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Global Campaign for Education
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EDUCATION FOR ALL: Or Just Those Easier to Reach? - New report by RESULTS International (Australia) |
AusAID, World Bank and Asian Development Bank Approaches to Gender and Disability in Basic Education:
The importance of universal quality basic education in achieving a myriad of economic and social benefits, from greater earning potential to individual empowerment, has long been vocalised by education advocates and reinforced in UN conventions, development goals and program policies. This has resulted in some promising progress towards achieving the ‘Education for All’ (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially in terms of primary school access.
However, while some progress has been achieved in getting more kids into school, the path ahead is complex and filled with challenges. This is especially true when focusing on education for marginalised groups such as women and girls and those with disabilities, as the obstacles impacting their attainment of quality education are numerous. As the report indicates some progress has been made in reducing the number of out of school children, with girls now making up just 53% of the children out of school, as opposed to 60% in 2000. Yet, this progress in average enrolment rates fails to provide a comprehensive picture of girl’s education throughout the schooling system, with girls experiencing high drop-out rates, difficulties transitioning to secondary school, low quality education and other cultural challenges often mitigating educational progress. Disabled students face similar challenges with the combination of poverty and cultural isolation placing high entry barriers for many of these individuals.
Given the patchy progress towards EFA and the difficulties in reaching these marginalised groups it is imperative that multilateral institutions such as the World Bank (WB and also referred to as the Bank in this report), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and government agencies such as the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) maximise the impact of their investments in education to specifically target vulnerable populations.
This report examines the extent to which issues of gender and disability are considered in the design, development and monitoring of education programs undertaken by AusAID, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. This is examined through a dual analytical approach involving assessment of institutional education policy and design documents to determine gender and disability policies and priorities. This analysis was coupled with a review of operational documents ie; planning documents, evaluation reports and independent evaluation documents to determine how these priorities are reflected ‘on-the-ground’ in country level education development programs. Click here to view the full report |
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Delivering on the promise, building opportunity |
In the second of his reports on global education, Gordon Brown calls for the 'silent emergency' in education to be addressed. Despite the known impact that it can have on pulling individuals, families and nations out of poverty, education remains low on the international agenda, making the promise made to millions of the world's children increasingly likely to be broken. Alongside a series of recommendations, the report also identifies an interest from emerging economies to become new donors.
GCE welcomes this timely report, especially its challenge to donor governments to increase the scale of their aid to education. The report is an important reaction to the way education has drifted down the international agenda. It is a convincing report which shows how change is possible and its call for 2015 Action Plans and the drive to mobilise new resources from emergent donors are vital.
GCE agrees with the call to deepen and speed up the GPE reform and believes that there is a broad consensus and will for this. GCE will continue to monitor GPE reform and hopes that it will be capable of delivering on the ambition that Gordon Brown outlines. GCE remains committed to working with GPE to make it into a more ambitious and effective financing mechanism and we support the call in the report for annual multilateral funding on education of $3-4 billion. We particularly welcome the call for 10% of aid budgets to be earmarked for basic education - a call GCE first made in our Fund the Future Report so that donor countries place the same priority on basic education as developing countries do.
We hope the bold challenges and strong analysis in Gordon Brown's report along with the campaigns GCE and civil society will be running will lead to real action from World Leaders during the course of 2012."
You can view the full report here (pdf)
To download the zip file click here |
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Gender and Education: Survey for Students and Teachers |
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As part of our commitment to discrimination and our campaign on girls’ education, GCE is conducting a series of surveys to consult primary and secondary school students as well as teachers regarding gender relations and discrimination in the educational context. It will explore:
- perceptions of gender relations
- perceptions of gender discrimination
- the existence of gender stereotypes in the educational context.
Its findings will be presented at a hearing of the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in February 2012 and then widely distributed. The GCE hopes this exercise can be a collective process of reflection and advocacy at the international, regional and national levels, based on the participation of GCE members, in particular of national coalitions.
I write to ask you to support this survey by sending it to the schools within your network. We are seeking as many responses worldwide as possible. However, I understand that this may be more difficult for some coalitions or locations; as such we have identified modest minimum targets in the attached introductory document.
Attached are the following:
However, we urge participants to complete the online versions of the surveys, which are found here:
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
If you are willing to participate, please could you indicate this by letting me know by email:
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Thank you in advance for your support for this important project.
Camilla Croso
GCE President
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"First steps on the long walk to school" Civil society welcomes GPE announcements in Copenhagen |
Media Alert - Copenhagen
8th November 2011
“The Global Campaign for Education welcomes the renewed commitment and energy shown in Copenhagen towards a revived education compact – in the form of the new Global Partnership for Education (GPE). Over $1.5 billion was announced for GPE over the next three years, which lays a strong foundation for future growth. However for some major donors we are still witnessing a case of the “Emperors new clothes”, in Hans Christian Anderson’s very own home country. We are yet to see the serious increase in aid to education that is so urgently needed,” stated Helle Gudmandsen, from the Danish coalition and board member of GCE.
Download the full Media alert:
English (DOC) | Française (DOC) | Español (DOC) | Português (DOC) | (DOC)العربية
Click here to read more...“We’re here to remind donors that promises to children should never be broken – yet many have continued to do so for every year since 2000: when they pledged to ensure that no country would be unable to educate their children for lack of finances. Whilst we welcome today’s commitments of about $1.5 billion over three years, we urge donors to try harder. There are still more than 60 million children out of school – and none should be left behind,” said Monique Fouilhoux, chair of the Global Campaign for Education, and from Education International. Civil society members are here from a variety of coalitions including Haiti, Zambia, Vietnam, and the Gambia. Their message is coming across clear – that whilst most southern governments have put their money where their mouth is, rich countries have failed to do the same. The Burkina Faso’s Minister of Education, told how they have more than doubled access to education in recent years, have a government spend of more than 20%; but with five bi-lateral donors now pulling out, their education budget now lacking $150 million a year. Donor countries, bar a few, continue to fall far short of the mark. France and Germany still spend too much on self-interested aid and make minimal commitments to the common pool. The US has committed its first contribution but it is only $20 million – less than the Netherlands or Denmark. It’s a global travesty that 67 million children are still waiting to go to school. Low-income countries are fulfilling their side of the global promise; civil society, unions, and local organisations have come together in masses over the last decade. More than 15 million people are speaking out every year as part of the Global Action Week for education, and yet donor countries are providing only 4% of their aid budgets for basic education. GCE demands for them to commit to 10% in line with what low-income countries are delivering. Sitting amongst the worst performers is the World Bank, who’s aid to education is at an all time low for the last 20 years – delivering only about a third of what they provided in 2010 and so far failing to deliver on the promise made by President Zoellick to increase aid to basic education for which they received such warm praise last year. There are however a few clear class leaders, with Australia (pledging $278 million over 4 years) and UK ($352 million over 4 years) getting top marks and receiving a warm welcome from poor countries and civil society. “If only other rich countries could follow Australia and UK’s leading examples. We’re disappointed that some of the world’s richest countries are not taking the future of the world’s children seriously. We know education is one of the best investments that governments can make and could be part of the solution to the present financial crisis - and we know how to do it. It’s not rocket science but this lack of commitment by the world’s richest countries is a gross violation of the rights of the world’s poorest children,” David Archer, Global Campaign for Education board member and Head of Education at ActionAid International. “The Global Partnership for Education today made steps in the right direction, and currently represents the best quality mechanism for delivering aid to education. Whilst the path is now set, and the first steps taken, more finances are needed urgently if we are to complete the journey to school for all of the world’s poorest children,” Miriam Chonya, from the Zambia Coalition for Education. ENDS Notes to Editors:
Media Contact: Alex Kent:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or +27 76 428 5390 Fund the Future report is available on http://www.fund-the-future.orgThe Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a civil society coalition which works to achieve education for all. GCE brings together national education campaigns and international NGOs in over 100 countries; together, we hold governments to account to deliver the right of everyone to a free, quality public education. Education Facts & Stats: There are currently 67 million children out of school. Every dollar invested in education would generate 10-15 dollars in returns through higher growth Seven million cases of HIV/AIDS could be prevented in the next decade if every child received an education. A child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive pass the age of 5 years.
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Fund the Future: Education rights now |
The new ‘Fund the Future’ report has been brought out ahead of the Global Partnership for Education pledging conference on the 7-8th November in Copenhagen.
The report outlines 10 steps to improve the amount, quality and effectiveness of aid to basic education.
Download the report (PDF) (ZIP)
Download the press release
Find out more about Fund-the-Future |
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World Teachers’ Day 2011: Teachers for Gender Equality |
 “Let us remind ourselves on this World Teachers’ Day that teachers are a powerful force to address gender injustices around the world, and that gender equality is not simply a women’s issue… it is everyone’s issue,”
Fred van Leeuwen, General Secretary, Education International
Despite real progress being made in the last 25 years towards achieving gender equality there is a long way to go. For example, in gender parity in primary education significant gaps still exist. The ratio of girls-to-boys in primary school enrolment within sub-Saharan Africa remains extremely low, while boys' academic under-achievement in school is an increasingly worrying phenomenon in many countries, including Jamaica and the United States.
This year’s theme, Teachers for Gender Equality, encompasses equality between female and male teachers, demands access for girls to gender-sensitive and quality education and highlights the contribution of teachers and education in overcoming gender stereotypes.
The focus on gender equality rounds up a year of intensive work in this area. 2011 began with EI’s On the Move for Equality Conference in January (Bangkok, Thailand), and continued with the UN Commission on the Status of Women discussing women’s access to and participation in education, especially science and technology, for full employment and decent work in March (New York, USA). GCE’s Global Action Week for Education in May concentrated on girls’ right to quality education. This was followed by EI’s World Congress in July (Cape Town, South Africa) which adopted a landmark resolution on gender equality. A four-year action plan geared to making gender equality a reality in unions, in education and in society is the pivotal goal.
If teachers are to be good role models for gender equality for boys and girls in all areas and levels of schooling, inequalities within the teaching profession must also be addressed. We need to promote equal opportunities for women to be school leaders, institutional managers and decision-makers within ministries of education; we need more women to become science, mathematics and technology teachers and university professors, and we need more men to be recruited as early childhood and primary school educators.
The important role of educators in achieving gender equality is underlined in EI’s joint statement with the ILO, UNDP, UNESCO and UNICEF.
EI will participate in the official UNESCO event taking place in Paris on 5 October where EI Deputy General Secretary, David Edwards, will be chairing some of the discussions. You are invited to participate in the discussions by posting your questions or comments on Twitter using the hashtag #wtd2011.
Education unions around the world will also celebrate this day with their members. View the photos of these activities on the official World Teachers' Day website: www.5oct.org
Everyone can take part in World Teachers' Day by sending an e-card, downloading the multi-lingual posters, and the pay equity toolkit. To see your activities featured in EI’s report on World Teachers’ Day, please send photos, articles, videos or links to:
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. You can also tweet about your World Teachers’ Day activity using the hashtag #wtd2011 |
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Dominican Republic campaign for 4% |
 Coalicion Educacion Digna, the education coalition in the Dominican Republic, are lobbying the government to invest 4% of its GDP in education – the percentage stipulate by the national constitution of the Republic. Following the results of a Gallup survey published in the Dominican Republic, over 90% of the public support this level of investment in quality education. Currently public expenditure on education stands at 1.98% of GDP.
Coalicion Educacion Digna is asking GCE Members and other supporters to submit a letter to the embassies of the Dominican Republic all around the world (attached). If you are able to send or deliver this letter this week, the coalition would be very grateful for your support.
Download the letter to embassies here:
You can find the email address of the embassy of the Dominican Republic in your country here: http://bit.ly/qZZzwq
You can also download the presentation about the campaign here: |
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