Why is it important to report on SDG indicator 4.1.1?

Reporting to Indicator 4.1.1 provides valuable data for educators, Ministries of Education (MOEs), global partners and other stakeholders to gain insights and a deeper understanding of the efficacy of educational approaches. The data on student performance can inform public policy and resource allocation locally, regionally and internationally.

How can reporting on indicator 4.1.1 benefit individual countries?

Reporting on indicator 4.1.1 allows individual countries to understand how their students are performing in reading and mathematics relative to their peers in other countries. Having robust, reliable, and comprehensive data on the proportion of students meeting global minimum proficiency levels can help Ministry of Education (MOE) decision-makers identify policy-related changes required to improve learning outcomes.

This data, along with other sources, can also help them identify where to best deploy limited financial and technical resources, including those supplied by donor and technical partners. It can also help MOE decision-makers establish informed partnerships with donors and the global education community to improve learning outcomes.

The process of leveraging the GPF and reporting on indicator 4.1.1 can help MOEs and education partners identify technical capacity needs. It can also create repositories of data that can be used as reliable institutional knowledge. This can be particularly helpful during times of transition.

Why is an individual country’s data important to the global education community?

Individual country results contribute to a pool of data that stakeholders at the international level can use to track and monitor student learning outcomes over time and across countries.

Having comparable country data provides critical understandings into where learning outcomes are improving and where additional support or resources are needed. It also helps stakeholders identify equity gaps so they can allocate resources accordingly.

This comprehensive understanding is critical to achieving the sustainable development goal of equitable, quality education for all.