50 years Main Thrusts p.30

MAIN THRUSTS — THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION

THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION FOR ALL, JOMTIEN

The United Nations proclaimed 1990 International Literacy Year (ILY), entrusting the main responsibility for it to UNESCO. ILY was marked by the World Conference on Education for All convened jointly by UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO and the World Bank in Jomtien (Thailand), which brought together 1,500 participants representing 155 governments and 150 non-governmental organizations. The Conference adopted the World Declaration on Education for All, which defines basic education as ‘the foundation for lifelong learning’ and sets out the principle of resorting to using ‘a variety of delivery systems’ to meet basic educational needs. The Conference also approved the Framework for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs referring to strategies ‘linked to formal education, non-formal education or a combination of both’, specifically mentioning ‘relevant, primary schooling or equivalent out-of-school education for children, and literacy, basic knowledge and life skills training for youth and adults’.
Since 1990, UNESCO has devoted most of its Education for All activities to encouraging countries to implement the Jomtien Framework for Action, which has attracted considerable attention and support from governments and educators, and can therefore be regarded as a major political event in the history of the fight against illiteracy. It has helped mobilize international resources, stimulate the political will of governments and strengthen co-operation of development agencies.
In its approach to promoting education for all, UNESCO is now guided by two major concerns; one is the quality of education, not only in terms of educational standards, but also of relevance. Education for all will attain its objectives only if it takes full account of the cultural and socio-economic environment and the interests of the groups concerned. The quality of education in its broadest sense appears as a prerequisite for ensuring equal opportunities, which equal access does not suffice to ensure. The second major concern is that Education for All, in the strategy proposed by UNESCO to education authorities, should not be conceived as a limited and restrictive list of items of basic knowledge but rather as the foundation for access for each and every person to each and every level and form of education, in the perspective of lifelong learning. These concerns have been recently emphasized by the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century in its report to UNESCO.

1972 Education for human development,for peace, for the quality of life
1990
1996

CHILDREN WITHOUT CHILDHOOD

Child labourers are among the world’s most exploited workers. Hundreds of millions of children work in fields and factories, on street corners and in garbage dumps all over the world. Most do some form of work from their earliest years, helping around the home or running errands. But the term ‘child labour’ implies exploitation - that children are working long hours for low pay, sacrificing their health, their education and their childhood.

The largest numbers of child workers are in Asia, where in some countries they make up more than 10% of the labour force. But there are also large numbers in Africa, where several countries are reported to have up to 20% of their children working. And in Latin America, more than a quarter of children in some countries are thought to be working.

Industrial countries also have a substantial child workforce. In Europe, some of the largest numbers are in Italy and Spain. And there are believed to be large numbers in the United States, where between 1983 and 1990 there was a 250% increase in violations of child labour laws.

Poverty is the chief cause of child labour. When a family is poor, everyone has to work, every extra contribution helps. But many children work because of lack of other oppor-tunities: schools might be unavailable, inadequate or just too expensive. Others are forced to work. Pakistan, according to some reports, has millions of bonded child labourers, working long hours each day in all sorts of activities, from agriculture to carpet factories to brick kilns. And in Thailand, children are bought and sold to work in private houses, restaurants, factories and brothels.

While the long-term objective must be to eliminate child labour, much needs to be done for children who currently have to work - providing them with support through health services, feeding programmes or informal education schemes that they can fit in around their work. And children should be removed immediately from the most hazardous environments.

Education for human development,for peace, for the quality of life

Improving educational opportunities is one of the most important steps - to make schooling a real and practical alternative for todays working children. But in the ultimate analysis, child labour will be eliminated only through alleviation of poverty - the real cause of child labour.

From UNDP Human Development Report, 1993.

FOOTNOTES

(1) que antiguo es ese niño!
Cuántos han muerto para que él naciera!
(Miguel de Unamuno)

THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION FOR ALL, JOMTIEN The United Nations proclaimed 1990 International Literacy Year (ILY), entrusting the main responsibility for it to UNESCO. ILY was marked by the World Conference on Education for All convened jointly by UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO and the World Bank in Jomtien (Thailand), which brought together 1,500 participants representing 155 governments and 150 non-governmental organizations. The Conference adopted the World Declaration on Education for All, which defines basic education as ‘the foundation for lifelong learning’ and sets out the principle of resorting to using ‘a variety of delivery systems’ to meet basic educational needs. The Conference also approved the Framework for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs referring to strategies ‘linked to formal education, non-formal education or a combination of both’, specifically mentioning ‘relevant, primary schooling or equivalent out-of-school education for children, and literacy, basic knowledge and life skills training for youth and adults’. Since 1990, UNESCO has devoted most of its Education for All activities to encouraging countries to implement the Jomtien Framework for Action, which has attracted considerable attention and support from governments and educators, and can therefore be regarded as a major political event in the history of the fight against illiteracy. It has helped mobilize international resources, stimulate the political will of governments and strengthen co-operation of development agencies. In its approach to promoting education for all, UNESCO is now guided by two major concerns; one is the quality of education, not only in terms of educational standards, but also of relevance. Education for all will attain its objectives only if it takes full account of the cultural and socio-economic environment and the interests of the groups concerned. The quality of education in its broadest sense appears as a prerequisite for ensuring equal opportunities, which equal access does not suffice to ensure. The second major concern is that Education for All, in the strategy proposed by UNESCO to education authorities, should not be conceived as a limited and restrictive list of items of basic knowledge but rather as the foundation for access for each and every person to each and every level and form of education, in the perspective of lifelong learning. These concerns have been recently emphasized by the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century in its report to UNESCO.
1972
1990
1996