Theme 1: Consortium for Access, Transitions and Equity in Education (CREATE) DFID

The Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE)

Over 60 million children of primary school age are not in school. Many more are attending irregularly, seriously over-age, and learning little. Most of these children are in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia, many are those suffering disadvantage (household poverty, gendered discrimination, disability, compromised health, uncertain civil status, and membership of socially excluded groups. Access to basic education lies at the heart of development. Lack of educational access, and securely acquired knowledge and skill, is both a part of the definition of poverty, and a means for its diminution. Sustained access to meaningful learning that has utility is critical to long term improvements in productivity, the reduction of inter-generational cycles of poverty, demographic transition, preventive health care, the empowerment of women, and reductions in inequality.

CREATE is a programme of research involving over 140 researchers in six leading institutions in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, South Africa and the UK. It is funded by DFID for £2.5 million. The research is Directed by Keith M Lewin of the Centre for International Education, University of Sussex. Its purpose is to increase knowledge and understanding of why less than half of all children complete primary schooling in low income countries and identify what actions of policy and practice would make a difference. The research has generated insights from large scale empirical work at community and school level involving over 18,000 households and over 100 schools, and from analysis of cross national data sets on particpation. These are complemented by smaller scale case studies and qualitative enquiries using a wide range of social science methods. Over 16,000 chioldren have been tracked for four years. Its research is designed to be directly relevant to policy dialogue directed towards accelerating progress towards universalising access to basic education in line with the Millenium Development Goals and the Dakar commitments to Education fro All.

CREATE has produced an extensive portfolio of research products, supported a series of national and international policy dialogue events, contributed to sector reviews, and shaped bilateral and multilateral strategies to improve educational access. The research has generated a twelve-point development agenda that identifies actions to make the right to education a reality. The research products include 75 Research Monographs, eight Country Reviews, four special issues of refereed journals, 25 policy briefs, and six books. 22 Doctoral students are associated with CREATE.

The main CREATE Partners are: The Institute of Education and Development, BRAC University, Bangladesh, Manzoor Ahmed: the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, India: R Govinda: the Education Policy Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa: Shireen Motala; the Universities of Winneba and Cape Coast, Ghana: Jerome Djangmah and Joseph Ghartey Ampiah; the Institute of Education,

Please click for more details on CREATE which links to the master website. The CREATE Research Programme is outlined in Improving Access, Equity and Transitions in Education: Creating a Research Agenda

CREATE has published a synthesis of its findings. This synthesis was launched at the 2011 UKFIET Conference in New College, Oxford; UNICEF HQ in New York in September 2011, and Canberra, Australia in February 2012 at AUSAID.

The synthesis is available as a free download by clicking “Making Rights Realities: Researching Educational Access, Transitions and Equity“

CREATE Final Report to DFID
Final Report 2011 June 4 with cover
Annexesjoinedup2

CREATE maintains an extensive website with over 150 research publications, including books, research monographs, journal articles and policy briefs. These are organised thematically into twelve clusters. These are:

· Changing Patterns of Access;
· Health, Nutrition, Disability;
· Drop Out and Push Out;
· Migration,
· Seasonality and Nomads;
· Small Schools and Multi-grade;
· Transitions to Secondary;
· Educational Quality and School Processes;
· Equity, Poverty and Exclusion;
· Private and Non-State Providers;
· Planning and Governance;
· Aid and the Political Economy of EFA

Four Key Publications

Lewin K. M., (2011) “Making Rights Realities: Researching Educational Access, Transitions and Equity” Researching Educational Access, Transitions and Equity. CREATE Synthetic Report. Centre for International Education, University of Sussex.

Lewin, K. M., (2007) Improving Access, Equity and Transitions in Education: Creating a Research Agenda. CREATE Pathways to Access Research Monograph No. 1. Brighton: University of Sussex

Lewin, K. M., (2009) Access to education in sub-Saharan Africa: patterns, problems and possibilities, Comparative Education Special Issue (2009) Access to Education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Vol. 45 (2)

Participation and Performance in Education in Sub-Saharan Africa with special reference to Kenya: Improving Policy and Practice Authors: K. M. Lewin, P. Wasanga, E. Wanderi, A. Somerset Date: November 2011 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA74.pdf

Access, Transitions and Equity in Education in Ghana: Researching Practice, Problems and Policy Author: Kwame Akyeampong, Caine Rolleston, Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, Keith M Lewin Date: Januuary 2012 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA72.pdf

The Role of Maternal Education During Educational Expansion for Children in Sub-Saharan Africa Authors: Ricardo Sabates, Jimena Hernandez Fernandez, Keith M Lewin Date: May 2011 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA64.pdf

Education and Change in Rich, Poor and National Minority Areas in China: Two Decades of Transition Authors: Keith M Lewin, Wang Lu Date: April 2011 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA61.pdf

Taking Targets to Task Revisited: How Indicators of Progress on Access to Education can Mislead Author: Keith M Lewin Date: Jan 2011 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA54.pdf

Beyond Universal Access to Elementary Education in India: Is it Achievable at Affordable Costs? Author: Keith M Lewin Date: Jan 2011 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA53.pdf

Changing Patterns of Access to Education in Anglophone and Francophone Countries in Sub Saharan Africa: Is Education for All Pro-Poor? Author: Keith M Lewin & Ricardo Sabates Date: Jan 2011 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA52.pdf

School Drop Out in Bangladesh: New Insights from Longitudinal Evidence Author: Ricardo Sabates, Altaf Hossain, Keith M. Lewin Date: Oct 2010 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA49.pdf

Expanding Access to Secondary Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Key Planning and Finance Issues Authors: Keith M Lewin Date: June 2007 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA8.pdf

Long Term Planning for EFA and the MDGs: Modes and Mechanisms ( Summary) Authors: Keith M Lewin Date: June 2007 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA7.pdf

The Limits to Growth of Non-Government Private Schooling in Sub Saharan Africa ( Summary) Authors: Keith M Lewin Date: June 2007 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA5.pdf

Improving Access, Equity and Transitions in Education: Creating a Research Agenda ( Summary) Authors: Keith M Lewin Date: June 2007 http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/PTA1.pdf