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Educations Crucial Role in Todays World

Educationisattheheartofimprovingthelivesofeveryoneintheworld.Itprovidespeoplewithmoreeconomicopportunities,empowersthemtomakeinformeddecisionsthatimpacttheirfamilieswell-beingandequipsthemwiththeskillstolivesecureandhealthylives.Foreveryyearofschooling,anindividualcanadd10percenttohisorherannualearnings.Eachadditionalyearofeducationonaveragereducesacountryschancesoffallingintocivilwarby3.6percent.Achildborntoamotherwhocanreadstandsa50percentgreaterchanceofsurvivingpastageve.

Accesstogoodeducationcanbenetallcountries,butitbenetstheleastdevelopedcountriesthemost,whereanestimated136millionchildrenandyoutharestilloutofprimaryandlowersecondaryschool;themajorityofthemaregirls.InSub-SaharanAfricaandSouthandWestAsia,morethan54milliongirlsarenotattendingschoolandthereforearemissingoutoncruciallearningopportunities.

Thecostfornationstoprovideagoodqualityeducationtoitsyoungpeoplemayseemgreat,butthecostsofnot

doingsoareevengreater.Theeconomiccostsalonetoacountryofgirlsdroppingoutofschoolaresignicant.Arecentreportestimatesthat65low-andmiddle-incomecountriesarelosingapproximately$92billionperyearbyfailingtoeducategirlstothesamestandardsasboys.

Formorethantwodecades,global,regionalandlocalleaders,advocatesandparentshaveworkedhardtogetmorekidsinschool.Butwhilemillionsmorearenowinschool,resultsshowasimpletruthitisnothowmanyyearskidsareinschool,itiswhat

theylearnwhiletheyaretherethatcounts.Today,in

someSub-Saharancountries,childrenwithveyearofprimaryeducationstillonlyhavea60percent

chanceofbeingliterate.InruralIndia,only53percentofgradevestudentscanreadatasecondgradelevel.

Thereisaseriousgloballearningcrisistoday,asmanychildrenandyouthinschoolarenotactuallylearningthecrucialskillstheyneedforworkandlifGettingintoschoolisjustarststepinimprovingthqualityoflifethrougheducation.Itistimetorefocustheglobaleducationagendaonlearningthroughincreasingaccesstogoodqualityeducationforalltheworldschildren.

TheCenterforUniversalEducationattheBrookingsInstitution,incollaborationwitheducationexpertsinboththepublicandprivatesectors,hasidentiedacommonsetofpolicygoalstoaddressthegloballearningcrisis.Ifimplemented,theycanreinvigorateinternationaleffortsoneducationandbuildontheprevioussuccessingettingmorechildrenintoschool.Thereisemergingenergyontheimportancoflearningforallfromgrassrootsorganizationsindevelopingcountriestonewpolicydirectionsby

majoraiddonorstoincreasinginterestfromprivatesectoradvocatesandgloballeaders.Itisimperativethatthesestakeholdersworktogethertowardacommongoalofimprovedlearningforall.

Progress Made, But an Unfnished Agenda

In2000,thenationsoftheworldadoptedtheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals,anambitioussetofpolicyobjectivestoliftmillionsofpeopleoutofpoverty.Thegoalsincludeapledgetohaveallboy

The task of rebuilding the education sector is towering. National capacity must be restoredthroughout the education system. We cannot afford to lose another generation of pupils.So we must concentrate on providing children in those schools with better qualityeducation and better systems to support them.1

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia

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andgirlscompleteafullcourseofprimaryschoolby2015.Therehasbeentremendouscommitment,support,dedication,andresourcesfromgovernments,educators,advocates,parents,andtheprivatesectorinfulllingthispledgeandtherehasbeensomesignicantprogresstodate.Since1999,thenumberofchildrennotenrolledinprimaryschoolhasfallenby39million.Eveninthepoorestcountries,primaryschoolnetenrollmentratioshaveincreasedfromanaverageoflessthan60percentin1990toover80percentin2008.However,

thesegainsshouldnotmasktheenormityofthechallengethatstillliesaheadandtheunnishedglobalagendaofprovidinggoodqualityeducationtoalltheworldschildren.

Researchandevidenceshowsthatmoreneedstobedone:Progress has been highly unevenNationalaveragesoftendisguiselargedisparitieswithinsomecountries,inparticular,disparitiesrelatedtoincome,location,ethnicity,language,

disability,age,andgender.Poor girls are oten let behind, particularly in

conict areasDespitesignicantprogressoverthepasttwodecadesinensuringthatmoregirlshaveanopportunitytolearn,girlsandyoungwomeninmanydevelopingcountriesremainatadisadvantageespeciallythoseinconictareas.Investingingirlseducationisarguablythemosteffectivewaytobreakthecycleofpovertyandimprovethehealthandwelfareoftheirfamiliesand

communities.Better learning supports better livesEconomicgrowthandpovertyreductionrequirehavinganeducatedandskilledworkforce.Qualitylearningoutcomesareessentialtoreapthemanybenetsofeducation.Anestimated171millionpeoplecouldbeliftedoutofpovertyifallstudentsinlow-incomecountriesobtainbasicreadingskillsinschool.Thatisequivalenttoa12percentreductioninworldpoverty.

Learning is essential to address todays mostpressing challengesEducatedpeopleareneededtotackleunprecedenteissuesthatcountriesfacetodayeverythingfromclimatechange,tofoodsecurity,toyouthunemploymenttoinstabilityinkeyregions.Thereisbroadagreementandsignicantevidencetosupportthefactthatlearningenhancesindividualsabilitiestoleadhealthier,moreproductivelives.

Three Policy Priorities to Promote Learning

Aglobalbreakthroughisneededtoensurethateverygirlandboymakesthetransitiontoadulthoodequippedwiththeskills,knowledge,andcompetencineededtoliveahealthy,safe,andproductivelife.Whilethereisnoone-size-ts-allapproach,recentresearchconductedbytheCenterforUniversalEducationatBrookingssuggeststhatthreepolicyprioritiescanmakeanenormouscontributionifappliedthroughcollectiveactionandconcertedfocuandthenappropriatelyadaptedtoeachlocalcontext

Support quality early childhood development anlearning opportunities or girls and boys.Qualitearlychildhooddevelopmentactivities,whichincludehealth,nutritionandstimulation,reduceattritionandincreaseprimaryschoolcompletionrates.Thesereturnsareoftengreatestforchildrenfromthemostdisadvantagedbackgrounds.

Ensure that children acquire basic literacy andnumeracy skills. Theabilitytoread,writeanddomatharefoundationalskillsforfuturelearning.Thosewhofailtolearntoreadfallfurtherbehind

eachyearorriskdroppingoutaltogether.Thislinkisparticularlyimportantforlow-incomegirlsandconict-affectedyoungpeoplewhoremainthemosteducationallymarginalized.

Enable young people to transition to andcomplete relevant post-primary education.ToofewgirlsandboyscontinuebeyondprimaryschooForthosewhodo,manyarenotlearningtheskillsneededtoleadhealthyandproductivelives.Itisimportanttosupportthetransitiontopost-primaeducationwhileensuringtheapplicability,or

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relevance,ofwhattheylearntotheircurrentandfuturelives.

A Call or LeadershipWithfewerthanfouryearsremainingtomeettheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals,renewedinternationalcooperationandaredoublingofeffortsisessential.TheCenterforUniversalEducationatBrookingsbelievestheinternationalcommunitymustshifttheglobaleducationagendatowardthegoaloflearningforall.TheCenterproposesanewGlobal Compact

on Learningthatprovidesabroadframeworkandconcretestepsforachievingthisvisionoflearningforall.Thereareimportantrolesfordevelopinganddevelopedcountrygovernments,multilateralorganizations,thebusinesscommunityandcivilsocietytoplayinrealizingthenewvisionsetforthintheGlobalCompactonLearning.Thestakesfortheworldspoorestchildrenandyoutharefartoogreattonotsupportandactonthesethreeprioritiesnow.

Taking Action: Everyone Must Work Together

Allthekeyinterestgroupshavearoletoplay,aspartoftheGlobalCompactonLearning,toenactthepolicyprioritiesastheymakesenselocally.

Developing Country Governments

Committoactionatthehighestlevelsincludingheadsofstateandministersofnanceandeducationtoalignnationaleducationpolicies,resourcesandserviceswithimprovedlearningforallchildrenandyoungpeople.

Allocatesufcientresources(atleast5percentofGDP)withinthenationalbudgettobasiceducationand,wherenecessary,commensurateamountsinspecicaccountsthatfundearlychildhooddevelopmentandeducationalopportunitiesforadolescents.

Ensurethatadequateattentionisgiventothethreeessentialprioritiesofearlychildhooddevelopment,literacyandmathinlowerprimarygradesandrelevantpost-primaryeducation.Thisisespeciallyimportantforpoorgirlsandothermarginalizedgroups.

Developandcommunicatelearninggoalsinpartnershipwithcommunitiesthatprovideequalopportunitiesforgirlsandboys,andputsystemsinplacetomeasureprogresstowardmeetingthesgoalstrackedbygender,income,location,andotherrelevantcharacteristics.

Focuseducationresourcesnancialandhumanresourcesonprogramsthatutilizeprovenstrategiestoimprovelearningforall.Prioritizethosewhohavebeenleftout,suchasgirlsfrompoorfamilies,ethnolinguisticminoritiesandchildrenandyoungpeoplelivingwithdisabilitiesoaffectedbyconict.

Developed Country Governments and Multilateral

Organizations

PrioritizeeducationontheG-20andG-8agendasandfocusonimprovinglearningforallbyinvestininconcreteinitiativesforthethreepriorities:earlchildhooddevelopment,literacyandnumeracyinlowerprimarygrades,andrelevantpost-primaryeducationopportunities.

EnsureastrongcommitmenttolearninginthenextglobaldevelopmentagendafollowingtheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsin2015.UNESCO,UNICEF,UNDP,UNFPA,andtheWorldBank,inparticular,canplayasignicantrolebyembracingandchampioningtheGlobalCompactonLearningThisissimilarlytrueforthebilateraldonors.

Increaseresourcesallocatedtoglobaleducationandndmoreeffectivewaysofusingaidbyfocusingonresults-basednancing.

Workwithgovernmentsofdevelopingcountriestobuildin-countrymeasurementcapacitiesandensuacommonsetofmetricsthatcaptureslearningdaandregularlysharesinformationwithcommunitieteachers,civilsocietyorganizationsandthepubliclargeinaneasilyunderstandableformat.

StrengthenthecoreofthemultilateralaidarchitecturebyensuringthattheEducationForAllFast-TrackInitiative(FTI)buildsonitsexistingreformstoserveasacenterpieceforinternationacooperationineducation.

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NGOs and Civil Society

Incorporateastrongfocusonlearningandgenderequitywithinadvocacyagendasthatarepushingbothtogetchildrenintoschoolandtoensuretheyarelearningwhileinschool.

Mobilizepublicopiniontosendstrongsignalstonationalgovernmentsontheimportanceoflearningopportunitiesandoutcomesforall

childrenandyouth,especiallythosefurthestbehind,suchasgirlslivinginpoverty.

Buildsupportamonggovernmentsandmultilateralagenciesforinterventionsthatenhancelearningachievement,includingteachertrainingandsupport.

Foundations

Devotemoreresourcestoeducationindevelopingcountries.Specically,foundationsshoulddevoteatleasthalfoftheireducationportfolioresourcestoimprovinglearningforall,withafocuson

reachingthemostmarginalized. Supportoneormoreofthefollowingthreeprioritiesingrant-makingstrategies:earlychildhooddevelopment,literacyandnumeracyinlowerprimarygrades,andtransitiontoandcompletionofrelevantpost-primarylearning.

Commitaminimumof10percentofeducationresourcestomonitoringandevaluatingprogresstowardachievingthegoalsoflearningforall.

Partnercloselywithotherdonorsandresearch

institutionstoleverageresources,tosharebestpractices,andtoseedinnovationbasedonresearchndings.

Corporations

Aligncorporategivingwithanddevotehalfofthephilanthropicresourcesforeducationtothethreemainlearningforallpriorities.

Serveasvocalchampionsinsupportofqualityeducation.InparticularcorporateCEOsandbusineleadersshouldusetheirprolestoraiseeducationontheagendaofthebusinesscommunity.

Utilizeproductdesigncapacitiestoinnovateandproducebetter,low-costtechnologyforimprovinglearninginlow-resourceenvironments.

Increasecoordinationwithothereducationstakeholdersanddonorstoensurethatinvestmentsmeetthegreatestneed,movetowardmulti-yearfunding,leverageexistinginitiatives,andalignwiththeeducationplansofdevelopingcountrygovernments.

Todays Investment, Tomorrows Success

Addressingthegloballearningcrisismustbecomeapriorityforeveryone.TheGlobalCompactonLearningprovidesallstakeholderswithaframeworktotakeconcreteactionstoachievelearningforalltheworldschildrenandyouth.Accesstoaqualityeducationisthekeytochangingthelivesofmillioninpovertybygivingthemtheskillsandknowledgehavesecureandfullledlives.Thechildrenoftodayandtomorrowdeservenoless.

For more information and a copy of the full report, pleas

visit www.brookings.edu/universal-education .

Photocredits:CurtCarnemark/WorldBank;EskinderDebebe/UN;DepartmentforInternationalDevelopment/PippaRanger

ENDNOTE1DeborahHarding,Liberia:FundingReadingisFundamental,SaysPresidentJohnsonSirleaf,allAfrica.com,October1,2010,http://allafrica.com/stories/201010010047.html

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Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela

The Center for Universal Education at Brookings focuses on universal quality education in the developing world.

We develop and disseminate effective solutions to achieve equitable learning, whereby all children and

youth are able to access a quality education that supports their lifelong learning and development.