The news of the day typically brings examples of how we continue to treat men, women, and those who identify as non-binary differently. These serve as constant reminders of the pervasive challenges we face as societies in our pursuit of gender equality. The IDB’s latest sector publication, the Gender and Diversity Sector Framework, quantifies the sizeable gender gaps that the region faces today.
The early childhood development (ECD) community is celebrating!
Mental health disorders are common and disabling throughout the world. Rich and poor countries experience the devastating consequences of these disorders, representing approximately 20% of the global burden of diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean, with mental health disorders representing only 0.4% of all public healthcare funding globally. Besides, there are massive inequalities in access to mental health services depending on socio-economic status, with the poorest, the most badly affected, the least likely to have access to help.
The COVID-19 crisis generated a sudden need for businesses to start operating remotely, and for employees to work from home. In consequence, the use of telework increased rapidly in Latin America and the Caribbean as it did globally. However, differences on the severity of containment measures by country, access to internet, and particularities of each country's labor markets may have played a role in the divergence of trends across countries in the post-pandemic scenario.
Making societies more inclusive and fostering peace cultures is more important than ever in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Many countries in this region face enormous challenges, such as social inequalities, widespread violence, and a lack of opportunities, especially for the youth. Promoting global citizenship education is key to tackling these challenges.
Latin America and the Caribbean are facing numerous challenges, such as low-quality education, poor well-being, and non-peaceful and exclusive societies. The causes are complex, yet connected to outdated, ineffective, and underfinanced education systems. The emotional strain of the pandemic continues to create new challenges and unearth problems that have long been neglected. There is an urgent need for a disruptive solution that supports educators, parents, and students to overcome existing problems as well as better prepare them for uncertain times that lie ahead.
It is unclear whether teachers with a degree in education are more effective than those who are not trained in an education-related field. To further examine this issue, we analyze the rela- tionship between teachers college major and student achievement by using unique data from Ecuador, which, for a period of time, allowed any graduate, regardless of their major, to apply for a teaching position in the countrys centralized selection process.
We study the welfare produced by a coordinated school assignment system that is based exclusively on minimizing distance to schools, comparing the matches it produces to a system that includes household preferences using a deferred acceptance algorithm. We leverage administrative data and a mechanism change implemented in the city of Manta, Ecuador in 2021 to estimate household preferences and show that considering applicant preferences produces large welfare gains. Our counterfactual exercises show that differences across alternative assignment mechanisms are small.
Postsecondary education is undergoing a period of profound change. One of the most significant changes is the emergence of skills-based, non-degree, alternative credentials as both complements and alternatives to traditional degrees. Several factors have combined to favor these shorter, less expensive, and more versatile ways to gain knowledge and skills for work.
This document analyzes the functioning of the Education Management and Information System (EMIS) of Jamaica, its strengths and challenges related to the key management processes and structural conditions.