GPE KIX at the Development and Education Conference 2025

GPE KIX organised a panel discussion on “The role of knowledge, innovation and exchange in building equitable and inclusive education systems” at the Development and Education Conference 2025 (DevEd 2025) held at the State Library Victoria, Melbourne, Australia on 11 – 13 November 2025.

The GPE KIX panel was chaired by Arushi Terway, International Education Policy Analyst, with David Coleman, Lead Education Specialist & Director, Learning Linkages, acting as a discussant. The following experts featured on the panel:

• Aditi Desai, Knowledge Lead (Southeast Asia), KIX EMAP Hub
• Nisa Felicia, Executive Director, Pusat Studi Pendidikan dan Kebijakan, and KIX National Coordinator for Indonesia
• Sangay Jamtsho, Senior Program Officer, Asia Regional Office, International Development Research Centre, Delhi
• Mohammad Ali Zinnah, Professor, Institute of Education and Research, Dhaka University

Aditi Desai provided an overview of how the KIX EMAP Hub addresses four critical feedback loops between research and practice, and addresses national policy priorities through demand-driven learning and peer exchange activities. She was followed by Nisa Felicia, who illustrated how the Hub’s demand-driven approach is contributing to strengthening capacity to utilise data for evidence-based policymaking in Indonesia.   

Sangay Jamtsho provided an overview of the GPE KIX research portfolio in the areas of gender equality, equity, and inclusion, and presented research findings from the projects and their implications for education policy and practice. Mohammad Ali Zinnah subsequently presented the positive outcomes in teacher attitude towards gender and inclusion, increased understanding of complex issues of gender and inclusion in the classroom, and gender responsive and inclusive classroom practices from a GPE KIX-funded project implemented in Bangladesh. 

As the discussant, David Coleman succinctly summed up the reinforcing role played by knowledge and evidence initiatives such as GPE KIX to the broader work of a multi-stakeholder partnership, such as the Global Partnership for Education, to support education systems transformation at the country level.

The conference is an initiative of the Australian Council for Educational Research, which has also been a partner in various KIX EMAP Hub activities. The inaugural edition of the conference was organised in partnership with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the UK Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office and brought together leaders, thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across the Asia-Pacific region to share their research and innovative practices, fostering regional collaboration while contributing to global education efforts.

Cover photo credit: © Tom Russell