TCG e-Newsletter April 2020

Dear Colleagues,

In these trying times, when the world is facing an unprecedented crisis and everyday lives are drastically disrupted, I hope that you are staying safe and your families are well.

In recent weeks, it has become clear that we have to maintain solidarity to mitigate the impact of this global pandemic, which has far-reaching consequences that may also jeopardize the hard won gains we have made in improving global education. Another issue that has become painfully clear is the value of factual and trustworthy information to enable efficient decision-making and maintaining calm amidst the increasing tension. This information can and should be provided by statisticians, however, it is obvious that national statistical and other governmental offices have also been hit hard and are struggling to keep their activities afloat.

Acknowledging all the challenges, I wish to assure you - UIS partners and friends - that we are here for you as we continue our work to ensure that the most relevant and crucial information will be provided to decision-makers in 2020 and beyond. On 21 April, we are convening a virtual meeting of the Technical Cooperation Group on the Indicators for SDG 4 – Education 2030 (TCG) to discuss and agree on the ways forward. Following this, a series of regional virtual meetings will be offered to national and regional stakeholders in education statistics to share the TCG developments and listen to their concerns and needs in terms of support.

In the meantime, I invite you to read the e-Newsletter (Quarter 1 of 2020) outlining the recent UIS work on SDG 4 monitoring. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Silvia Montoya

Director, UNESCO Institute for Statistics