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The ongoing crisis in education, highlighting the importance of both access and quality for effective learning. It emphasizes the need for inclusive, equitable, and relevant education, as well as the importance of trained teachers and safe learning environments. The document also touches upon the measurement of access and quality, and the role of financing in education.
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Global Thematic Consultation on Education and the Post 2015 Development Framework
March 2013
The education sector has a long history of global goals and frameworks. Since the Jomtien World Conference on Education in 1990, there has been considerable progress in getting more children – including girls – into school, and reducing the number of non-‐literate adults. Yet there are still 131 million children of primary and lower secondary school age out of school and 755 million non-‐literate adults^1 , and the quality of education is often woefully poor. This failure to ensure that schooling actually leads to education – which is denying hundreds of millions their rights – exists despite quality education being both emphasized in the Jomtien declaration and included in the goals agreed in the Dakar Framework for Action on Education For All (2000). Political will has been missing for those aspects of education – quality, lifelong learning, adult literacy, inclusive education, gender equality beyond parity of access – that were not included in the more narrowly focused Millennium Development Goals. This points to the mobilizing power of those goals, and to the need to recapture the broad understanding of education and its purpose in future goals and frameworks. The starting point: the right to education The right to education has been recognized at least since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and has since been reiterated and elaborated through numerous human rights treaties and conventions. These treaties, their use and interpretation have produced a framework through which the right to education is understood to comprise four essential and related components: availability, accessibility, acceptability and adaptability. This implies that States have a responsibility to ensure non-‐discriminatory, inclusive education at all levels, including universal primary education; teachers and learning environments to guarantee quality; and finances to guarantee this. What we want: universal, equitable access to quality education Despite progress, there is today a crisis in education that can be characterized both in terms of access, and in terms of quality. Inequity and inequality cut across both sets of issues. Hundreds of millions of people still have no access to even basic education, and globally we are 1.7 million teachers short of the number needed to guarantee universal primary education by 2015. And it is the most marginalized and excluded – girls, children with disabilities, people from minorities, those living in fragile states – who are most likely to miss out. Secondly, poor quality education means that many children cannot read a single sentence after even three years of schooling. Neither of these crises can be treated separately – access without quality doesn’t produce education; quality without access entrenches inequality. Rather, equity, quality and access must be sought together. Measurement of access must be broader than primary school enrolment (e.g. completion, transition, inclusion, equity) and measurement of quality must include the key elements agreed as essential for a quality education
2015 marks the deadlines for achievement of both the Education For All (EFA) Dakar Framework For Action and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and falls shortly after the end points of the UN Decades on Literacy and on Education for Sustainable Development. Globally, there has been a significant transformation in the education sector since 2000, when the governments of the world agreed both the EFA framework (in collaboration with civil society and other stakeholders) and, subsequently, the MDGs. There has been progress, in particular on access to education. Yet it is important not to overstate this progress, nor to deny the complexity of the challenges remaining, which encompass both the unfinished business of the EFA and MDG agendas, and newly emerging challenges. In terms of access, the latest data^2 show that there are almost 70 million fewer children missing out on primary and lower secondary school than in 2000. There are also more than 100 million fewer adults who cannot read and write, compared to the early 1990s^3. But these figures, whilst giving cause for hope, still leave much to be desired: there are still 131 million children of primary and lower secondary school age not enrolled in school, with the numbers missing out increasing at upper secondary level, and hundreds of millions more are missing out on early childhood care and education. Around the world today, UNESCO estimates that there are 755 million young people and adults who cannot read and write, of whom 127 million are aged 15 to 24, and nearly two thirds are women^4. And recent trends are profoundly troubling. Since 2008, the number of children not in primary school has not shifted, and in sub-‐Saharan Africa, despite progress in some countries, has in fact grown. Transition to secondary school remains weak, and globally, there were more children missing out on lower secondary school in 2010 than in 2008, an increase that can be attributed to poor progress in sub-‐Saharan Africa and South and West Asia. Moreover, global indicators can also conceal disparities between and within countries: inequalities in educational access are persistent and can be severe even in the richest countries. Around the world, girls are still more likely to be out of school than boys (including because of early marriage^5 ); rural children are twice as likely to be out of school as urban children; an estimated third of the children now out of school have disabilities; and children from the poorest fifth of households are four times more likely to be out of school than children from the richest fifth^6. The issue is of course not just one of access to school. The figures for school enrolment do not tell us what kind of education children are receiving once they arrive in school. The need to ensure a quality education has long been included in international treaties, was emphasized in the Jomtien World Conference on Education in 1990, and was one of the six EFA goals agreed in Dakar in 2000. It has always been highlighted as a priority by civil society. Yet the narrowing of the education agenda to the access goals included in the MDGs is seen by many as having contributed to the neglect of the issue of the quality of education; the
The post-‐2015 goals are to be an initiative of the United Nations, as are the current MDGs. As such, the post-‐2015 development goals must enshrine and reinforce international human rights standards. Explicit attention needs to be drawn to making the right to education the guiding framework of a post-‐ 2015 education goal. The right to education is not simply a generic notion that people are entitled to some form of education; it is a very specific, well-‐developed set of norms and obligations that governments worldwide have agreed to through global, regional and domestic accords over more than 60 years^7. Among the international treaties that have built the right to education into what it is today are^8 : The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) The 1960 UNESCO Convention Against Discrimination in Education (CADE) The 1966 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) The 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) The 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) The 1989 ILO Convention 169, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention The 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) The articles of these treaties pertinent to the right to education are too numerous to replicate here. These provisions have been extensively practiced, applied and detailed by the U.N. Human Rights Commission/Council, U.N. human rights monitoring committees, U.N. Special Rapporteurs, judiciaries at the regional and domestic level, and academics. From this rich practice, the right to education, as found in articles 13 and 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and articles 28 and 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is considered to comprise four interrelated and essential features – commonly referred to as the “4-‐As” – stipulating that education must be available, accessible, acceptable, and adaptable:
and healthy school environment and professional, trained and supported teachers;
With this context in mind, Beyond 2015 has developed the following principles for a framework on education post-‐2015. These take in the ultimate goal (an integrated focus on equity and equality, quality and access); how to achieve this (with emphasis on teachers, learning environments and curricula); the structural elements necessary to achieve this (state responsibility, adequate and appropriate finance, and democratic governance including widespread participation); and finally what this means for goal-‐setting. What is needed: progress on quality, access and equity as inextricably linked Despite progress, it is undeniable that an education crisis is continuing in many parts of the world. It is possible to distinguish different aspects of the crisis:
Moreover, enrolment in primary school is generally a poor indicator of meaningful access, and indicates little about completion of a full cycle of early childhood education and primary education, transition to secondary school, or equitable, non-‐discriminatory access to quality teaching and learning while in school. A response that tackles the crisis in access to education must therefore include at least:
participation in society. Three key elements that also feature in each definition as crucial to achieve this are:
countries; in Malawi, for instance, the number of pupils per teacher ranges from an average of 36 in some districts to 120 in others. Moreover, millions of the teachers who are in place are untrained or under-‐ trained: half of all teachers in Africa, for example, have no or low qualifications^39 and more than 20 percent of teachers in India are not professionally qualified^40. Low status and low pay for teachers, along with poorly functioning systems, mean that teachers around the world are receiving inadequate salaries that arrive days, months or sometimes years late. This contributes to poor teaching, teacher absence, attrition, failures in child protection, and poor learning environments^41. If governments truly care about quality education and learning, they must attract and retain the best possible candidates in teaching, by treating it as a respected profession, with clear professional standards, good quality training and adequate compensation. Training must include appropriate pre-‐ service training as well as routine in-‐service training, linked to professional development, so that teachers are up-‐to-‐date on the most recent curriculum content and pedagogy, have an understanding of child rights, non-‐violence and inclusion, and understand a professional code of conduct. Truly inclusive education requires a well-‐resourced system for providing support to classroom teachers to ensure they are effective, and can facilitate both access to education and quality learning experiences for all children. Learning environment With the increase in enrolment, many countries have successfully put children into rooms; it is now time to put students in classrooms – that is, effective spaces for learning, for collaboration, for critical thinking, for fostering ethics and democracy. Many schools are lacking the most basic of teaching and learning materials: textbooks, notebooks, science kits, pens, even chalk. Textbooks, including large-‐print books and Braille books, as well as sign language, must be provided for children with disabilities. An enabling learning environment is also one embedded with values of inclusiveness, dialogue and collaboration, peaceful resolution of conflict and an ethic of care. It implies the possibility of democratic governance, where those in education may have direct participation over the processes that impact them. Finally, it implies recognizing that crucial learning takes place outside the classroom, where play and conviviality are recognized as key. Schools (and transport) need to be available so that children can reach them without walking long distances or separation from families. A rights-‐based, child-‐ friendly school also requires a healthy, hygienic and safe learning environment. Infrastructure should be adequate to ensure quality teaching for all, requiring, for example, adequate water and sanitation, sufficient separate toilets for girls, ramps and accommodation for persons with disabilities, and adequate infrastructure adapted to local climatic and security conditions^42. Curriculum
In addition, the education itself must be relevant to the needs of the students and community. A relevant curriculum that is culturally, linguistically, and socially understandable and applicable, and that promotes equality, tolerance, an understanding of rights, non-‐discrimination and non-‐violence, is the keystone of a quality education that supports learners in becoming active, contributing citizens. Civic education and health education need to be included in curricula from early years onwards. Gender-‐sensitive and culturally-‐sensitive curricula in schools are important in challenging stereotypes and combating gender-‐based violence. Education for sustainable development can help support development of the Green Economy. Curricula should also provide such necessary life skills as comprehensive sexuality education, which should not only provide young people with knowledge but also help them to understand and address their rights, explicitly addressing gender and power^43.
This stated objective -‐ equitable access to quality education for all without discrimination – and its requirements – trained teachers, safe and quality learning environments, and relevant, broad curricula – are well accepted. Yet these are not universally available – with the result that hundreds of millions of children, young people and adults are being denied their right to even the most basic education – because of structural factors connected to political will, financing, and governance. State responsibility for education as a human right and a public good The principles and requirements outlined above are stipulations of the right to education. According to international treaties, these are responsibilities of national governments, who must therefore progressively realize their achievement. Country-‐owned and country-‐led education policy, for which governments are accountable to their citizens, is a pre-‐requisite of achieving quality education for all. International assistance should be aimed toward strengthening government systems – particularly where these are weak – and supporting national education plans. Concerted international efforts to advance education worldwide should focus on improving public education systems. Private education and privatization of parts of the education system must be adequately regulated and monitored, and development of private education should not take place unless the government has such regulatory capabilities. With public education as the focus, civil society should likewise be supported, as their advocacy holds governments accountable for upholding the right to education. Adequate and appropriate financing
international. The engagement of learners, teachers and other stakeholders is a crucial check on the use and direction of funding, and on the adaptability and acceptability, as well as the accessibility and availability, of education. Monitoring Finally, for quality education to be implemented in practice, States need to implement a transparent and effective monitoring system that examines and measures compliance and progress – and allows for redress. Quality norms and standards should inform education systems throughout a country, within a framework that provides guidelines whilst being sufficiently adaptable to allow for regional difference (e.g. in language) and trusting professional teachers to make decisions about teaching and learning. States must have support to ensure that they are able to monitor both private and public educational institutions across the country so that quality education becomes a tangible reality for all.
The following requirements should be taken into account when developing education goals: Global targets to drive action, with national sensitivity : Post-‐2015 education goals should represent global targets. This requires sensitivity to context: political, economic and environmental factors may make certain goals far harder to achieve in some countries or regions than others. Nevertheless, the politically unifying powers of the current MDGs have proven invaluable to their successes, and there is more to gain from the galvanizing forces offered by such global goals. Global goals rally commitment, focus political will and inspire monitoring, ensuring that ambitious actions are taken towards them. While global goals are essential, specific targets and monitoring need not necessarily take place at the global level; some goals may need national benchmarks, and aspects such as learning may be more appropriately measured at the national level, where testing can be designed in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way, responding to local needs. Goals and indicators that emphasise equity and equality : the lesson of the MDGs is that goals that focus only on aggregate progress without taking into account diversity, difference and exclusion can allow space for the most marginalized to be left behind, increasing rather than decreasing inequality. For this reason, goals should include indicators that disaggregate progress (e.g. by gender, income, disability, living situation, etc). There should also be room for national and sub-‐national goal-‐setting in this process, whilst still sitting within a global framework. Comprehensive goals : Goals should be designed to encourage significant progress in equitable access to quality education, including in learning. The lesson of the MDGs is that a narrow focus can lead to perverse outcomes by encouraging the neglect of other important targets. This argues strongly against a narrowing of the focus to literacy and numeracy – leading to the danger that
the countries with the furthest to go on this will concentrate on this alone. There is need rather for a framework that will emphasize quality in education more broadly, and that (whether or not it measures learning directly) will support progress in all learning domains and taking in critical skills, non-‐discrimination, global citizenship, etc. A focus on how to achieve outcomes : where there is consensus on the conditions needed to achieve quality education, these must be prioritized in goal-‐setting. So, for example, targets relating to improved standards of teacher training, pupil-‐to-‐trained-‐teacher ratios, improved learning environments, and education systems will be crucial on driving progress on quality education for all. There should also be consideration of process targets relating to citizen participation. Comprehensible and compelling : Finally, a post-‐2015 education goal needs to be aspirational and inspirational – that is, clearly understandable to all. There should be a top-‐line message that can inspire governments and citizens alike. The psychological, moral, and political salience of the post-‐2015 goals may have considerable impact on their success^48. Global goals on education must be presented in such a way that they are immediately comprehensible and compelling to citizens as a whole, in order to be able to mobilize the political and social will required for them to be achieved.
Charter of the United Nations; (c) The development of respect for the child’s parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate and for civilizations different from his or her own; (d) The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin; (e) The development of respect for the natural environment. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008) Article 24.1: States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to education. With a view to realizing this right without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity, States Parties shall ensure an inclusive education system at all levels and life long learning directed to: (a) The full development of human potential and sense of dignity and self-‐worth, and the strengthening of respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and human diversity; (b) The development by persons with disabilities of their personality, talents and creativity, as well as their mental and physical abilities, to their fullest potential;(c) Enabling persons with disabilities to participate effectively in a free society.
This paper is issued on behalf of the Beyond 2015 campaign and drew on inputs from across the platform. The original draft was produced by a drafting team led by the Global Campaign for Education and with significant support from Results. The full drafting team included the following organizations:
Many of these organizations drew on broader consultations and discussions within their network, including a Global Campaign for Education Survey involving 18 coalitions and networks and 29 organizations across more than 40 countries.