Mercy Global Concern - 2004

Ten Year Review of Copenhagen Declaration and Programme for Action Education

Briefing Paper Number 1, September 2004

Universal and equitable access to quality education is more than just a commitment it is a potent tool for achieving the stated objectives of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme for Action: the conquest of poverty; the attainment of full employment; and the fostering of stable, safe and just societies. Education has a powerful impact beyond learning and a positive impact beyond the learner-it creates health, economic, political and social benefits for learners, their families and their communities.

Achievements:

• World leaders have consistently supported quality education for all, first identified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and later reaffirmed at international Education for All conferences in Jomtien Thailand (1990) and Dakar, Senegal in 2000. The promise of quality education for all has been repeated in the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action and specified in the targets of the UN Millennium Development Goals.

• During the 1990s primary education enrollment increased in every region of the world. In many regions more than 90% of children are enrolled. Fifty-two of 128 countries for which data are available have or are likely to achieve gender parity in both primary and secondary education by 2005. Twenty-two more are likely to achieve parity by 2015.

• The UN Decade (2005-2015) for Education for Sustainable Development (GA/RES/57/254) places education in a critical position as a means to achieving sustainable development. This Decade asserts that the work of Agenda 21 (1992) and JPOI (2002) must move forward in cohesion and consistency on the local, national, regional and international levels. Placing Education at the core of the Sustainable Development agenda clearly demonstrates the concern and commitment the international community maintains for the scope of economic, ecological and equity crises as well as the clarity and conviction it brings to the resolution of these crises.

Gaps:

• An estimated 121 million primary-school-age children are out of school world-wide. Just over half of the children who start primary school complete it---in Sub-Saharan Africa just one in three persist. Most of the 121 million out-of-school children are girls. Almost 60% of 128 countries are likely to miss reaching gender parity at primary and secondary levels by 2005.

• Education continues to surface as a key issue on the international agenda. However, there is no cohesive approach to implementing these educational goals. Simply mentioning education in the outcome document does not suffice for an implementation tool. The abyss between outcome documents and grass roots implementation continues to widen. Simply meeting target dates and numerical benchmarks falls far short of educating people for a sustainable livelihood for themselves and their children's children.

• Access to education is not enough. Quality education is critical to overcoming poverty and essential to closing the gender gap in a single generation. Quality plays a key role in parents' decisions to send their children to school and to keep them in school. Educational policy which focuses exclusively on access and ignores the social, political, environmental and economic reality of the children, teacher training and competence and adequate learning resources and culturally sensitive curricula will fail to move the children and their families out of poverty.

Policy Recommendations:

• Mobilization of national and international resources is essential to meeting education goals. National governments must find ways to end direct and indirect costs of basic education to families if they are to increase access, equity and quality. However, budgetary increase without macroeconomic adjustment is impossible. Debt reduction, market access and increased foreign aid are essential prerequisites to mobilizing resources for education. Unfortunately, bi-lateral and multi-lateral aid for education has fallen significantly since 1990. Current levels of support of about US$1.5 billion annually remain well below the estimated US$5.6 billion per annum need to reach the access, quality and equity goals.

• A clear and comprehensive mandate for meeting UNESCO's Plan for Implementation for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development at the local, national, regional and international levels should be included in the Copenhagen +10 Review outcome document. Specific caution should be noted about the difference between meeting quantifiable benchmarks and implementing the recommendations for quality education that is directed at sustainable development and sustainable livelihoods. Re-orienting all forms of education (formal/non-formal/lifelong learning/vocational training) to Education for Sustainable Development would further strengthen the Copenhagen Commitments and provide a cohesive framework for governments, stakeholders, and grassroots initiatives.

• Improving the quality of education must be high on the agenda of educational policy makers. Quality education begins with the learner's own experience and provides access to quality learning materials in a healthy, safe, culturally-sensitive environment. The curricula must be relevant to the learners' needs and requires committed, intelligent teachers who are trained in student-centered pedagogy.

• Provide space and opportunity for Non-Governmental Organizations/Civil Society Organizations (NGO/CSO) to participate in policy development, planning, budgeting, implementing and monitoring of education. In many parts of the developing world non-governmental organizations have a longer history of providing education than the state. "NGOs can be major contributors and are generally committed to ensuring that education reaches the poorest and most disadvantaged groups." Their experience, expertise and continued commitment are critical to achieving education goals.

Click here for PDF version