"Paving the way towards disability inclusion in education: Insights from the World Bank’s work in Pakistan"

International Sign Language (ISL) and Urdu Interpretation provided

One in ten children around the world have a disability. These young people are more likely than their peers to be out-of-school, and those in-school are less likely to have access to the supports needed for quality teaching and learning opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities for persons with disabilities, and nearly half of low- and middle-income countries have not included efforts to support learners at risk of exclusion in their COVID-19 response plans. Ensuring the needs of learners with disabilities are adequately addressed in policy and practice is of paramount importance to build back stronger, more inclusive education systems and societies.

The World Bank is supporting the Government of Pakistan in enhancing education service delivery to children – including girls – with disabilities. This work, funded by the Inclusive Education Initiative (IEI) trust fund, comes in the context of the World Bank’s commitment to making all its education projects disability inclusive by 2025. During this event, the Pakistan team will share lessons learned, and a panel of global disability experts will situate the Pakistan team’s work into the broader evidence base, drawing on international best practices on how to effectively approach and address disability inclusion in education.