Sightsavers at the CIES education conference 2024

Sightsavers attended the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) global conference in Miami on 6-14 March 2024, to share our expertise and engage with the education community.

Our goal was to explore how we can transform inclusive education.

The theme for the 2024 CIES conference was The Power of Protest, and we’re fighting for equal access to quality education for all children.

Sightsavers presented in four sessions, including two panels, during the conference. We showcased some of our innovative education projects, demonstrating how we’re generating evidence of ways to strengthen inclusive education systems for long-term sustainability.

For more information, visit the conference website.

Wednesday 6 March (online)

Policy approaches to inclusive education by governments and schools

• Time: 4.15pm EST (1.5 hours)
• Location: Online (Zoom Room 107)
• With presentation by Sightsavers: Review of economic evaluations of inclusive education projects conducted in Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal and Kenya. View the presentation
• Speakers: Guillaume Trotignon and Iain Jones

Sightsavers conducted studies into the costs of its inclusive education projects in public schools in Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal and Kenya. Our presentation will highlight evidence from the studies to support governments with planning and budgeting for inclusive education systems.

Read more about our costing studies in Senegal and Cameroon. Further reports available soon via Sightsavers’ research centre.

Monday 11 March

Panel: Evaluating a tool for school-based identification of children with functional difficulties: the Child Functioning Module – Teacher Version

• Time: 6.30pm EST (1.5 hours)
• Location: Hyatt Regency Miami, Third Level, Miami lecture hall
• With presentation by Sightsavers: Findings from feasibility test of Child Functioning Module – Teacher Version in Sierra Leone. View the presentation
• Speaker: Julia de Kadt

In many low and middle income countries identifying children with functional difficulties in educational settings poses a substantial challenge. To address this, the Washington Group on Disability Statistics, in collaboration with UNICEF, developed the Child Functioning Module – Teacher Version (CFM-TV) tool. This panel showcases three evaluations of the CFM-TV, providing an opportunity to combine learnings and discuss future research priorities. Sightsavers will present findings from our feasibility test of the CFM-TV in Sierra Leone.
Read more about this research

Wednesday 13 March

Parents and communities as holistic support systems for their students

• Time: 8am EST (1.5 hours)
• Location: Hyatt Regency Miami, Terrace Level, Gardenia A+B
• With presentation by Sightsavers: Experiences of inclusive education amongst girls and boys with disabilities, their parents and teachers in schools in Senegal and Cameroon. View the presentation
• Speaker: Sapana Basnet

We will present our study that captured the lived experiences of pupils with disabilities, their parents and their teachers in Senegal and Cameroon. We explored people’s perceptions of disability and inclusive education. Despite notable progress, there are numerous challenges yet to be solved. Learn more from our findings and gain insight into priorities that must be addressed to achieve inclusive education.
Read more about this research