EAC and its partners are committed to reaching children who are not in primary-level education, and ensure through appropriate interventions that children have an opportunity for a basic education. Inclusion, for EAC, is about identifying children who are often invisible to the system at large, marginalised due to situations beyond their control and facing barriers that are difficult to overcome. Assuring these children are visible by including them in quality education programmes and offering a different life trajectory forms the focus for EAC to identify, count enrolment and account for their progress through the system.

How do we find children who are not in school? How do we count them? What do we do to ensure they have education opportunities? How do we know if they participate and progress in an education programme offered to them?

These questions are complicated when applied to a marginalised population of primary-level out of school children (OOSC) who face challenges and barriers, often compounded and unique to the local context, culture, socio-economic conditions and other circumstances. This Occasional Paper examines issues surrounding inclusion, including identification and tracking of OOSC, as they apply to Educate A Child, a global programme of the Education Above All Foundation. Furthermore, it intends to prompt thoughtful, reflective consideration to impact education, particularly for those whom the opportunity is restricted.