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Warsaw
Framework for Action |
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PREAMBLE |
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 At
the invitation of UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World
Bank, government representatives of thirty-nine European and
North American countries, and representatives of intergovernmental
and non-governmental organizations, met in Warsaw from 6 to
8 February 2000. The participants read and took note of the
preliminary document concerning the Action Framework to be defined
at the World Education Forum (Dakar). Discussions were based
on the report presented by the Consultative forum for education
for all, a report based on contributions from thirty-one countries,
as well as on two syntheses: one on central and eastern Europe,
and the other produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) on its member countries. |
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Ten
years ago, the Jomtien Conference asserted the need to implement
the right to education that was provided for in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, and to meet basic educational needs
in each country in the world. |
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A
number of international conferences have since then repeatedly
insisted on the importance of basic education in social and
economic development. The World Summit for Social Development
(Copenhagen, 1995) fixed 2015 as the ultimate date for universal
primary education, and which this is now the time reference
for the EFA movement. Over the past decade all European countries
have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. |
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Learning
and the learner are at the heart of lifelong learning, itself
a cyclical, episodic and continuous concept that involves both
intended and unanticipated episodes of learning of an informal
and a formal nature. Basic education is a part of lifelong learning.
The importance of valuing the learners' experience in order
to create both the curriculum and opportunities for learning
is paramount: education from all as well as for all. Participation
in learning builds self-confidence, citizenship and autonomy. |
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Evolution
over the past ten years |
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Throughout
the world, the trend is towards the development of free market
economies and globalization; this is accompanied by an awareness
of the importance of education and training. For most of our
countries common characteristics include declining demographic
trends. This in turn increases the importance of the quality
of education, be it for children, youth or adults of all ages
and the need for education throughout life. |
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The
Jomtien assertions have not always been properly taken into
account in Europe and North America: basic education was considered
to have been implemented, since primary and lower secondary
education were practically universal. However, although our
region remains the one in which the outcomes of basic education
are the closest to the Jomtien 'enlarged vision', the past decade
has been marked by regressions and difficulties linked in particular
to an increase in social inequities and violence, and in some
countries to war. |
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In
the eastern part of the European continent, the political
and economic system is being transformed. However, from a
basic education viewpoint, the transition of these countries
towards the free market economy has not been positive:
 in
financial terms: in most cases there has been a reduction
in expenditure on education;
in
terms of quality: for teachers whose salary levels have
led them to seek supplementary resources; for pedagogical
equipment, in particular text-books and computers; and for
teaching conditions related to teaching premises and their
facilities;
in
terms of equity: the increased contribution requested from
families and from local communities is leading to inequality
to the detriment of the most underprivileged families and
of the poorest areas, in particular rural areas, and this
in the context of societies where social inequalities are
increasing this is especially true with the education of
young children, whether it concerns access to educational
institutions or parents' available resources.
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These
difficulties have not significantly reduced the percentage
of children in full-time education, which remains high, despite
a slight decline in a number of cases. However, in the long
term they are certain to have a negative influence on the
results obtained.
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In
western Europe and North America, an already universal schooling
in primary and lower secondary education has provided a basis
for development drives on the other levels. Educational expenditure
has continued to increase, in line with GDP and often more rapidly.
The education of young children has been reinforced in many
countries, even though situations remain very varied. |
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However,
as in eastern European countries, concern has been expressed
with respect to quality and non-discrimination. Disturbing
signs are emerging: increase in numbers of drop-outs; low
motivation of a number of pupils resulting in endemic truancy;
weaker performance of the most disadvantaged pupils - 10 per
cent, 20 per cent, sometimes more - who do not have access
to the level required, in particular, for satisfactory work
integration; and development of social exclusion phenomena,
of disaffiliation, of drug addiction, of violence, at increasingly
young ages. Not only has progress failed significantly to
reduce inequality in education according to social, geographical
and ethnic origin, but the gap is widening between the majority
of young people and a fringe, made up of children from the
most underprivileged backgrounds, with increasing difficulties.
This gap also exists among adults, in particular those who
have no professional qualification or who are functionally
illiterate.
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European
and North American countries have a responsibility towards the
regions of the world where education is less widespread. They
meet this responsibility by means of co-operation and development
provided in bilateral and multilateral forms. In the field of
education, this assistance appears now to focus more on basic
education. However, despite the commitments for increases declared
by Heads of States at Jomtien and Copenhagen, the level of the
aid has decreased over the last decade. |
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Shaping the vision |
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The
World Declaration on Education for All called for an expanded
vision and a renewed commitment, by stating in its Article
I the objective of basic education. It can be summarized as
allowing each woman and each man to develop her/his personal
potential to achieve intellectual autonomy, to integrate into
society and to take part in society's development.
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Integration
into a society depends on the nature of the society. Education
therefore has a national aspect, and even sometimes a sub-national
aspect. According to the Jomtien Declaration 'The scope of basic
learning needs, and how they should be met varies with individual
country and culture, and inevitably, changes with the passage
of time'. |
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For
the past ten years, we have been increasingly aware of a stronger
and stronger interaction between countries, influenced by technical
evolution and the sharing of ideas: this is the phenomenon that
is known as globalization. One of its characteristics is the
fundamental importance of knowledge, so as to allow change,
and of education, so as to make the change acceptable. The evolution
mentioned in the Jomtien Declaration should therefore lead to
a convergence in levels of education for the countries in the
world. However, an education system cannot be severed from its
historical, cultural, religious and linguistic roots, which
our fellow citizens consider as essential, no doubt in reaction
to the threat of loss of identity that globalization can represent. |
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To
ensure sustainable and peaceful development in North American
and European countries, renewed emphasis is required on 'learning
to live together' in the Education for All context. This should
enable individuals to better understand themselves and others,
and contribute to the world's progress towards a unity respectful
of and founded on creative diversity. In this context, renewed
efforts to fight racism, ethnocentrism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia
are needed. |
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Education
for democratic citizenship concerns not only the teaching of
democratic norms but essentially the development of reflective
and creative individuals. It is based on understanding that
democracy is not fixed and immutable but rather that it must
be built and rebuilt every day in every society. Over the past
ten years, our countries have joined together in the will to
form democratic societies; for such societies, the future is
to be invented and to be built; the mission of education is
to prepare future citizens so that they can take part in this
initiative. |
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In
the past, basic education could be defined in terms of an
obligation, fixed by the State and covering the childhood
period, and therefore that of primary school. Today, such
a definition has several deficiencies:
With
the development of knowledge, and of its influence on the
lives of people, basic education takes more time: in our
countries, it covers at least lower secondary education,
and touches other levels.
Basic
education cannot be defined solely by an obligatory duration;
it must now be defined in terms of outcomes.
Basic
education should indeed become an 'education for everybody'
regardless of age, social and economic background, gender
and residence, founded on the respect for difference. The
problems to be solved concern those who do not reach the
level required for successful integration into working life
and who cannot take part in social development; children
who fail often come from very underprivileged families and,
conversely, failure in school often leads to social exclusion;
the solution to these problems is therefore closely linked
to anti-poverty strategies.
The
definition of basic education is no longer fixed by the
State alone: in many cases, the expectations of society
and of families, and the economy, along with the supply
of knowledge from outside of the formal education system,
have led to the evolution of educational duration and content.
As
society is rapidly changing, each individual needs lifelong
learning: learning how to learn is seen as a fundamental
skill for all. The expanding area of basic education for
out-of-school children youth and adults is essential to
achieving learning throughout life.
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The
foundation of this process begins at birth. Early childhood
education and care must be holistic and integrated to ensure
the survival, growth and development of young child. In particular,
more attention should be paid to young children below 3, children
in difficult situations and in rural areas for their participation
in and access to quality early childhood programmes. |
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The
primary child caretakers are parents, and the family and community
environment plays an important role. In this regard, an effort
to link early childhood education and care with adult education
deserves attention. The learning that parents and grandparents
do enhances the learning that children do. In turn, the success
or failure of learning at school impacts on how adults learn
later on in their lives. The vision, provision, policy and system
of early childhood education and care can vary across countries,
but there is a growing consensus that some forms of early childhood
programme focusing on the child's holistic development are essential
to favour the social, psychological, affective and cognitive
development of the young child. |
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Three
levels of action
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In
each country |
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1.
Definition of basic education
The definition of basic education must be in terms of levels
to be attained, and knowledge and skills to be acquired along
the Jomtien 'enlarged vision', not in terms of a period of compulsory
school education.
Basic education allows personal development, intellectual autonomy,
integration into professional life and participation in the
development of the society in the context of a democracy. In
order to achieve these aims, basic education must lead to the
acquisition of:
key
skills, used as personal development tools and, later on, as
a basis for lifelong learning;
a
first vocational guidance; and
the
knowledge, values and abilities that are needed for individual
development, and for the exercise of participatory and responsible
citizenship in a democracy. |
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2.
Operational goals for 2015
All
young women and men achieve basic education as defined in their
country, through their initial education.
Young
people and adults who have not achieved the set level of basic
education, or who have lost the corresponding skills, are offered
the means to undergo training in order to attain this level;
in particular promotion of literacy is an essential task.
In
the framework of his/her right to education, each child aged
at least 3 is offered access to pre-primary education on request
from his/her parents. |
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3.
Strategies
3.1
National action plan
Develop,
in consultation with all stakeholders, a national action plan
with precise goals and objectives, and agreed milestones for
assessing progress. This plan will pay particular attention
to the right of disadvantaged groups to education.
3.2
Allocation of resources
Maintain
the investment level currently dedicated to education, despite
a decreasing demographic trend; if reductions have been made
in the level of educational expenditure since 1990, increase
investment to what it was then. Benchmark resource needs and
increase the efficiency in the use resources. Education should
be given high priority and not less than 6 per cent of a country's
GNP should be devoted to education, as recommended by the
International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first
Century, chaired by Jacques Delors.
3.3
Equitable allocations
Ensure
that the allocation of public resources for education across
sub-sectors and communities serves to reduce inequities in
access and quality rather than to exacerbate them, particularly
through the use of positive discrimination measures.
3.4
Effective partnerships
Set
up the institutional and legal formulae to ensure a real sharing
of responsibility among the various levels (central, regional
and local) of public authorities responsible for education.
Promote effective and formal partnerships between
schools, teachers, families, communities, civil society, employers,
voluntary bodies, social services and political authorities.
This is particularly important for excluded groups: parents
must have the possibility to express the difficulties that
hinder the educational success of their children and to take
part in the definition of solutions so as to achieve this
success. Education for democratic citizenship also relies
on effective partnership in order to ensure commitment of
the whole of society to prevent racism and xenophobia. In
particular, it is important to support lifelong education
for citizenship's efforts of non-governmental organizations
and citizens associations that participate in the democratic
dynamic and cultural development.
Partnerships alone allow taking advantage of all
the opportunities society provides for learning, especially
to ensure that all adults have a right to education. Many
adults never participate in learning opportunities after leaving
school. Education for all must address this. The development
of the United Nations Adult Learners' Week (September 2000),
following on from International Literacy Day, is one way of
encouraging participation in adult learning, increasing international
solidarity.
Moreover, partnership contributes to linking education
to working life, taking full advantage of the changing employment
environment for increasing opportunities for employment (not
necessary paid or fully paid). Career guidance and consulting
services for both young people and adults need strengthening.
3.5
Address specific issues
Identify
a specific set of problem issues and develop strategies to
address them. The experience of the past decade in this region
suggest that these might include: Identifying children excluded
from basic education (rural children, disabled children, girls,
street children, ethnic minorities and children affected by
conflict or HIV/AIDS), and implementing flexible and creative
programmes to restore their right to basic education. Promising
directions are: more opportunities for teachers' initiative,
creativity and decision-making; more attention to cultivating
a positive attitude to learning; a focus on general skills,
life skills and competitions; rethinking the content and organization
of general education by relating it to contemporary life and
student interests. Improving the quality of education by ensuring
that schools are healthy for children, effective with children
and protective of children. This implies a broader definition
of quality that includes addressing the quality of learners
(health, nutrition, etc.), the quality of the curricula (including
assessment and materials), the quality of the learning process
(teachers and technologies to enhance learning) and the quality
of the learning environment (child-centered, gender-sensitive,
healthy and safe). Furthermore, basic education can play a
role in reducing risks of infection by HIV/AIDS and other
health hazards.
3.6
Monitoring
Set
up a monitoring plan that allows levels achieved to be measured
against levels required and, in particular, to determine,
in social and geographical terms, the populations that have
the most difficulties in attaining the objectives set. Develop
indicators on early childhood education and care.
Establish
quality-improvement systems to enable the responsible education
personnel to allocate resources according to locally perceived
needs and priorities. Enlisting parents, teachers and community
representatives in this process can promote ownership and
help to enhance a sense of local responsibility.
3.7
Personnel
Basic
education and basic training personnel include all the actors
related to the educational, social, cultural and health sectors.
The main objective is to instill in the institutions
and the personnel that are responsible for education the will
that is needed in order to attain the goal of the educational
success of each pupil and to develop the practices that are
required for this purpose. It implies, in particular, training
and retraining teachers, assessing schools and teachers, coordinating
their action and training teachers and social interveners
in how to dialogue with excluded families and with the parents
of pupils in difficulty.
The Warsaw regional EFA conference refers to the
already internationally adopted documents such as the ILO
Convention on the Status of Teachers and the 1996 recommendations
of the 45th International Conference on Education. Measures
to increase the social status of teachers of all school levels
should be taken; this has to do not only with salaries but
also with academic qualification and access to post-graduate
studies. At the same time it should be emphasized that the
nature of the teaching profession is related to decision-making
and planning, and to identifying and solving problems, rather
than to transmitting knowledge and following rules. The recognition
of this fact has consequences for the goals and style of in-service
teacher-education programmes. Teachers must have the possibility
with their organizations to participate in the process of
formulating educational policies.
Moreover, the essential role of universities
and other institutions of higher education should also be
emphasized both in educational research and in pre-service
teacher education. Research-based policies should explore
how individuals and their communities learn, and why they
do not.
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In
the region |
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1.
Facilitate the sharing of information, good practices, and
interesting experiences in the management and improvement
of basic education systems across the region in order to find
common convergent solutions. This regional co-operation should
rely on existing intergovernmental (Council of Europe, UNESCO,
OECD, EU, CIS, NAFTA, OSCE…) and non-governmental structures.
These exchanges can be encouraged to take place in a variety
of ways, including e-mail, written communication, ad hoc meetings
and committees.
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2.
Given the need for further improvement of education systems,
particularly in hard hit economies of central and Eastern Europe,
enhanced flows of financial assistance are needed and should
be provided. In this context, bilateral, regional and multilateral
agencies are invited to re-assess their priorities and to consider
significant increases of assistance to education. |
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VISION
FOR THE FUTURE |
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We
acknowledge that quality education for all will be our biggest
challenge and also our greatest hope. Universal access to education
will allow our peoples to participate more effectively in an
interactive world. |
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The
onset of the information and knowledge revolution is changing
our lives in an unprecedented manner. Knowledge has become the
capital and the currency of the twenty-first century. New technologies,
new mechanism and immensely large and varied sources of information
are influencing our private and public lives. While remaining
committed to utilizing the advanced and modern technologies,
we shall remain equally committed to maintaining the cultural
identities of our respective societies and countries. |
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We
realize that we can help the world advance the cause of humanity
by striking a balance between acquisition of information and
knowledge and enrichment of the essence of our rich heritage.
We realize the need for a synergy between technological modernity
and traditional values. We look ahead to a future in which our
countries are liberated from the burden of illiteracy and are
fully empowered to move in fruitful harmony towards peace, prosperity
and global stability, security and technological development. |
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With
the whole world |
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Education
must be allowed to play its key role for lasting development,
in the context of globalization and by respecting the responsibilities
of each country. This can be achieved by implementing the
following measures:
1.
Empower developing countries to identify their needs, and
to lead and own their development by working in close partnership
towards achieving the goals that will be defined at the
Dakar Forum.
2. Encourage international organizations, notably
UNESCO and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, to improve
and collect internationally comparable data, and develop
quality research, and thus enabling the worldwide community
to assess achievement of the goals established in Dakar.
This process should be done in co-operation with national
and regional research and statistical institutions. International
agencies will be asked to assist in national capacity building
for statistical collection and analysis.
3. Rectify the level of assistance that is provided
by the countries in our region and reserve an adequate portion
for basic education in order to meet the expectations of
all actors in the field of Education For All. Since there
is no common model for overseas development aid, an early
rethinking of its levels, ways and means by the North American
and European countries should be considered to prepare the
Dakar Forum.
4. The revised draft Dakar Declaration should be
made available to all ministries, institutions and authorities
concerned by 30 March latest to allow for proper consultation
and consensus building.
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