Ensuring All Children Learn: Lessons from the South on What Works in Equity and Inclusion
brings together a rich tapestry of cases from three southern continents focusing on issues germane to the access, learning, and retention in basic education in the context of Education for All (EFA). It is a narrative of both the disappointment that the implementation of EFA did not go as envisaged and of policy alternatives and hopes for a brighter future. The focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America permits the reader to appreciate both the diversity of issues central to EFA and the physical spread of the challenges. The book confirms that whereas southern countries have adopted EFA as an overall policy goal, empirical evidence from the case studies uncovers critical lapses in policies and strategies. Four key issues inform the thematic analysis in the book: the overall experience in implementing EFA, the specific challenges faced, the lessons learned, and prospects for the future. The solutions to these challenges provide avenues for the attainment of basic education for all school-eligible children in tandem with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education.