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| Global Co-ordination > Working Group on Education for All > | |
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| First meeting / Document 9 | |
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Intervention
by
Dr Rosario Fernandez Santamaria
Deputy Secretary-General
of the Organization of IberioAmerican States
for Education, Science and Culture (OEI)
Activities since the Dakar Forum
The Organization
of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture
(OEI) is an international intergovernmental body with a long
history of over fifty years' cooperation. Its members are the
19 Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking American countries, in addition
to Spain, Portugal and Equatorial Guinea.
OEI's principal
objective is greater equity, and all its programming is closely
related to the attainment of the six objectives established
in the Dakar Framework for Action. Every year, prior to the
Summit of Heads of State, OEI organizes an Ibero-American Conference
of Ministers of Education, the conclusions of which are submitted
to the Summit. This year, after the Forum and aware of the commitments
obtained in Dakar, the Conference devoted its time to analysis,
reflection and debate on the situation of early childhood education
in the region, convinced that the latter is an essential component
for achieving the desired equity. Adequate attention during
early childhood constitutes an undeniable factor in compensating
for inequalities, by preparing children for access to basic
education in better conditions, and thus avoiding high rates
of failure, years repeated and premature drop-outs during schooling.
A discussion
paper was prepared prior to the Conference, describing the situation
of early childhood education in the region, its progress since
1990 and major current shortfalls, plus possible strategies
and their financial implications.
During
the Conference - a genuine arena for political consensus - Ministers
described their experiences and the situation in their country.
In addition, they undertook to increase funding for this stage,
concentrating efforts on the most underprivileged sectors, promoting
policies to inform and assist families, whose role is essential
at this age, and targeting objectives to increase the number
of places in school for 3-5 year-olds. This is a stage in its
own right, requiring specific teacher training as well as teaching
materials and curricula that gradually take on the characteristics
of preschool education, so that the pupil is adequately prepared
upon entering basic education.
As part
of its programme, OEI proposes to launch the preparation of
a work plan for the year 2001. This plan, aimed at promoting
early childhood education, will systematize the necessary knowledge
and promote the strengthening of institutional relations around
critical themes that will enable the creation of alternatives
for improving quality and broadening cover at this level.
Plans
include - amongst others - vocational training programmes
with special emphasis on training for underprivileged sectors,
improving the quality of education systems, the teaching of
values for active, responsible and participatory citizenship,
as well as the institutional strengthening of education administrations,
in order to obtain greater effectiveness and efficiency in
school management, and always with a view to equity.
The literacy
programmes aimed at young people and adults, funded by the Spanish
Government, deserve special mention. These have been carried
out in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, are underway
in Honduras and Nicaragua, and are about to begin in Paraguay,
where their implementation in Guarani and Spanish will be a
special feature. These programmes will support and strengthen
educational structures and will not be reduced to mere literacy.
They will be completed with basic education and vocational training,
which will facilitate poverty eradication via the integration
into broader society and the world of production of excluded
population categories, the greatest proportion of which is made
up of women who have not had a first opportunity.
Concrete proposals
OEI undertakes,
in the immediate future, to:
Identify
concrete objectives in each programme planned for the 2001-2002
biennium that coincide with those approved in Dakar, taking
into account that some of these, such as the universalization
of basic education, or equal access for women, are objectives
for which progress has been recognized in the region. Nevertheless,
these objectives will be developed in greater depth, especially
for rural, indigenous or marginalized peoples.
Continue
paying special attention to cooperation with Central America,
as per the special mandate of our General Assembly.
Allow
sufficient time in each Conference of Ministers of Education
for regional monitoring of the commitments achieved during
the Education for All Forum.
Provide
support for countries in the region that request assistance
in preparing national plans of action.
Cooperate
with IBE in preparing the 45th session of the UNESCO International
Conference on Education.
Connect
OEI's Observatory of Ibero-American Education with the UNESCO
Institute for Statistics, if so desired.
To this end, the
following are offered:
The reports
prepared on the national education systems of 19 countries
in the region.
Connection
with the Ibero-American network for educational information
and communication which will be operational at the end of
the first half of 2001.
Support
for the development and adoption of instruments to prepare
indicators on the social relevance of education.
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