ISSN 1993-8616
2007 - number 10
Education for All, halfway there
© UNESCO/Michel Ravassard
UNESCO campaign «Send my friend to school» (2005). Work by Tara Badcock (Australia)
1990 : The Education for All (EFA) campaign is launched in Jomtien (Thailand). The international community pledges to provide quality basic education to all children, youths and adults.
2000 :In Dakar, Senegal, more than 160 governments set six goals to be reached no later than 2015. The goals concern early childhood education, primary school, life skills, adult literacy, gender parity and quality education.
2007:“We are halfway there and we have good reason to be optimistic,” says, in this issue of the UNESCO Courier, Nicholas Burnett, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education and director of the just-launched 2008 EFA Global Monitoring Report. Troublesome areas remain nonetheless, notably early childhood education, gender parity and adult literacy. (More)
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Education for All by 2015: Will we make it?
In 2000, the international community committed to six goals aimed at assuring education for all by 2015. We are halfway there and we have good reason to be optimistic. But much remains to be done in early childhood education, gender parity and literacy. More
Education, a fundamental right
Too often, education is perceived as an opportunity rather than a right, although access for all children to free and compulsory education is guaranteed by most Constitutions. When the right to education is flouted, the courts can and must intervene. More
School is like a bicycle: if you don’t pedal, it topples
An education expert, Michaela Zatreanu doesn’t fiercely advocate teaching school in Romani, despite being the author of the first textbooks published in this language in Romania. She thinks instruction exclusively in Romani would represent a form of segregation and promotes schooling with a multicultural dimension. More
For multilingual education in Africa
Education should enable people to take root in their culture as well as open them up to other cultures. Africa needs schooling that integrates its languages, history and social values, according to Adama Samassekou, president of the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN). More
Vincent Bikono: contract worker and not proud of it
In Cameroon, contract workers make up 53% of teaching staff at primary level. Systematically paid less than those with civil servant status and sometimes better qualified, contractors are in the process of founding a union. More
Raúl Vallejo Corral : remove obstacles limiting access to education
Ecuador has considerably increased its investment in education. The country occupies an intermediate position regarding fulfillment of the Education for All objectives set in Dakar (Senegal) in 2000. Its Minister of Education Raúl Vallejo Corral describes the situation. More
First year of school: crucial for the rest of a child’s life
Support for teachers, evaluation of pupils’ progress, follow-up for children outside the classroom, and parents’ participation in their children’s education – these elements are key to the success of the campaign “Save the first year” in Guatemala. Simple but effective strategies. More
Illiteracy costs more than literacy
We cannot abandon adult literacy under the pretext that children are being educated, when we know the crucial importance of the home environment. Literacy has often been associated with one-off campaigns when sustained investment over time is needed. More
Gender equality in math textbooks: an impossible equation?
Are girls and boys equal in mathematics textbooks? This is not evident, judging by the study conducted by Sylvie Cromer, lecturer at Lille 2 University. With a group of African academics, she analyzed primary school textbooks in several countries in the region. Result: girls become fewer as the scholastic level rises. More
The invisible children of Bangladesh
More than half the inhabitants of Bangladesh’s city slums are children: nearly 15 million boys and girls, of which 8 million must work to help their families survive. For a cost of 35 dollars a child, the government has launched an education project for child workers, giving them a chance to change their lives. More
