Global Education Monitoring Report Launch 2026

Four years from the deadline of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM) takes stock of progress and constraints related to access and equity in education.

The 2026 GEM Report identifies countries that have improved faster than peers – but also countries that appear not to have done as well – in terms of participation in pre-primary, primary and secondary, and post-secondary education, including by reducing disparity by sex, location, wealth and disability.

The national launch in Oslo 23 October will provide an opportunity to reflect on the report’s findings through a Norwegian and international lens. Bringing together government representatives, researchers, civil society, youth and international partners, the event will examine how questions of access and equity are evolving across education levels and how progress should be measured in a changing world.

This event is organized by Norad in collaboration with the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Oslo, the Norwegian Global Campaign for Education, the Union of Education Norway, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Norwegian National Commission for UNESCO.

You will hear perspectives from

• Manos Antoninis, Director of the GEM Report.
• Astrid Marie Jorde Sandsør, Dean at the Faculty of Educational Sciences.
• Jihad Ammar Al-Mahdi, Student Parliament representative.
• Dan Banik, Professor at the Centre for Global Sustainability.
• Peter Maassen, Professor at the Departement of Education.
• Björn Andersson, Professor at the Centre for Educational Measurement.

How to participate

To sign up to the event or to follow via the live streaming, click here. 

Program 

Program

Master of ceremony: Gerd-Hanne Fosen, Education Policy Director, Norad, and Member of the Global Education Monitoring Report Advisory Board

Opening session

09.00: Welcome and opening

• Ragnhild Hennum, Rector/President, University of Oslo
• Stine Renate Håheim, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Gunn Jorid Roset, Director General, Norad

09.10: Presentation of the Report

• Manos Antoninis, Director, GEM Report

Part 1: Access and equity in primary and secondary education

09.30: Panel discussion 

Moderator: Astrid Marie Jorde Sandsør, Dean of Research, Professor at CREATE, Center for Equality in Education, University of Oslo 

• Thomas Nordgård, Member of the Executive Board of Union of Education Norway  
• Ragnhild Nordvik, Director of Education, Save the Children Norway 
• Dan Banik, Professor of political science and Academic Director of Circle U, Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo
• Manos Antoninis, Director, GEM Report 

Part 1: Access and equity in higher education

10.15: Panel discussion

Moderator: Nicole Becerra Vivanco, Vice President SAIH (The Norwegian Students and Academics International Assistance Fund)

• Peter Maassen, Professor, UiO/Department of Education – Higher Education Leadership, Governance and Academic Development  
• Jihad Ammar Al-Mahdi, Student leader, University of Oslo Student Parliament, Head of International Section
• Svein Stølen, Professor, Global University Academy, Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo 
• Asmaa N J Abusamra, Assistant Professor in educational leadership in higher education and Researcher at Østfold University College through Scholars at Risk
• Manos Antoninis, Director, GEM Report

11.00-11.30: Networking coffee/tea/light lunch

Part 3: Measurement: How do we measure progress in education

11.30: Presentation and panel talk

• Short presentation by Manos Antoninis, Director, GEM Report
• Björn Andersson, Centre for Educational Measurement (CEMO), University of Oslo
• Thom Jambak, Vice President, Union of Education Norway
• Representative from UiO/HISP/EMIS

Part 4: Looking to the future

12.00: Discussion

• Dan Banik, Professor of political science and Academic Director of Circle U, Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo
• Manos Antoninis, Director, GEM Report