May 27, 2023 (Doha, Qatar) – The global education foundation, Education Above All (EAA) through its Educate A Child (EAC) programme, held a session at the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) with the Global Education Forum (GEF) in Columbia to discuss the role of innovation in enhancing education outcomes for formerly out of school children enrolled through EAC projects at the primary level. The session was moderated by Mary Joy Pigozzi, PhD., Executive Director of EAA’s Educate A Child programme, and included by H.E. Ms Alcira Sosa, the Vice-Minister of Basic Education for Paraguay, through an audience address exploring Paraguay's context, Ministry of Education strategy, and pedagogical development. 

Following the keynote, a sequence of presentations showcased various innovative pedagogical advancements and their practical application in EAC joint partnership projects. UNICEF presented the Universal Design for Learning principles, demonstrating its application and effectiveness in Paraguay. buildOn provided an engaging presentation on their successful use of traditional Mayan practices in a modern context in Guatemala, and the Pies Descalzos Foundation shed light on the unique hybrid project, which fuses playful and engaging strategies with conventional education, social-emotional learning, and the upgrading of educational infrastructure and communications in Colombia. These presentations highlighted the dynamic ways that innovation can enhance educational outcomes and emphasises the importance of ensuring context specific solutions for out of school children.

This session, which focused on a selection of EAC joint partnership projects in Latin America, allowed partners to discuss the importance of innovation in elevating educational outcomes. It also sought to cultivate a good understanding of the necessity for invention in education. Session participants offered insights into innovative programmes, services, methodologies, products, and collaborations' transformative potential and how they shape the educational landscape.

Mary Joy Pigozzi, PhD., Executive Director of Educate A Child, said: 'As our societies grapple with deep-seated economic disparities, under-resourced infrastructure, and a lack of quality education, many are also confronted with the distinct challenges and possibilities of additional barriers to education including climate change, conflict and health crises. Creative adaptation of the current education offerings we have heard about today is essential for stakeholders to support the necessary transformations that are essential to swiftly usher in a more sustainable future for all”. 

This engagement forms part of the Education Above All Foundation's ongoing commitment to significantly reduce the number of children worldwide who are denied their right to a quality primary education and ensure that no child is left behind.