Framework for Action - Participants -Organizers
Online coverage - NGO Consultation		 Latest news - Follow-up to the Dakar Forum
The opinion of EFA partners - Grassroots stories
The EFA 2000 Assessment - The findings
The regional meetings - Evaluation		 Press releases - Press kit
Photo corner - Media contacts
The findings > Thematic Studies> Demographic Challenges>Part 4
  Country EFA reports
  Regional Frameworks for Action
 
 
4. Looking towards the future
 
At the end of the first post-Jomtien decade, there is consistent evidence for both progress and shortcomings in pursuing education for all. A continuing growth in the child and youth populations in all of the less developed regions of the world has posed significant challenges, but the trend is now changing in many countries and is projected to change in most others.
 
On the one hand, it is important to acknowledge the efforts that have been made during these ten years by many national governments, multilateral and bilateral organizations, and NGOs, as well as individuals, including local policy makers, teachers and parents. Due to these efforts, the EFA targets seem more easily attainable today than they were ten years ago, with enrolment in primary and secondary education having grown during the 1990s at double the pace than in the 1980s. Literacy rates have also tended to increase and gender disparities have declined in many countries.
 
On the other hand, major gaps remain. In some countries, more than half of the school age population is excluded from primary education and up to two thirds of the adult female population is illiterate. Moreover, all regions – the industrialized world included – share a concern about the quality of educational outcomes.
 
This part outlines some of the main priorities and challenges ahead that indicate a few lines of action for pursuing Education for All ten years after Jomtien.
 
All along the debate on education for all the issue of quality was affirmed next to the more easily definable and measurable issue of quantity. Putting all children in school and then being unable to provide most of them with the relevant learning for their development and future participation in society means wasting enormous resources, missing a unique chance, and perpetuating long term inequalities and injustices. In short, it means failing to meet the commitment of education for all taken in Jomtien. A basic education of poor quality coupled with limited access to higher levels of education translates into social, economical, and cultural disadvantage or even exclusion for those who are the targets of all current efforts.
 
In order to enable all countries to achieve universal primary education without sacrificing the quality of the teaching/learning experience, countries starting from different points of departure may have to establish different intermediate national targets, combining the common urge with realistic timeframes.
 
The relationship between enrolment and quality can be considered by means of "yield histograms", which present enrolment (i.e. the percentage of the official school-age group enrolled) on the vertical axis and achievement (i.e. scores to a given test) on the horizontal axis (IEA, 1988). The area under the curve is called the "yield". Expanding enrolment quickly without simultaneously guaranteeing the attainment of sufficient achievement standards may easily result in a very low yield, which means that the majority of the enrolled students will have a very poor achievement. Conversely, adding a limited number of new pupils and then enhancing achievement standards before allowing some more children into school and so on, is one way to maintain the yield of achievement at acceptable levels.
 
In order to harmonise quantity, that is the expansion of enrolment, with quality, that is achievement, the minimum sufficient standards to be attained need to be defined, measured and guaranteed, while progressively expanding enrolment. Projects such as the Southern African Consortium for Measuring Educational Quality (SACMEQ), the Monitoring Learning Achievement (MLA), the Program of Analysis of Educational System (PASEC), and the Latin American Laboratory for Assessment of Educational Quality (Laboratorio) have marked a progress in this area and need to be continued while expanding the number of participating countries.
 
More research is needed on learning achievement, in order to be able to assess, monitor and guide the progress towards the universal acquisition of basic literacy and numeracy skills, as well as "life skills" defined as "the ability to cope with issues central to daily life, such as health, hygiene, nutrition, the environment and civil rights" (UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and World Bank, 1996a). Reliable and timely data on learning outcomes, by gender and socio-economic status, would provide a basis for monitoring the quality of education and addressing problems, particularly in those countries that have the greatest disparities in gender and wealth. Both national and international assessments of learning achievement as the ones mentioned above as well as the studies of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) represent means to this goal (International Consultative Forum on Education for All).
 
The first gap is that which still separates many countries from universal primary enrolment. Renewed efforts will be required to reach the child population that is still out-of-school, bearing in mind that progress may now require larger efforts than those required previously, given that those who are not in school yet are likely to be the most difficult to reach for different reasons.
 
Besides, the Amman Affirmation mentioned the insufficient progress achieved in both closing the gender gap and reducing illiteracy rates among the shortfalls that emerged at the mid-decade review in 1996. The situation in these areas has not changed substantially by the end of the first post-Jomtien decade. Although much has been done to promote the participation of girls and women in education, innovative experiences have to be shared and multiplied in order to overcome continued discrimination against girls and women and fully address gender issues.
 
More attention and support is also required in the area of adolescents’ and adults’ literacy and education, with a focus on programmes promoting employment opportunities and developing skills. Also in this domain, countries could benefit from an exchange of information and experiences involving intergovernmental organisations, NGOs, associations and private partners.
 
Funding schemes should reflect the highest priority of basic education, not only because a great deal of research illustrates the high returns of investing in this level of education but also because in the developing world primary education represents the only educational opportunity for a share of the child population that ranges from 45 to 80 per cent depending on the region. The measures envisaged to overcome the scarcity of resources for basic education include: re-examining spending patterns and unit costs at different levels of the education systems, leading to a different distribution of resources between these levels; re-examining the allocation of national budgets leading to a shift in the allocation of public resources; increasing the focus of the external support of donors on basic education to be viewed "as a key ingredient of all development assistance rather than as just one area among many" (UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and World Bank, 1996b).
 
Schooling risks to fail its mission if it educates according to values and visions that are not supported, shared and conveyed by the society as a whole. It is difficult to overcome gender disparities in educational opportunities, for example, in a society that discriminates against girls and women, or to ask the school to take care of the disadvantaged when the society at large excludes those who do not fit certain socio-economic standards.
 
A real reform of education today implies a profound understanding of the complex changing process at the societal level with the aim of constantly instilling the vision of education for all and its goals into the minds of the world’s societies. The real qualitative change in education is a major expression of the evolution and possibilities of each society in close relation with the rest of the world and not just a question of isolated schooling.
 
One of the six priorities for action underlined at the end of the Amman mid-decade review was that "the international community needs to form new alliances in support of poorer and least developed countries truly committed to the goals of education for all" based on the acknowledgment that "the vision of Jomtien correctly set this out as a challenge for the world as a whole" (Jolly, 1996).
 
Agreeing that education for all, as well as issues such as the combat against poverty and sustainable development, calls out for a response from the "world as a whole" means going beyond the simple acknowledgement that we live in a global world. "Global" does not necessarily means safe, good for everyone, or harmonic. It simply points at the interdependence among the parts so that what happens in one part of the globe may have repercussions on what happens in several other parts.
 
Globalisation, however, provides the opportunity to direct the chain of interdependent actions and reactions towards well-being and progress and for all human beings. The responsible and ethical management of globalisation requires going towards a more co-operative and united world. Turning globalisation into co-operation and unity implies working together to achieve common goals and allowing an exchange based on the recognised equal dignity of those who give and those who are in need.
 
References

Berstecher, D. Universal primary education and the population factor, UNESCO, September 1999.

Blanchet D. "Reversal of the effects of population growth on economic growth since the end of the 1970s: Reality or artefact?" In: United Nations, 41-59, 1999c.

Bledsoe C. Critical Perspectives on schooling and fertility in the developing world. Committee on Population, Commission on Behavioural and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., National Academy Press.

Bulatao R. Lee R. (eds.). Determinants of fertility in developing countries, 2 vols. New York, Academic Press, 1983.

Buvinic M., Gwin C., & Bates, L. Investing in women: Progress and prospects for the World Bank, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996.

Caldwell J. "Mass education as a determinant of the timing of the fertility decline". Population and Development Review, 6(2). 1980: 225-55.

________. Theory of fertility decline. New York, Academic Press, 1982.

Chesnais, J.-C. La transition démographique. (The demographic transition). Paris, PUF/INED, 1986.

________. Education and Demographic Modernization, unpublished paper, Paris, UNESCO, 1999.

Chung, F. "Educational expansion, cost considerations and curriculum development in Zimbabwe". In: J.K. Kerway and S. C. Bourque (eds.) The politics of women’s education. Perspectives from Asia, Africa and Latin America, The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 1993.

Cleland J. and Harris K. "The effect of maternal education on child health and survival – Do girls benefit?" In United Nations, pp. 179-207, 1998c.

Cochrane S. Fertility and education: What do we really know. Published for World Bank by Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, 1979.

________. "Effects of education and urbanization on fertility". In: Bulatao r., Lee R. (eds.) 1983.

Cosio-Zavala, M.-E. "Demographic transition and social development in low-income countries". In: United Nations, 91-98, 1999c.

Ellison R. Prospect for UPE in 2015 in China, India and Sub-Saharan Africa, DFID Note, July 1999.

Farrel J. & Oliveira J. Teachers in developing countries: Improving effectiveness and managing costs, Washington, the World Bank, 1993.

Hobcraft J. "Women’s education, fertility and the proximate determinants of fertility". In United Nations, pp. 255-270, 1992.

Independent Commission on Population and Quality of Life. Caring for the future. Report of the Independent Commission on Population and Quality of Life. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1996.

Inter-American Development Bank, Facing up to inequality in Latin America, Washington, D.C., Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Science achievement in seventeen countries, Oxford, Pergamon Press, 1988.

International Consultative Forum on Education for All. Assessing Learning Achievement. Education for All: Status and Trends 1999

Jejeebhoy S. J. Women’s education, autonomy and reproductive behaviour: Experiences from developing countries, International Studies in Demography Series. New York: Oxford University Press.

Jolly R. "Education for All: The Vision to be Grasped". Concluding statement by the Special Adviser to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP). In: UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, 1996a.

Major F. "Preface". In: Noin D. People on Earth. World Population Map, UNESCO, Paris, 199?

McMahon W. W. Education and development: Measuring the social benefit, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1999.

Mehrotra S. Education for All: Policy lessons from high-achieving countries, UNICEF, New York, 1998.

________ and Buckland P. Managing teacher costs for access and quality, UNICEF, New York, 1998.

National Research Council. Population growth and economic development: Policy questions, Washington D.C.: National Academy Press, 1996.

________. Critical perspectives on schooling and fertility in the developing world, Washington D.C., National Academy Press, 1998.

OECD/Statistics Canada. Literacy, Economy and Society. Paris, 1995 and forthcoming.

OECD. Building momentum for global growth and social progress into the new millennium, Note by the Secretary-General, Council at Ministerial Level, 26-27 May 1999.

Population Council. The unfinished transition, 1996.

Population Division, United Nation Secretariat. World Population Monitoring 1996, Selected aspects of reproductive rights and reproductive health, New York, 1998.

Psacharopoulos G., Rosenhouse S. "Population growth, education and employment in Latin America, with an illustration from Bolivia".In United Nations: 155-172, 1999c.

Postlethwaite, N. "The conditions of primary schools in least-developed countries", International Review of Education, 44(4), 289-317, 1998.

Schiefelbein, E. "Educational policy and decision making: Comparative data". In: T. Husen & T. N. Postlethwaite (Eds.), The International Encyclopedia of Education, 2nd ed., vol. 3, pp. 1830-1834, 1994.

Schleicher A. Siniscalco M.T., Postlethwaite N. The conditions of primary schools. A pilot study in the least developed countries. A Report to UNESCO and UNICEF, September 1995.

UNDP. Human Development Report 1995 and 1999, New York, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1995 and 1999.

UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank. Education for All. Achieving the goal. Final report of the Mid-decade Meeting of the International Consultative Forum on Education for All. Amman, Jordan, 16-19 June 1996. UNESCO, Paris, 1996a.

_________.Education for All. Achieving the goal. Working Document for the Mid-Decade Meeting of the International Consultative Forum on Education for All. Amman, Jordan, 16-19 June 1996. UNESCO, Paris, 1996b. UNESCO. International Study on the Conceptualisation and Methodology of Population Education, Paris, 1978.

________. World Declaration on Education for All, EFA Forum Secretariat, Paris, 1990.

________. World Education Report, 1995, 1998; 2000; Paris, 1995a, 1998a, 2000

________. Compendium of statistics on illiteracy. 1995 Edition, Paris, 1995b.

________. Adult Education in a Polarizing World. EFA Forum Secretariat, Paris, 1997.

________. Gender-sensitive Education Statistics and Indicators. A Practical Guide, Paris, 1997b.

________. Wasted opportunities: when schools fail. EFA Forum Secretariat, Paris, 1998b.

________. Addendum to the Education Public Awareness and Training Report of the Secretary-General to CSD at its sixth session, Paris, 1998c.

________. Statistical Yearbook 1999, Paris, 1999a.

________. Education and Population Dynamics: Mobilizing minds for a Sustainable Future, Paris, March 1999b.

________. Population Education: A Position Paper by UNESCO, Paris, 1999c. UNFPA. Re-conceptualisation of Population Education, Technical Paper Number 2, New York, 1993.

________. Framework of selected indicators for evaluating the impact of population and education programmes, Education, Communication and Youth Branch, Technical and Evaluation Division, New York, 1996.

________, The State of the World Population 1997. The right to choose: Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health, New York, 1997.

________, In collaboration with the Australian National University. Southeast Asian Populations in Crisis, New York, 1998

________, The State of the World Population 1999. 6 Billion. A time for choice, New York, 1999.

UNICEF. The State of the World’s Children 1999. Education, New York, 1999.

United Nations. The determinants and consequences of population trends, Vol. 1, New York, 1973.

________. Report of the United Nations World Population Conference, 1974, Bucharest, 19-30 August 1974, New York, 1975.

________. Report of the International Conference on Population, 1984, Mexico City, 6-14 August 1984, New York, 1985,

________. Fertility Behaviour in the Context of Development: Evidence from the World Fertility Survey, Department of International Economic and Social Affairs, New York, 1987.

________. Population and women. Proceedings of the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Population and Women, Gaborone, Botswana, 22-26 June 1992, New York, 1992.

________. The health’s rationale for family planning: Timing of births and child survival, New York, 1994

________. Report of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5-13 September 1994, New York, 1995.

________. Population and Development. Programme of Action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5-13 September, 1994, Department for Economic and Social Affairs and Policy Analysis, Population Division, New York, 1995a.

________. Population Consensus at Cairo, Mexico City and Bucharest. An analytical comparison, Department for Economic and Social Affairs and Policy Analysis, Population Division, New York, 1995b.

________. The World’s Women 1995: Trends and Statistics, New York, 1995c.

________. Women’s Education and Fertility Behaviour: Recent Evidence from the Demographic and Health Surveys, Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Population Division, New York, 1995d.

________. Child survival, health and family planning programmes and fertility, 1996a.

________. World Population Prospects. The 1996 Revision and The 1998 Revision, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, New York, 1998a and 1999a.

________. World Population Monitoring, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, New York, 1996b, 1998b and 1999b.

________. Too young to die: Genes or Gender? United Nations, 1998c.

________. Population Growth and Demographic Structure, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, New York, 1999c.

________. Review and Appraisal of the Progress Made in Achieving the Goals and Objectives of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, New York, 1999d.

World Bank. World Development Report 1998-9. Knowledge for development. Oxford University Press, New York, 1999.

World Bank. 1999 World Development Indicators. The World Bank, Washington, D.C., 1999.

World Bank. 1999 World Development Indicators, CD-ROM, 1999.

 

This study is published by UNESCO for the International Consultative Forum on Education For All. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or areas of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. Any part of this study may be freely reproduced with the appropriate acknowledgement.

For further information, please contact:

UNESCO

7, Place de Fontenoy 75352

Paris 07 SP France

 
---------------------
Return to contents
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[ Discussion Forum | Contact | Site map | Search this site | top ]