Global and Regional Overview of Trends, Policies & Challenges in Youth Education Anjela Taneja, Global Campaign for Education

1. Post 2015
Education Process
Anjela Taneja,
Global Campaign for Education

2. What is at stake?
 Form dominant global discourse: what matters
 Government priorities dovetailed with new
targets
 Financing follows targets
 Specific policies of what is important in
education
 Lays down spaces for participation: EFA
architecture

3. Context
 New York based post MDG Process
 EFA Steering Committee Joint Proposal and
Muscat Agreements
 Need for convergence between the two
 Regional platforms and spaces for roll out of
both

4. What needs to be influenced?
 actual goals, targets and indicators laid down
under both of these frameworks
 overall discourse of what matters in
education (nationally, regionally and
globally).
 architecture and processes being laid down
through these processes in favour of a more
progressive agenda.

5. What we are trying to achieve
 continuation of EFA framework and architecture beyond 2015
 largest possible synergy between the post 2015 education agenda and framework
in Korea and the education SDGs adopted in NY
 recognition of education as a key element within the development framework to be
adopted in NY, being both a standalone goal and an enabling one towards all
other goals
 goal is holistic and rights based. We are not in favour of reducing education to just
narrow learning outcomes.
 adequate attention to means of implementation (including financing, adequate
attention to teachers, with former ideally target in itself, not means of
implementation)
 targets backed by proper selection of indicators that do not shrink the framework
 While we push for a new framework, we are not forgetting that all the MDG and
EFA targets have been missed. It is essential to also hold the global community
and national governments to account for implementing existing commitments and
ensure that we learn from past failures.

6. Post EFA Process

7. Muscat Process- Post EFA
 Education specific goals and targets
 EFA architecture: EFA Steering Committee,
CCNGO, GMR, etc
 Serve basis of broad based consultations, led by
UNESCO, to build agreement during the WEF 2015
and Framework of action
 Informs the Post 2015 process in New York
 Will be locked in before final agreement in NY:
space for education specific issues, can be
broader/longer

8. Goal: Ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and
lifelong learning for all by 2030
 Target 1: By 2030, at least x% of girls and boys are ready for primary school
through participation in quality early childhood care and education, including
at least one year of free and compulsory pre-primary education, with
particular attention to gender equality and the most marginalized.
 Target 2: By 2030, all girls and boys complete free and compulsory quality
basic education of at least 9 years and achieve relevant learning outcomes,
with particular attention to gender equality and the most marginalized.
 Target 3: By 2030, all youth and at least x% of adults reach a proficiency
level in literacy and numeracy sufficient to fully participate in society, with
particular attention to girls and women and the most marginalized.

9. Cont.
 Target 4: By 2030, at least x% of youth and y% of adults have the knowledge and
skills for decent work and life through technical and vocational, upper secondary and
tertiary education and training, with particular attention to gender equality and the
most marginalized.
 Target 5: By 2030, all learners acquire knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to
establish sustainable and peaceful societies, including through global citizenship
education and education for sustainable development.
 Target 6: By 2030, all governments ensure that all learners are taught by qualified,
professionally-trained, motivated and well-supported teachers.
 Target 7: By 2030, all countries allocate at least 4-6% of their Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) or at least 15-20% of their public expenditure to education, prioritizing
groups most in need; and strengthen financial cooperation for education, prioritizing
countries most in need.

10. The Muscat Agreements – the positives
 Moves beyond narrow measurable learning outcomes in a few
areas
 Widens focus from employability as purpose of education
 Recognizes state responsibility; free public education of good
quality
 A holistic lifelong learning framework
 Equity and non discrimination, gender equality to underpin all
policies
 Goals should be universal but contextualised targets defined to
reflect national realities, especially meeting the needs of
marginalised groups
 The key role of teachers in quality education should be
recognised and prioritised
 Education for active and effective citizenship should be a central
feature
 Strong recognition of civil society participation in the post 2015
processes and after

11. Other Big wins: Muscat
 Agreement on 1 year of free and compulsory pre-primary
education
 9 years of free and compulsory quality basic education
 A goal on education for sustainable development and
global citizenship education
 A strong target on teachers – all learners are taught by
qualified, professionally trained, motivated and well
supported teachers (practically adopting the EI proposal)
 Mention of financing, albeit with a relatively weak target

12. CSO engagement in process
 EFA Steering Committee
 Lobbying during the meeting in Muscat,
subsequently in Paris
 CCNGO in Chile
 Subsequent joint action to influence OWG

13. Post MDG: New York

14. Open Working Group
 Likely to receive greater focus from
governments, media, people at large
 Will form basis of allocations globally
 Will drive programming
 Stated position of UNESCO is that there has
to be synergy between frameworks

15. OWG Text
 4.1 by 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and
secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
 4.2 by 2030 ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development,
care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
 4.3 by 2030 ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable quality technical,
vocational and tertiary education, including university
 4.4 by 2030, increase by x% the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including
technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
 4.5 by 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of
education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities,
indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations
 4.6 by 2030 ensure that all youth and at least x% of adults, both men and women, achieve
literacy and numeracy

16. Cont
 4.7 by 2030 ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable
development, including among others through education for sustainable development and
sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence,
global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to
sustainable development
Means of Implementation:
 4.a build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and
provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
 4.b by 2020 expand by x% globally the number of scholarships for developing countries in
particular LDCs, SIDS and African countries to enrol in higher education, including vocational
training, ICT, technical, engineering and scientific programmes in developed countries and other
developing countries
 4.c by 2030 increase by x% the supply of qualified teachers, including through international
cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially LDCs and SIDS

17. OWG: Big Wins
 Upper Secondary: Free
 Universal access to ECCD/ECCE/Preschool
education
 Universal access to tertiary education
 Quality of Schools and teachers both
recognized (under MOI)- although teacher
target is weak
 Recognizes even wider range of domains of
learning

18. CSO Role
 Joint meeting with OWG of the EFA Steering
Committee- used Muscat
 Lobbying during OWG sessions: through
Major Groups
 Lobbying OWG members within country

19. Asia Framework- APREC

20. APREC
 Recognize relevance of both frameworks
 Reiterate committment to RBA
 Priority Areas
 Lifelong Learning- ECCE, Quality school learning,
alternative learning pathways->Adult learning
 Equity and Equality- overall, gender, disability,
conflict
 Skills and Competencies for Life and Work
 Quality and Teachers
 ICT
 Governance and Financing- 6/20, GPE

21. Wins in APREC
 ensuring 12 years of free and compulsory education - not just 10 years.
 functional literacy for all in the perspective of lifelong learning
 supporting non formal education and alternative learning pathways, ie stronger
language than Muscat;
 quality learning environments (similar to the OWG call) while retaining support for the
Muscat Agreement teacher target;
 equity, stronger language re reaching those in conflict and crisis situations and
attention to people with disabilities.
 a stronger target for domestic resource mobilisation for education: 6% of GDP and
20% of national spending - stronger than the Muscat Agreement's 4-6% of GDP and
15-20% of education spending.
 more definitive 'asks' re ODA than Muscat: "....development partners to increase and
better target their aid to education including official development assistance (ODA).
We ask that international financing mechanisms, Global Partnerships for Education
(GPE) in particular, support the implementation of the post-2015 education agenda
according to the needs and priorities of the respective countries."
 Successfully blocked greater emphasis on PPP in the agenda
 CSOs recognized as players in the new agenda

22. Process of Influencing
 Pre-Conference lobbying to influence agenda
 12 Member coalitions present. ASPBAE. Pre-
Conference planning meeting, daily updates
 Influencing country delegations. Champions
from within official delegations
 Speaker on panels, report finalization
 Participation in Drafting Group

23. Current State of Play

24. Areas of contention
 Ambiguity in a distinct global education agenda post 2015,
parallel to but complementing the new development
agenda
 Trend towards reducation of goals, targets: NY process.
Pushback against wide framework
 Financing of the frameworks?
 Selection of targets and Indicators:
 Hug data gaps.
 Meaurability of some indicators- global benchmarks on technical
issues?
 Is a political not a technical process
 Framework of Action
 GPE to be aligned to full 2015 agenda
 Continuation of the EFA architecture, CSO space within it

25. Next Steps
 UNGA- 2014- Sept
 UNSG Synthesis Report- Nov.
 Lobbying ahead of key processes in governmental
negotiations on SDG framework
 Regional Consultations- EFA (follow up of APREC)
 Development of EFA Action Plans
 Nagoya- UNESCO World Conference on Education
for Sustainable Development
 Development of Indicators- NY, EFA
 Korea EFA World Conference- May 2015
 NY- Sept 2015

26. Critical Players in Asia
 Individual countries
 ASEAN
 SAARC-?
 G 77

27. Strategies on the post 2015 processes:
 Mobilise government participation: both processes-
 education,
 external affairs,
 NY representatives,
 UNESCO ambassador
 Increased advocacy for education both within and outside of the
education community
 Engagement with official international fora: Regional Conferrences,
NY processes
 Nagoya Conference: official workshops, side events, participation in
panels
 Influencing the TAG: Indicator selection
 Fostering the active engagement of families, children, young people,
teachers and communities, especially marginalised to influence
agenda: Campaign pack, translation of key documents