By Antonia Wulff, coordinator at Education International

Education is an inalienable human right – but across the world this right is being undermined by the impacts of inequality, a lack of political commitment and inadequate investment in education. We need to give education its rightful place at the heart of international efforts to improve people’s lives – and current discussions on a new global development framework offer a chance to do so.

Education International (EI) – which represents 30 million teachers and education employees worldwide – welcomes the recognition by the UN High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda of education as a priority in its own right as well as a necessity for reaching other goals. The inclusion of pre-primary and vocational education as well as universal access to lower-secondary education signals a clear ambition to go beyond the MDG framework. However, EI is concerned about the suggested targets being focused on learning outcomes, notably reading, writing and counting, as well as skills for work, and the narrow approach to quality education that these reflect.

Drawing on its knowledge of the experiences of educators, and of the challenges faced in classrooms every day, EI is focusing on three interlinked areas of education where a renewed commitment from governments and the international community is desperately needed.

First, the full achievement of the right to education implies equity. Unequal educational outcomes often reflect deeper inequalities in society that governments and international organizations must address to ensure quality education. The post-2015 framework must overcome all forms of discrimination, including multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, with particular attention to gender.

Second, equity in education requires equitable participation in quality education. A new framework must go beyond access and beyond an education that narrowly focuses on “the basics” of literacy and numeracy. Our understanding of quality education encompasses all the elements of the education process, including broad-based curricula, formative assessment, adequate teaching and learning materials, and reasonable class sizes. Every student has the right to be taught by a qualified and well-supported teacher, and learn in safe schools with adequate infrastructure, facilities and resources.

Third, the right to education will not be achieved unless there is a political will and commitment to ensure sufficient funding and resources. Being a public good and a basic right, education must be publicly financed to ensure equitable access to quality education. The financing of education must be progressive and pro-poor. It is worrying that the High-level Panel chooses to remain silent on the issues of free and public education, and the role of the state in ensuring education for all.

Quality education provides people with the knowledge, abilities and skills needed to solve problems locally and globally, and actively contributes to the sustainable and democratic development of society. Quality education has long-term benefits for employment and decent work, citizenship and personal development, and is fundamental to the achievement of all other development goals, including gender equality, health, nutrition and sustainable development.

If the global community is serious about achieving real progress, governments must ensure the right to free, quality education for all.

Education International’s proposed post-2015 goal: “Ensure universal free quality education”

Target 1: By 2030, every child completes a full cycle of continuous, free quality early childhood, primary, lower and upper secondary education, which enables them to achieve their potential as human beings and to contribute positively as active members of society. 

Target 2: By 2030, all young people and adults have equitable access to quality post-secondary education and lifelong learning, enabling them to acquire knowledge, skills and competences to achieve their full potential and participate positively in society and in the world of work.  

Indicators:

• Percentage of children and young people  who participate and complete early childhood, primary, lower and upper secondary education to the appropriate national standards, disaggregated by  socio-economic status, location, gender, special needs, age and social group, among others;
• Percentage of children and young people who demonstrate learning achievement broadly- defined and determined through multiple measures and consistent with national standards, disaggregated by socio-economic status, location, gender, special needs, age, social group, among others;
• Percentage of educational institutions that are publicly financed, do not charge fees and are not for profit;
• Percentage of educational institutions that have safe and adequate infrastructure, facilities, resources and learning materials for all students according to national norms;
• Breadth of curriculum, including an assessment of its contribution to active citizenship, life skills, sustainable development, health, employment etc.
• Percentage of children and young people taught by qualified teachers with a reasonable student to qualified teacher ratio;
• Percentage of educational institutions that have adequate professional and student support, including teaching assistance, medical and psychological services;
• Breadth of curriculum, including an assessment of its contribution to active citizenship, life skills, sustainable development, health, employment etc.