Christopher Colclough, who died on 28 June, has been described by a former colleague at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) on campus as “one of the world’s foremost experts on education in developing countries”. His leadership and contribution to international debates and policy in this field was “probably unrivalled”.
Christopher was a Fellow at IDS between 1975 and 2005, Deputy Director from 1982-85, and a Professorial Fellow from 1994.
He was the lead researcher in the field of education, not just in the IDS but in the global academic and policy community.
While at IDS, Christopher made a series of particularly valuable contributions to an understanding of the factors holding back the schooling of young girls. He directed a nine-country research and policy analysis programme on gender and primary schooling in Africa, attracting research funding of over US$ 3 million from a multi-donor partnership, comprising the Rockefeller Foundation, NORRAD, Irish Aid and the World Bank.
Although he had an area specialism in southern Africa, Christopher had wide-ranging interests and worked in a variety of global settings.
Before moving to the University of Cambridge in 2005, Christopher was the founding Director of UNESCO's Global Monitoring Report on Education for All. This annual report charts progress towards the six 'Dakar' goals and the two Millennium Development Goals for education.
Among his many other substantial professional contributions was the co-editing of the influential set of IDS readings States or Markets in 1991 and his transformative Editorship of the Journal of Development Studies.
Christopher served as an adviser to UNICEF, UNESCO and the Rockefeller Foundation on issues related to Education for All, and to many governments - particularly those in southern Africa - on education and economic policy.
He also served as consultant to a wide range of agencies, including the World Bank, DFID, NORRAD and others, on general matters related to education and economic development.
At Cambridge, from 2008-14 he was Professor of Education and Development and director of its Centre for Education and International Development, which seeks to explain patterns of access, quality and outcomes of education in developing countries, and to demonstrate how they can be improved.
His wife Sarah and son Giles were with Christopher constantly during his last difficult weeks and were at his side when he died.