Progress report(September 2015 – March 2016)
Theme 1: Study for the achievement of Inclusive Development“Development of the Inclusive Education System Model for Learning Improvementin Developing Countries”
Project Leader: Kazuhiro Yoshida Director, Professor
Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education, Hiroshima University
Background
Countries and the international community have made efforts toward universalizingeducation, as one of major global issues, under Education for All. This has resulted inrecognizable progresses such as the improvement in enrollment of school-aged children.
The number of children out of school has decreased from over 105 million in 1999 to 57
million in 2012, nearly by a half. However, income disparity, language, culture, religion,gender, conflicts among other factors have posed barriers and serious problems remain
in inclusion and equity perspectives in areas of access to education and learning
outcomes. In response, the UN Summit in September 2015 adopted the Sustainable
Development Goals, in which the Goal 4 stipulates to “ensure inclusive and equitable
quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030”.
Meanwhile, in the community of international cooperation in education that mostdeveloping countries need to rely on, intertwined and multi-layered nature ofabove-mentioned problems is not clearly understood, reform policies are implemented ina top-down manner, and the development fund is released to countries in a form ofbudget support after achieving agreed results, but this approach has yet to prove
effective for learning improvement. Systemic understanding of the learning
improvement and information on how to implement it effectively is scarcely madeavailable.
Under such background,
this project aims at (1)makingvisible
multi-facetedandinterrelated educational
inequality in the targeted
developing countries, (2)identifying
casesof
distinctive practices oflearning improvementsthat address inequalities
and inclusiveness inJapan, and (3) clarifying
roles of stakeholders in
improving inclusive learning and presenting it as a systemic and institutional model.
The project is implemented from July 2015 to the end of the fiscal year 2017. Summary

of activities in the first year and the planned future activities are presented below.
Summary of FY2015 Activities
Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education (CICE), Hiroshima
University, as a project implementing agency, has, after obtaining agreement fromcooperating Japanese researchers, and launched Development Research Forum on
Inclusive Education System for Learning Improvement. The forum is planned to expand
by inviting wider members including practitioners and the private sector. We haveselected case study countries in view of the project objectives – diverse educationalproblems, knowledge on education improvement practices and prospects, feasibility ofconducting research, built up country teams in collaboration with local researchers, andestablished cooperating relationships with UNESCO, JICA and other partners.
Each Field research began in the following countries: in Asia, Bangladesh, India,Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, in Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi,Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. Among them, countries have been
picked up so that in a limited time frame, systemic understanding can be advanced ofpractices concerning the inclusive learning improvement, and conducive conditions
exist for the system model as research results can be put into implementation. Theseare underlined in above list of countries. Counterpart universities in these countries
have long cooperating relationships with CICE and are bearing partial costs.
In each project country, depending on existing knowledge on educational issues aroundinclusiveness, equity and learning improvement, and on practical activities to address
those issues, different approaches have been taken with progresses, as shown in thefollowing.
[Thailand] In the northern mountain areas,various ethnic minorities face handicaps of beingminority, geographical disadvantages, socioeconomic backwardness that prohibit children
accessing education, and find no sources ofearning their living. One school in Chiang Maiadmits such minority children from mountains,
where students learn skills to utilize ethnic
foods, clothing, and develop entrepreneurship asa part of school curriculum. Thus, learning
improvement is forming integral part of improving their lives.
[Indonesia] Primary and lower secondary
education is relatively well developed in thecountry, but children’s learning outcomes are
not up to expectation. Some effective
pedagogies
arepracticed,
butsuchinformation is not widely shared. Lesson
study, originally introduced into Indonesia

with support of JICA, is taking root and localized, teachers observe a lesson by anotherteacher, exchange opinions on students’ learning. Some committed university
researchers and their group, together with support by stakeholders have made it
possible, academic achievements of students are improving.
[Ethiopia] The country exhibits relatively advanced level of universalizing primaryeducation. However, children’s academic achievement is substandard. Also, in certain
states, severe ethnic conflicts develop into a separation movement, posing security
concern among neighboring states. Federal
government has a strong sense of priority ineducation, has introduced a number ofeducation policy and measures using
international cooperation. Many of them werereforms from “above”, and often their intention
and pathways for implementation and results
are not shared among key stakeholders. One
school principal coincidentally noticed atutorial education from the government policy
document, and by his own initiative introduced
into his school. Student learning improved. But without due consultation, the initiative
did not get necessary support, and eventually was suspended before it became
institutionalized.
In December 2-3, 2015, we held a knowledge sharing seminar for development ofinclusive education system model for learning improvement, in Chiang Mai University
with their cooperation. Mr. Aaron Benavot, director of EFA Global Monitoring Report
Team made a presentation, a staff member of UNESCO Bangkok joined the seminar,and JICA headquarters as well as its Thailand office extended cooperation andassistance. Education administrators from African and Asian countries who
participated in the CICE-implemented training program also joined this seminar andinteracted with researchers under the project.
The system model development forum met twice this year, and discussed the projectsignificance, exchanged relevant practical information, and discussed cases of learning
improvement.
Future Project Activities
In FY 2016 and beyond, the project will study practices of learning improvement in casestudy countries with a systemic and institutional perspective, clarifying roles of
stakeholders, making preparations for implementing the system model, and throughconducting action researches, concrete and useful cases of system model will bepresented. For these final outputs, the project will continue to conduct field survey andresearch, strengthen the system model development forum, and study effective learning
improvement practices both in Japan and in other countries. Research results will be
published in leading journals.