18 July 2016: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched a collection of interactive maps presenting global and thematic indicators to monitor achievement of the targets in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which calls to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

The ‘eAtlas for Education 2030′ is automatically updated as data for each indicator become available, UNESCO announces. The data illustrate literacy and proficiency levels, enrolment and completion rates, and other indicators related to education quality and provision, such as budget allocations, gender equity and school safety.

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) produced the map collection and is working with partners including the Global Alliance to Monitor Learning, and the Technical Cooperation Group on SDG 4 – Education 2030 Indicators. In a press release, UNESCO highlights UIS’ mandate to produce internationally comparable indicators, and underscores the value of the data for countries developing their own monitoring frameworks.

In a blog post on 9 June 2016, UIS Director Silvia Montoya drew attention to continuing needs in the education sector globally, as around one quarter of children enrolled in primary school drop out before completion, for reasons such as ethnic and gender discrimination, lack of access for children with disabilities, and conflict. She stressed that access to education will require a stronger focus on addressing equity issues, and highlighted UIS’ series of briefs on education indicators, titled ‘Meet the Education 2030 Data,’ which provide in-depth information about the indicators, along with some national and regional data. [UNESCO Press Release] [Publication: UNESCO eAtlas for Education 2030] [UIS Blog Post] [UIS Briefs]