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SDG 4 data using MICS surveys

Wed, April 17, 3:15 to 4:45pm, Hyatt Regency, Floor: Pacific Concourse (Level -1), Pacific I

Proposal

The MICS6 was launched in 2017 with data innovations to measure SDG targets. In the field of education data, for example, there is a critical data gap in SDG indicator 4.1.1(a), which measures foundational learning outcomes (literacy and numeracy) for grades 2-3, while those for the end of primary and in lower secondary education have better coverage by various regional and international assessments. UNICEF, through the MICS with sector experts, developed and expanded four new data collection modules. The Foundational Learning Skills (FL) module collects data that enhance global understanding of educational outcomes, focusing on minimum proficiency in reading and numeracy at early grades (2 and 3). For the purposes of global comparability as required by SDG target 4.1, it focuses on those skills that can be compared across languages and countries, such as reading accuracy and comprehension, and leaving aside other skills that are not comparable, such as reading fluency and letter identification. Because it is household based and administered jointly with an extensive household survey, it offers three unique advantages: universality, as it reaches all children, whether in school or not; equity focus, as it can be analysed using the extensive household background information; and cross-sectoral focus, as its results can be cross-tabulated with information about health, nutrition, child labour, etc. Preliminary analyses of pilot data show strong reliability.

The Parental Involvement (PR) module assesses educational environments of children and parental involvement in learning. Together with Child Labour and Child Discipline modules (which have been a standard part of MICS for several rounds), the PR module serves to analyse the complex relationship between school attendance, academic learning and parental involvement in education. The Child Functioning module collects data on child functioning/disabilities (a disaggregation variable for SDG target 4.5) and is a new module for MICS, developed by UNICEF and the Washington Group on Disability Statistics, as the existing Short Set of Questions on Disability is inappropriate to measure child functioning. Lastly, the Mass Media and ICT module was expanded in MICS6 and collects data on ICT skills among youth. These innovations generate data needed for education sector planning, monitoring and evaluation of various education programmes. MICS6 will be implemented in more than 50 countries from 2017 to 2020, providing crucial data to monitor the progress towards achieving SDG 4.

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