Regional Thematic Consultation on Education in the Post-2015 Agenda

Background

In 2013, there were several meetings held around the world about regional thematic consultations on the topic of education. At the end of February 2013, a regional thematic consultation was held in Bangkok and was co-organised by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Bangkok, the UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific (EAPRO) and UNICEF . In addition, from 18-19 March 2013 there was a global meeting of the UN Thematic Consultation on Education in Dakar, Senegal , which was hosted by the Government of Senegal, co-led by UNESCO and UNICEF, and co-sponsored by the Government of Canada , with additional support from the Government of Germany . The aims of these regional thematic consultations on education was mainly to bring together various stakeholders from the Asia-Pacific region – including government representatives, civil society organisations and young people – to provide a platform to discuss their ideas and opinions on education in the post-2015 agenda and to come up with a collective voice from the region. Furthermore, the meeting reviewed progress and challenges in the area of education, proposing a way forward for education in the post-2015 development agenda.

The main outcomes of the meeting and influence in the post 2015 agenda

The Asia–Pacific region has made remarkable progress in improving access across all levels of education. Nevertheless, there are persistent disparities among and within countries including access to schooling, equity in and quality of education and levels of learning achievement. In particular, considerable progress has been made to youth and adult literacy, but it is still inadequate to meet the needs of Asia-Pacific countries. As many as 250 million children are unable to read or write by the time they reach grade 4, further deepening the gap between education and the skills needed for life and work. Indeed, the Asia-Pacific region contains the largest number of illiterate adults of any region in the world. Education Beyond 2015.Retrived 9 September 2013 from http://www.unescobkk.org/?id=14587 The Consultation reaffirmed that education is a basic human right for every person, a public good for all societies, an essential condition for human fulfillment, sustainable development, peace and democracy, and an important vehicle for global citizenship. The Consultation recognised that the Education for All (EFA) goals and the education-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are again yet to be achieved in many countries. At the same time, the depth and scope of how education is linked to a post-2015 development agenda need to go beyond current goalsEducation in the Post-2015 Development Agenda Regional Thematic Consultation in the Asia-Pacific.28 February and 1 March 2013 from http://www.unescobkk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/epr/ERF/Regional_Consultation__Feb._2013_/UNESCO_Bangkok_Regional_Consultation_Outcomes_Revised.pdf#search=’Regional+Thematic+Consultation+on+Education+outcome’ . Since 2000, the international community and the EFA Initiative have made unprecedented progress in education through enhanced focus, increased commitment and resource mobilisation and coordinated action (for MDGs 2 and 3). 52 million more children are enrolled in primary school, and there has been significant improvement in gender parity in access to primary education. Unfortunately, however, progress has stagnated since 2010. 61 million primary school-age children remain out of school, 53% of whom are girls. The narrow focus of MDG 2 on access does not address learning outcomes. Evidence suggests that each year of schooling translates into a 10% increase in potential income and a 1% increase in a country’s GDPThematic Consultation on Education in the post-2015 development agenda .18-19March 2013 from http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/pdf/post-2015-summaryoutcomes.pdf ; educating women and girls also has a catalytic effect: for example, each additional year of a mother’s schooling reduces the probability of the infant mortality rate by 5% to 10%. The post-2015 education agenda should be firmly anchored in a rights-based approach underpinned by the values of universality, non-discrimination and the indivisibility of rights. The state must be responsible for the right to and protection of education as a public good, paying particular attention to the promotion of equality. We also recognise that the delivery of education is a collective responsibility that involves families, communities, civil society organisations and the private sector. Therefore, no country should be prevented from realising the right to education for all by a lack of resources. Global Consultation on Education in the post-2015 agenda13 March 2013 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/dakar/about-this-office/single-view/news/global_consultation_on_education_in_the_post_2015_development_agenda/#.UjCMBtLIUyO

See also

• Education for All
• Educational Opportunities for Girls in South-East Asia

References

Group 1

From the left on top Ms.Krichakorn Rungseeborirak 53148010178 Ms.Yuwadee Juntrapakorn 5314801020 Mr.Keito Kusaka 56148010275 From the left, second row Mr.Saswat Kruemanee 53148010314 Ms.Phaniphak Suanmalee 53148010120 Ms.Sutisa Phonsab 53148010214 Photo