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| Introduction |
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The World Conference on Education for All (WCEFA, Jomtien 1990)
reaffirmed the universal right to education, promoting an expanded
vision of basic education and a renewed commitment to ensure
that basic learning needs of all children, youths and adults
would be met in all countries. However, the efforts required
to translate this right into reality depend, not least, on the
amount of resources that a country can mobilize for the development
of its educational system and the demographic and economic context.
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The opening of the 'World Declaration on Education for All'
pointed explicitly to this interrelationship between educational
policy on the one hand and economic and demographic development
on the other. In particular, the document situated the failure
to fulfil the universal right to education asserted in the 1948
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in a broader context including,
among others, the problems of economic stagnation and decline,
population growth and economic disparities among and within
nations: "These problems constrain efforts to meet basic learning
needs, while the lack of basic education among a significant
proportion of the population prevents societies from addressing
such problems with strength and purpose" (World Declaration
on Education for All, Preamble, 1990). The inadequate supply
of educational opportunities is shown to be both a consequence
and a cause of demographic and socio-economic problems. |
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A decade has passed since the Jomtien declaration. What progress
has been accomplished towards the goal of education for all,
against the backdrop of current financial and demographic factors?
Is it possible to quantify the demographic pressure on public
policy, and particularly on education? How did public policy
directed towards the targets of universal access to primary
education, elimination of the gender gap and increasing net
primary school enrolment ratio work against the obstacles posed
by demographic growth? Which policies have been most successful
and what can countries learn from the experience of other countries? |
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Specific goals, derived from the ultimate objective to achieve
education for all, included: "universal access to and completion
of primary education (or the level of education considered as
'basic') by the year 2000"; and "reduction of the adult illiteracy
rate (the appropriate age group to be determined in each country)
to one-half its 1990 level by the year 2000, with sufficient
emphasis on female literacy to significantly reduce the current
disparity between male and female literacy rates". |
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These goals were further specified at the International Conference
on Population and Development (ICPD, Cairo 1994). There, it
was agreed that governments and civil society, with the assistance
of the international community, should meet the goals of ensuring
universal access to primary education as quickly as possible
and in any case before 2015; close the gender gap in primary
and secondary education by 2005, making special efforts to keep
girls and adolescents in school by building more community schools,
training teachers to be more gender sensitive, providing scholarships
and other incentives and by sensitising parents to the value
of educating children and particularly girls; and strive to
ensure that by 2010 the net primary school enrolment ratio for
children of both sexes will be at least 90 per cent, compared
with an estimated 85 per cent by the year 2000. |
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To examine the progress made and the challenges faced in the
implementation of these goals, the analysis starts with a global
perspective and then focuses on the less developed regions where
the demographic transition is still in progress and education
for all represents an important challenge. Changes in enrolment
ratios, literacy rates, gender disparity, public investment
in education, as well as shortages in educational provision
and inadequate conditions of learning, are considered against
the backdrop of demographic changes. Regional figures, however,
hide considerable variations within regions and even within
countries, masking important differences in policies. In order
to highlight these variations, the situation of individual countries
is presented for some specific issues. The interrelationship
between population and economic development and the relative
success of national policies in meeting EFA goals are also examined
through a comparison of the E-9 countries that together account
for more than half of the world's population (Bangladesh, Brazil,
China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan |
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Specifically, this study is comprised of four parts: |
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The first
part:
Provides
a descriptive analysis of population growth and development
at the world and regional level; ·
Considers
both cross-national and within-country aspects of the relationship
between demographic growth, economic growth and wealth;
and
· Highlights
different aspects of the recent debate on population, development
and education dynamics, with a focus on the impact of education
on population dynamics.
The second
part: ·
Examines
the impacts of demographic growth on the achievement of
education for all, focusing on the less developed regions
of the world; and
Presents
policy approaches that are instructive in pursuing the goal
of education for all.
The third
part:
For
a selection of countries, quantifies progress towards universal
primary education during the first decade following Jomtien
and the efforts required to fill the remaining gap by 2010
in terms of additional students to enrol. Finally,
the fourth
part:
Highlights
some of the challenges ahead and the main priorities for
action towards the achievement of education for all from
the perspective of population and sustainable development.
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Although the four parts are connected, each one can be read
independently. If the interest is focused on the impacts of
education on population dynamics, then it is possible to read
the first part exclusively. If conversely the interest is focused
on the impact of population dynamics on education and, specifically
on the progress achieved since Jomtien towards education for
all, then it is possible to start reading directly the second
and third parts. Finally, priorities for further actions can
be found in the fourth part. |
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I wish to thank the UNESCO Institute of Statistics for
its invaluable support, and in particular Ms. Vittoria Cavicchioni,
Mr. S. K. Chu, Ms.Mania Yannarakis and Ms. Lynda Bellaiche,
who followed all phases of the work, providing all needed data
and invaluable insights. I also wish to thank Mr. Gustavo Lopez
Ospina, Mr. Warren Mellor, Mr John Ryan, Mr.Neville Postlethwaite,
Mr. John Smyth, Mr. Andreas Schleicher, Ms. Daphne de Rebello,
Ms. Malika Ladjali, and Mr. Robin Ellison for their precious
contribution to the preparation and finalisation of the report. |
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