July 8-16, 2026 Highlights

üChina: On July 8, President Xi Jinping attended the National Conference on Science and Technology Awards in Beijing, where he presented awards and delivered a speech. He emphasized optimizing collaborative talent cultivation in science and education to foster young professionals, urging a firm march toward the goal of building China into a science and technology powerhouse by 2035.

üZambia:In response to the grave challenge of school-related gender-based violence, Zambia, with support from UNESCO and other international partners, has trained 1,200 teachers nationwide in a specialized project. The projectaims to fortify school safety for approximately 84,000 learners by strengthening educators' capacity to identify and intervene.

üUnited States:On July 10, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rightslaunched a national K-12 initiative against adult sexual assault in schools, to stop schools from ignoring cases or moving accused staff elsewhere, while also issuing guidance and opening 20 district investigations.

üInternational Organization: On July 10, the UNESCOHeadquartersin Paris convened the "Transforming Education Summit +4" high-level meeting.The data show that the global education financing gap annually reaches US$97 billion, and 113 countries' external debt repayment spending exceeds education spending. To this end, UNESCO released a "debt-for-education" technical guide, allowing countries to convert part of external debt into domestic education investment.

China: National Science and Technology Awards Conference Held in Beijing; PresidentXi Jinping Presents Awards to State Preeminent Science and Technology Award Winners and Delivers Speech

On July 8, the National Conference on Science and Technology Awards, the 22nd General Assembly of the Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the 11th National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology were grandly convened in Beijing. President Xi Jinping presented awards to the recipients of the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award and delivered an important speech. He affirmed the major achievements of China's science and technology undertakings, analyzed the new situation of sci-tech development, and pointed out the direction for sci-tech work in the new era. He noted that the future of science lies in the youth, and it is necessary to optimize the mechanism for collaborative talent cultivation in science and education and vigorously foster outstanding young scientific and technological professionals. He called for increasing support for scientific researchers to help solve their practical difficulties, enabling them to devote themselves wholeheartedly to research and settle down with peace of mind and contentment. He also emphasized the importance of identifying and cultivating young people'sinterests, scientific literacy, and experimental capabilities, so as to attract more teenagers with scientific potential to dedicate themselves to the cause of science and technology.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Compiler:HE Yale, UNESCO-TEC

Zambia: UNESCO Trains 1,200 Teachers in Zambia to Prevent School-Related Gender-Based Violence

Zambia is building a robust defense against school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) through large-scale teacher training. Under the Spotlight Initiative 2.0, UNESCO, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, has trained 1,200 in-service teachers across four districts in Eastern and Muchinga provinces, namely Chinsali, Isoka, Katete, and Chipangali. The intervention is expected to directly benefit approximately 84,000 learners.

The challenge of SRGBV in Zambia remains acute. According to the 2023 Zambia Gender Assessment Report, more than 36 per cent of women and girls aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence at least once since the age of 15. Through the Connect with Respect (CwR) training, participating teachers have gained essential skills to identify at-risk learners, follow proper procedures to respond to abuse, and create safe and supportive school environments.

Funded by the Government of Ireland, the joint UN initiativeis implemented alongside the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). By fostering collaboration between schools, families, and communities, the initiative aims to transform schools into safe spaces free from violence, ensuring every child's right to education and development is protected.

Source:UNESCO

Compiler:XIA Yuxuan, UNESCO-TEC

United States:Department of Education Launches National K-12 Initiative to Combat Sexual Predators in Schools and Crack Down on "Passing the Trash"

On July 10, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched a national K-12 initiative aimed at combating adult sexual predators in schools. The Trump administration pointed to a troubling "passing the trash" phenomenon occurring in schools across the country, where credible reports of sexual abuse and sexual harassment by adult staff members go uninvestigated, or where suspected offenders are transferred to new schools or districts to continue in their positions.

In response to this issue, the Department issued guidance reminding federally funded educational institutions of their legal obligation to protect children, requiring them to respond appropriately to sexual misconduct incidents under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). The guidance directs schools to respond promptly to sexual harassment allegations, prevent implicated employees from being transferred to other schools to evade accountability, accurately report incidents through the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) system, and conduct thorough investigations.

OCR has also opened 20 directed investigations into school districts whose data submissions for the 2023-24 school year may indicate failures to properly address student sexual misconduct. The investigations will assess whether the districts’policies and procedures comply with federal law.

Source:U.S. Department of Education

Compiler:FENGJiamiao, UNESCO-TEC

International Organization:UNESCO Hosts "Transforming Education Summit +4" and Launches Technical Guide on Debt-for-Education Swaps

On July 10, UNESCO convened a high-level meeting, the Transforming Education Summit +4 (TES+4), at its headquarters in Paris, France, to mark the fourth anniversary of the landmark summit first convened by the UN Secretary-General in 2022. The gathering assessed progress in global education reforms and focused on the increasingly severe education financing crisis.

New data released at the summit show that international aid to education could decline by up to 30% between 2023 and 2027, with low-income countries losing over 20% of their aid. Meanwhile, 113 countries spend more on debt servicing than on education. In low-income countries, debt payments are nearly four times higher than education spending, and in the 18 most heavily indebted countries, they exceed government expenditure on education by a factor of five or more. The global education financing gap stands at $97 billion per year.

To address this crisis, UNESCO launched a technical guide on debt-for-education swaps. This mechanism enables countries to convert part of their external debt obligations into targeted investments in education. The guide outlines when such a mechanism can be effective and provides practical tools for debtor and creditor countries, while also sharing successful case studies from around the world.

Source: UNESCO

Compiler:FENGJiamiao, UNESCO-TEC