Education lays the foundation for opportunities, equality and stability, and the scale of the global challenge means no country can solve it alone. Wendy Chamberlain MP, House of Commons, United Kingdom.

This week, world leaders are in Washington to talk finance and international development.

We have one message for them: Work together to fund education.

Join MPs around the world calling for international cooperation for education go.ipned.org/5adyzd #SpringMeetings #IMF @wendychambld.bsky.social

Our email subscribers have just received a special edition on #FoundationalLearning.

Here's what you missed:
- Africa's first foundational learning conference
- the evidence on foundational skills
- why numeracy matters

Subscribe here: eepurl.com/hd7WAj

273 Million Children Out of School A new United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report delivers a sobering message: the number of children out of school has risen for the seventh consecutive year, re...

The number of out-of-school children has risen for 7 years in a row, reaching 273 million. A proposed free education treaty could push countries to act.
www.hrw.org/news/2026/04...

Today, 8 April at 11:59pm BST is the deadline to submit evidence & findings to the What Works Hub for Global Education Conference! Submit your findings on implementation of foundational learning policies and programmes at scale in the Global South

📣 It's not too late to submit your evidence and findings to the What Works Hub for Global Education Conference 2026!

Our Call for Submissions closes at 11:59pm BST today, 8 April.

➡️ Submit your findings: buff.ly/fLJymJ0

IPNEd opens education session at SADC Parliamentary Forum — International Parliamentary Network for Education IPNEd’s Executive Director addressed MPs during a meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum ’s Standing Committee on Human and Social Development. The meetin...

This week, @ipned.bsky.social's @joseph-nhanoreilly.bsky.social opened an education session at the SADC Parliamentary Forum with a presentation on foundational learning.

Read more about how he asked MPs from 16 countries to make changes for education: go.ipned.org/ep1774 #FoundationalLearning

Photograph of girls chatting outside school in the Philippines, overlaid with the IPNEd logo.

The IPNEd monthly education newsletter has just gone out to subscribers.

In this edition:
- ending child marriage in Tanzania
- gender apartheid in Afghanistan
- digital violence in the Philippines
- MPs protest aid cuts in the UK

Subscribe here: eepurl.com/hd7WAj

Access to education means little if girls are denied the safety required to benefit from it equally. Sarah Elago, Member of the House of Representatives in the Philippines

Imagine the shock of learning your classmates have altered your photos to create explicit content.

MP and @ipned.bsky.social member Sarah Elago writes about how digital violence is damaging girls’ access to education: go.ipned.org/3y4enl

@thediplomat.com #InternationalWomensDay

Policy Briefing: In their own words | Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies

Aid cuts aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet. They change lives and cancel opportunities.

Read about the impact of global education cuts in the words of teachers and students who feel them most, in a special briefing from @eiegenevahub.bsky.social

eiehub.org/news/policy-...

The Impact of Funding Cuts on Children and their Protection in Humanitarian Contexts: An Analysis One Year On | Alliance CPHA This global brief examines how sustained humanitarian funding cuts since early 2025 are affecting children’s safety, access to protection services, and the overall capacity of child protection systems...

A new report from the The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action highlights the sweeping impacts of funding cuts on children, including how school closures have pushed children into exploitation, labour or early marriage.

➡️ Read the report here: alliancecpha.org/en/technical...

1,649 days since the Taliban banned secondary education for girls. 1,189 days since public universities were instructed to expel female students and lecturers. 477 days since the Taliban prohibited women from studying midwifery, nursing, and other medical disciplines.

The school year has started in Afghanistan—but not for girls.

In our latest #WomensHistoryMonth op-ed, exiled MP and @ipned.bsky.social member Naheed Farid writes for Modern Diplomacy about the impact that the Taliban’s gender apartheid is having on education.

go.ipned.org/aa5adg

The 2026 #GEMReport, Countdown to 2030: Access and equity, will be released tomorrow, 25 March.

It's the first report in a three-part series tracking global progress on education towards #SDG4.

👉 Join us at the event: bit.ly/4kj99BE

MPs call for reversal of UK aid cuts which fall disproportionately on education — International Parliamentary Network for Education The UK Foreign Secretary has set out how UK aid will be allocated after record reductions. IPNEd members spoke out against the cuts, calling them a false choice and urging the government to reverse...

The UK government has announced huge cuts to global education funding.

Read how @ipned.bsky.social members challenged them in parliament: go.ipned.org/9oxcxd

@sarahchampionmp.bsky.social @bambosmp.bsky.social @elliechowns.bsky.social @monicaharding.bsky.social

Africa Learning Proficiency explainer YouTube video by International Parliamentary Network for Education (IPNEd)

Millions of African children are in school but not mastering basic maths and reading. Why not?

Watch this explainer featuring IPNEd's @joseph-nhanoreilly.bsky.social 👇

Read the full Africa Stocktaking Report here: lnkd.in/dGUjB8qW

youtu.be/IM2O3G-etCo

Photo of a whiteboard covered in mathematical equations. We can see someone's hand holding a pen and underlining one of the equations.

This week, we released a special newsletter for #InternationalDayOfMathematics.

Here's what you missed:
- Aisha Adams MP on numeracy in Malawi
- IPNEd and White Rose Education on numeracy reform
- plus more from the Numeracy Research and Development Fund

Subscribe here: go.ipned.org/a9iph0

Thanks for sharing!

Prioritise foundational numeracy and invest in the skills of Africa's booming youth population. Read more at ipned.org

“Early numeracy is among the most significant predictors of later academic achievement—even more so than early reading skills.”

@ipned.bsky.social's Beth Gum and White Rose Education's Harry Metcalfe make the case for prioritising numeracy in #FoundationalLearning

go.ipned.org/3i2e8r

Photo of Felipe Schipani, a middle-aged white man with brown hair, beard, and glasses, surrounded by IPNEd branding.

📢 NEW MEMBER

We are delighted to announce that Felipe Schipani, representative for Montevideo in Uruguay, has joined
@ipned.bsky.social.

¡Gracias por su apoyo y bienvenido a la red!

#PoliticalLeadershipForEducation

Writing for Modern Diplomacy on the #InternationalDayOfMathematics, Deputy Speaker of the #Malawi Parliament, Hon. Aisha Adams MP calls for action to improve numeracy learning in Malawi, across Africa, and globally because. #FoundationalLearning #Numeracy

👉https://on768t2.short.gy/africa-numeracy

School meals: A toolkit for parliamentarians from the International Parliamentary Network for Education

There is still a long way to go before school meals are available to all – especially in the poorest and most fragile countries.

MPs are central to reaching more children, and our toolkit provides actionable advice for more and better school meals.

www.ipned.org/schoolmeals

At least 466 million children receive school meals globally.

This #SchoolMealsDay, we’re celebrating the fact that 466 million children around the world are receiving school meals.

That’s an increase of 80 million children since the last global survey.

go.ipned.org/qcv9du

Photo of Indian teachers sitting at a long table with laptops, discussing a training presentation. Photo credit: CENTA.

To improve literacy and numeracy for young children, we need to improve support for teachers.

That’s the message of a new #FoundationalLearning blog from @ipned.bsky.social's Beth Gum, in @ukfiet.bsky.social.

Read more about a new scheme to transform teacher training 👇

go.ipned.org/85qnf9

Every year, 12 million girls are married before they turn 18. That’s 28 girls every minute.

“We cannot afford to lose girls’ potential in adolescence,” says Neema Lugangira at Women Political Leaders.

Read the first in our #IWD2026 series on the @unwomen.bsky.social theme of Rights. Justice. Action.

👉 go.ipned.org/0bauco

Watch out for the next op-ed on Friday 13 by Naheed Farid 🇦🇫

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association launches landmark 2026-2029 Strategic Plan with renewed focus on sustainable development — International Parliamentary Network for Education The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has officially unveiled its Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 , charting a bold new course for 180 parliaments and legislatures across the globe. ...

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association just released a new strategy focusing on #SustainableDevelopment.

Parliaments have a unique role to play in achieving #SDG4 and other development goals.

Find out more about @cpa-secretariat.bsky.social plans 👇 go.ipned.org/63hbeb

We've just published the latest briefs in our series on the world's forgotten #education crises, highlighting trends and how you can support local actors:

➡️ Sudan eiehub.org/country-brie...
➡️ Venezuela eiehub.org/country-brie...

Access all briefs here: eiehub.org/country-briefs

Education is a life-saving intervention in emergencies. The education actors working in and for Sudan are calling for education to be prioritised in emergency responses. Help us amplify their calls!

Learn more: ➡️ inee.org/crisis-spotlight/sudan

#KeepEyesOnSudan

Protecting #GirlsEducation & preventing early marriage make women’s leadership possible.

Ahead of #IWD2026, Neema Lugangira, SG at Women Political Leaders, calls to prioritise girls’ secondary education as a pathway to end early marriage.

Read more: go.ipned.org/0bauco @girlsnotbrides.bsky.social

South Africa’s Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube MP, delivers the keynote address at the 2030 Reading Panel Conference.

A new Reading Panel 2030 report shows that only 30% of 6-9 year olds in South Africa are reading at grade level in their home language.

Find out more here: go.ipned.org/3mhegf

#EnsureEveryChildLearns #FoundationalLearning

Abstract graphic showing a map of the world in IPNEd's brand colour yellow, with cartoon figures on the map joined by dotted, curving lines into a global network.

The IPNEd monthly education newsletter has just gone out to subscribers.

In this edition:
- MPs call for international cooperation
- IPNEd statement on Iran
- the impact of aid cuts
- how Zambia leads for learning
- #IWD2026

Subscribe here: eepurl.com/hd7WAj

Iran: IPNEd urges protection of students, education personnel, and facilities — International Parliamentary Network for Education IPNEd is deeply alarmed by the impact of the military escalation in the Middle East on educational institutions, students, and education personnel.  Initial reports indicate that an attack on a ...

IPNEd is deeply alarmed by the impact of the military escalation in the Middle East on educational institutions, students, and education personnel.

Read our full statement: go.ipned.org/k7qgtu

#EducationUnderAttack #ProtectEducationFromAttack #NotATarget #SafeSchools #ProtectEducation #Iran

Photo card in IPNEd branding which shows Catherine Fife, a white woman with long brown hair, wearing a blue and white striped shirt.

📢 NEW MEMBER

We are delighted to announce that Catherine Fife, @waterloompp.bsky.social in Ontario, Canada, has joined @ipned.bsky.social.

Ms Fife MPP is Chair of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network.

Thank you for your #PoliticalLeadershipForEducation and welcome to the Network!