve the programme strategy and delivery.

For example, we ask: are girls and boys engaging with different topics? Which lessons are teachers using? Are learners in rural areas performing differently than those in urban centers? The list of questions to explore is limitless!

The answers to these questions help our partners—especially governments—tailor the programme to local needs. For example, in Nigeria, back-to-school campaigns and radio adverts were crucial to inform students about the programme. Noticing the success from such campaigns, multiple state governments launched communication campaigns through social media, radio, printed adverts etc. to increase programme reach to 1.8 million users!  Through regular analysis we are also able to identify best practices and learnings that can be shared with countries where the programme is being delivered. It means we’re not guessing; we’re making informed decisions that improve the learning experience for our most important stakeholder - the learner.

What have been some of the key takeaways and changes you’ve observed over the years?

Watching the Learning Passport grow so quickly has been exciting and with this rapid growth has come a mountain of data! Along the way, we’ve learned a valuable lesson - it’s critical to identify 3-4 key and well-defined indicators such as active users and course completions that are considered important by all stakeholders. By narrowing our focus, we’ve made it easier for ministries of education and education officials to spot trends, understand what’s working and what’s not, and improve programme delivery.

When possible, we have also administered detailed research studies to provide helpful and focused feedback for shaping the programme. Due to practical and logistical challenges, it can be tricky to get classroom-level assessment data that shows how learners are progressing. But in Mexico, UNICEF and the government tackled this challenge head-on and integrated assessments into all learning content on the platform.

In 2023, we looked at data from assessments taken by 100,000 upper secondary school students who had used the Learning Passport between 2021 and 2023. The findings were encouraging, highlighting knowledge gained by students - with learners scores improving as they progressed through courses on mathematics, Spanish, chemistry and physics. It was an important insight: the Learning Passport isn’t just reaching learners—it’s helping them grow.

Finally, what is the priority going forward?

Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue building on everything we’ve learned over the past five years - and keep championing a culture of where data drives decision-marking.

Our goal is to ensure programme decisions – like designing new content to identifying topics of interest, to ensuring reach across user groups – are informed by the data! Because ultimately, the goal is simple: to make sure the Learning Passport keeps delivering meaningful results for children, young people, and educators everywhere.

At its core, data helps us listen—to learners, to educators, to communities. It ensures the Learning Passport isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but a living, evolving platform that adapts to real needs in real time.

Thank you to all our partners, collaborators and supporters who make this possible. Here’s to the next 10 million learners, young people and educators —and the insights that will help us reach them.

Rubina Begum is a Resource Mobilization, Partnerships & Marketing Specialist at UNICEF

Pragya Dewan is a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at UNICEF

Amee Tolia is an Education Specialist at UNICEF