In 1990, the United Nations launched Education for All, an initiative eventually followed by Goal 2 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the former committing to universal access to primary education by 2015. Yet at the time of writing, more than 270mn children around the world are not in school, up 20mn on the previous year.

Despite all the declarations, efforts to get children to school are not proving as effective as they should be. Climate change, conflict and other challenges further complicate attempts to provide access to education, particularly where it is needed most. In order to turn this negative trend around, and make more informed interventions and policies in the process, educators and policymakers need credible evidence on what really works.

To this end, Qatar’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and Education Above All (EAA) are dedicated to redressing the balance. Working in more than 60 countries and supporting over 22mn learners, EAA is a non-profit organisation committed to ensuring no child is left behind. Since 2022, HBKU’s College of Public Policy has supported this vision as a knowledge partner. Both work together to provide much-needed evidence for improved decision making.

Neither HBKU nor EAA are outsiders looking in on one of the gravest challenges facing educators worldwide. Both organisations have extensively analysed government policies, public spending, as well as access to higher education during conflict. Their research also spans trends in foreign aid (and if education-focused decisions are based on needs), assessing government investments, as well as the international community’s commitment to Education for All. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, they’ve also worked with academics and policymakers on country-specific projects.

Their findings indicate that the reasons why children and youth are not in school vary widely, and are not always attributable to education policies and systems. This means that different interventions have to be designed to address unique root causes rather than align with one-size-fits-all “best practices.” For example, barriers to education could be financial, with people living in poverty unable to afford the direct, or indirect, costs of education. Geography, gender, displacement, infrastructure, and more, also present distinct challenges. Providing evidence for each specific circumstance should allow for more effective interventions.

Both organisations strive to ensure that the findings of these studies are shared globally, and in different formats – from policy briefs and working papers to social media posts and webinars. EAA also curates a database of hundreds of education projects, making its research efforts accessible to all. Scholars connected to these projects are regularly featured in relevant academic journals and specialist publications.

Taking evidence from these studies and having it reach decision makers means doing more than just publishing academic papers and making media contributions. This research being produced supports the work of Education Above All, as effectively supporting children and youth requires evidence to implement impactful interventions. Making this research available to everyone supports all other actors to do the same.

The research has been published and made available to governments, intergovernmental agencies and non-governmental organisations who are also working toward ensuring no child is left behind. The challenges are significant. This means taking new approaches. It means exploring innovative approaches, from novel financing mechanisms to integrating conflict resolution activities.

Ensuring all children and youth have access to quality and inclusive education remains a challenge. Together, EAA and HBKU are leading the generation and dissemination of evidence to make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG4, access to education for all.

(Dr Logan Cochrane is Acting Dean of Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s College of Public Policy and Professor in Public Policy at the same institution. This piece has been submitted by HBKU’s Communications Directorate on behalf of its author. The thoughts and views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect an official University stance.)