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EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN EDUCATION
Tools to support education sector planning and evaluation
April 2008
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1. Introduction
1.1 As progress is made towards the Education for All and Millennium Development goals,
including universal primary education and gender parity at all levels of education, increasing
attention is being given to those children who are still out of school, are particularly hard to
reach and are at risk of being excluded, marginalised or otherwise disadvantaged in relation to
education. Even when children attend school, they may not complete the full cycle of primary
education and may not experience or achieve learning of good quality.
1.2 Some groups of children are particularly at risk of not attending or completing school,
such as children from poorer families, those in remote rural communities, girls, children
infected or affected by HIV and AIDS, children with disabilities, children undertaking paid or
domestic labour, children from ethnic or other minority groups and children in countries
affected by conflict.
1.3 Greater equity and inclusion in education are therefore now a priority in many countries.
2. Purpose, focus and range of the tools
Purpose of the tools: a resource for education sector planning and evaluation
2.1 These tools have been developed to support governments, their development partners and
other stakeholders to address equity and inclusion in education sector plans. They are
designed primarily for use by governments and their development partners but may also
support the involvement of other partners and stakeholders, such as civil society organisations
and communities.
2.2 The principal tool (Tool A) is designed to be particularly simple and user friendly.
Countries can use this tool independently of the other tools if necessary. It may be most useful
for countries which are beginning to address equity and inclusion. The two