Innovation model to improve education

Restoring the right to quality education for all children and youth is one of the most pressing challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean. As a result of COVID, 160 million children and youth in the region have had their education affected, and almost half of them will be living in a poor household by 2021.

In this scenario, the reduction of knowledge gaps and innovation in the way educational problems are addressed has become more necessary than ever. As the use of scientific evidence has become a major issue and data production has never been so intense, understanding the ways in which actors, regulations, knowledge and values interact to produce policy change becomes critical to designing and implementing initiatives aimed at generating sustainable improvements. However, despite the availability of unprecedented knowledge, there are still problems about how to improve opportunities, accessibility and quality so that they are used appropriately in educational policy and practice.

To address these challenges, SUMMA and the OECS – with the support of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), as part of a global and innovative program – are leading the KIX Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean, which aims to mobilize knowledge and build research and innovation capacities in education in Latin America and the Caribbean. Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Specifically, the core of the initiative lies in the mobilization of knowledge and innovations in education to effectively solve critical problems identified by the countries themselves. To this end, a fundamental step was the creation of a Regional Center, made up of 4 or 5 representatives in leadership positions in each of these countries. They will provide guidance to the center, ensuring its relevance and pertinence to the region.