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A report on global education with a special focus on accountability is in the making, and educators from all over the world can contribute to it.

The second in the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report series will investigate, analyse and propose concrete recommendations related to accountability in education. The organization is inviting educators worldwide  to share their views on this note, including suggestions on relevant literature, data analysis and case studies via an online consultation that is now open until the 11th of April. A full concept note describing how the GEM will go about addressing the issue is now available.

New challenges in a new global setting

With a new ambitious global education goal, tight budgets and a focus on ensuring the marginalized are not left behind, countries are under pressure to provide education more effectively, efficiently and equitably. These pressures exist because of the persistent underperformance of education systems in light of global challenges, and because of the growing evidence about the influence of good quality education on individual and collective well-being. In addition, education constitutes a major budgetary expenditure in most countries; proper accounting of how these public funds are (mis)used has become a high priority.

The vast scope of accountability

Accountability involves multiple actors including, for example, legislatures, education and finance ministries, donor agencies, inspectorates, public and private providers of formal and non-formal education, teachers and educators, school principals, professional organizations, parents and local communities, and the learners themselves. Accountability relationships thus permeate much of the day to day activities of all education institutions as well as the rules and procedures governing their existence.

The topic also deserves to be addressed given the importance allocated to it in the Sustainable Development Agenda, which is expected to be backed by accessible and effective accountability mechanisms at global, regional, national and subnational levels.

About the report

The Report will approach the issue of accountability in education by addressing the following key questions:

• What are the foundations and the evolution of the concept of accountability in education, and what is at stake?
• What are the main forms of accountability? How have these forms shifted over time? What is the rationale behind this shift?
• What are the implications for accountability in education in a more globalized world?
• What are the implications of accountability systems for different actors, levels, and sectors in education? How do these vary in different countries?
• What are the implications of accountability frameworks for the public perception of education in a country? How do these vary by different forms of accountability?
• Which accountability frameworks are more or less effective, and how are they used or abused in different circumstances?
• What are political, economic and social factors that make different forms of accountability work or fail?
• What broad lessons can be learned from the ways and forms through which education has been monitored and audited?

You can share your views by visiting the consultation website