At the UNESCO Asia-Pacific education meeting in Bangkok, Syeed Ahamed of IID urged the global education community to use learning data as a springboard for change. With the 2030 deadline looming, assessments must lead to action — not just reports.
With just five years left to achieve the global education goals under SDG 4, progress on foundational learning remains alarmingly slow. Across the Asia-Pacific region, millions of children are still not mastering basic skills in reading and mathematics. This stark reality brought together education leaders from over 30 countries for the Annual Meeting of the Network on Education Quality Monitoring in the Asia-Pacific (NEQMAP), hosted by UNESCO Bangkok.
The meeting was formally inaugurated by Marina Patrier, Deputy Director and Chief of Education Section, UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Office for UN oordination for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO Bangkok) and Datuk Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim, Director, Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat, who underscored the urgency of shifting from diagnosis to reform in education systems.
Representatives from ministries of education, research institutions, and civil society organizations gathered to share innovations, identify regional gaps, and define joint priorities for strengthening learning assessments and education quality monitoring.
In one of the high-level sessions — Syeed Ahamed, CEO of IID and a NEQMAP Steering Group member, called for a decisive move from measurement to action. This session was moderated by Faryal Khan, Programme Specialist, UNESCO Bangkok.
Presenting on the International Common Assessment of Numeracy and Reading (ICAN–ICAR), he stressed that while data is vital, its impact lies in how it is used — to inform policy, empower teachers, and engage communities.
ICAN–ICAR is a low-cost, paper-based assessment developed collaboratively by countries in the Global South, designed to evaluate basic reading and math skills among children aged 5 to 16. Built over six years and already tested in 13 countries, it is now expanding to 15 more, including Bangladesh, where IID is leading its implementation. The assessment is unique in its accessibility: it is administered by trained local volunteers in homes, capturing data from both in-school and out-of-school children.
While ICAN–ICAR aligns with international benchmarks, Ahamed emphasized its real value lies in democratizing data. “We must not stop at reporting results to ministries or donors,” he said. “Teachers, families, and communities must be part of the data ecosystem — and the action.”
The tool continues to evolve. New versions are being piloted to assess children in crisis settings, such as refugee camps. Others focus on social-emotional learning and inclusive formats for children with disabilities, incorporating braille and sign language to ensure that no child is left behind — not in the data, and not in the solutions.
Other speakers in the session included Kemran Mestan from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Doreen Tuala from the Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP), and Roshan Bajracharya of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, who presented updates on global monitoring tools for SDG 4.
Throughout the day, participants explored how to better translate regional data into policy reforms, how artificial intelligence could shape future assessments, and how tools can be adapted to become more inclusive and gender-responsive.
The message that resonated across sessions was clear: learning assessments matter — but only if they lead to better teaching, stronger systems, and more equitable opportunities for all children.