UNESCO-Education for All

The Education for All movement is promoted by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This movement seeks to make free primary education accessible to all adults and children worldwide. UNESCO believes that all people have an unalienable right to education and literacy, and this organization both promotes and is part of many different programs, initiatives, and projects which seek to accomplish this goal. By the year 2015, UNESCO hopes to accomplish such goals as increasing adult literacy by 50% in all countries and improving education quality worldwide. In order to do so, UNESCO understands that education is directly linked to environmental, cultural, economical, and social issues and therefore works to remove barriers to education such as poverty and gender discrimination. In order to reduce these problems, UNESCO has established eight Millennium Development goals for the United Nations. Achieving these goals is essential to paving the way for all people in the world to have access to a primary education.

Keywords Decade of Education; Education for All; Initiative; Literacy; Millennium Development Goals; Primary Education; Shared Values; Sustainable Development; UNESCO; United Nations

International Perspectives > UNESCO – Education for All

Overview

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on November 16th 1945. Stirred to life by the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education (created in 1942) UNESCO was conceived as a way to bring about world peace through education. As of January 2014, UNESCO boasted 195 member states (countries/republics) and 9 associate member states. This organization has grown to a vast network of people, ideas, nations, and initiatives and continues to grow in scope and focus to this day.

The purposes of the UNESCO are many: to generate new ideas and disseminate information to the world, to encourage intellectual growth and development, and to foster good communication between the member states. World unity and the spread of shared values in order to bring about peace and stability for all people are fundamental to what UNESCO is attempting to achieve. UNESCO itself states that "the world urgently requires global visions of sustainable development based upon observance of human rights, mutual respect, and the alleviation of poverty, all of which lie at the heart of UNESCO's mission and activities" ("About UNESCO" para. 3). UNESCO's focus is rightly on the world as a whole and furthering human rights, advancements, and opportunities within a peaceful, stable environment.

Education for All

However, education is one of the most important focuses of UNESCO and of particular importance is its push for Education For All (EFA). UNESCO strongly upholds the idea that all adults and children have the right to a primary education and that education should be accessible to all people without regard of gender, race, or social standing. A primary education is defined by UNESCO as at least six years of good-quality schooling, approximately a grade 6 level of education. UNESCO states that a primary education is important because it is sufficient enough to make people "permanently literate", equipped with enough resources and education to not only be able to read, write, and perform arithmetic but to also continue learning and developing throughout their lives ("Universal Primary Education")

Providing everyone in the world with access to quality primary education is an enormous goal with an almost endless list of factors. Because of the sheer amount of variables and obstacles which must be accounted for, EFA cannot be carried out through one program or process. Rather, UNESCO's Education for All movement is best expressed in the words of Jandhylah Tilak (2005), "EFA is not merely a programme and not just a development strategy, nor is it simply an approach to the problem of education in developing countries: It has taken the form of a movement, a philosophy, and a global commitment to education" (Tilak, 2005, p.73). This movement is global because to accomplish EFA, the world must be united under shared values, a shared commitment to education, and shared goals of eradicating obstacles that stand in the way of education.

In particular, UNESCO has identified six goals that need to be met worldwide in order for EFA to be a reality; these goals were established during the 2000 World Education Forum (sponsored by UNESCO) and are focused on the specific needs of younger children, older youth, and adults. For younger children, these goals include creating more educational opportunities and care for preschool age children and having mandatory primary education available for children free of charge. For older youth and adults, there are two goals of increasing "life skills" and learning opportunities for them and also improving the illiteracy rates of adults by 50%. Finally, there are two goals of overall improving education and breaking down gender discrimination which is so often a barrier to education ("Education for All").

It is important to note that UNESCO is not focused on education just for children and youth; it also works to improve adult literacy and education. While some of this education is geared towards vocational skills and abilities for adults, UNESCO's overall goal is to see all people, regardless of age, have access to a quality primary education. UNESCO's focus is trans-generational, and it commits its resources to both younger and older learners.

In order for EFA to be accomplished, UNESCO recognizes that education cannot be separated from culture and environment and thus is dedicated to understanding and helping reduce the barriers that prevent access to education. Poverty is a major barrier to education, and one of UNESCO's goals is to cut extreme poverty rates in half by 2015. Child labor represents another significant factor in low education levels: poverty forces many children into labor and away from schooling, and the poor tend to be located in rural places where education is harder to access. Additionally, child labor often affects girls more severely than boys: they are more likely to be employed, particularly in domestic employment, and they routinely face hardship, abuse, and gender discrimination in their labor situations ("Global Task Force"). Gender discrimination is another barrier to education; only one in three illiterate adults is a man, and women's illiteracy rates are consistently higher than males worldwide ("World Literacy"). Finally, the economy and ecological situations of a particular region plays a role in education; education is of minimal concern to people who are starving or under constant threat of war.

UNESCO seeks to overcome these obstacles to education through a number of different methods, initiatives and programs. It is important to note that UNESCO 's role is not primarily funding; rather its focus is on the support and development of ideas and groups, the connection of different cultures and nations, and the spread of information. As Bory (2006) stated, both UNESCO and its member states are responsible for promoting and improving education, helping rethink and restructure education so that it continues to improve, keeping the general public aware of what it can do to help, and training teachers, both education and vocational (p.3).

Millennium Development Goals

The year 2015 is extremely significant for UNESCO and the UN. By 2015, UNESCO wishes to meet the six goals established by the 2000 World Education Forum. Along with these six goals, UNESCO also is dedicated to fulfilling the UN's eight Millennium Development Goals. These goals are:

• Reducing extreme poverty

• Having primary education for all

• Achieving gender parity

• Reducing death rates in children

• Lowering rates of maternal deaths and illnesses

• Stopping major epidemics such as aids

• Stabilizing the environment

• Fostering global partnership and unity ("what are")

Major concerns such as famine, gender discrimination, and malaria directly affect education, and these issues must be addressed first if EFA is to be promoted.

Decade of Education

The year 2015 is significant for other UN initiatives which are directly linked to EFA. In December 2002, the UN declared the time period of 2005-2014 to be the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development is a widely-encompassing term which includes such issues as environmental and economical stability, human rights, and justice. The UN made UNESCO responsible for both establishing the goals of the decade and developing programs to meet the goals with an International Implementation Scheme (ISS). ("International Implementation Scheme"). The overall goal for this decade is for everyone in the world to have access to education by 2015. There are five goals UNESCO has for the UN Decade of Education ("International Implementation"):

• Emphasizing how important education is to sustainable development

• Linking people together to promote sustainable development

• Helping spread the vision of sustainable development

• Increasing teaching and learning quality to make educational experiences better

• Assisting countries in implementing education for sustainable development

In its goal of Education for All, UNESCO is playing a tremendous role in the progress of human rights, environmental stability, education and global unity. Its goals are both numerous and almost staggering in magnitude, yet EFA cannot be achieved as a separate focus. These serious concerns such as gender discrimination and poverty must be addressed first.

Applications: UNESCO's Partner Programs

To accomplish its goal of EFA, UNESCO maintains a multitude of different initiatives and programs. It also partners with many other organizations to jointly promote EFA and remove barriers to education. UNESCO works with a wide range of civic groups, non-government organizations, inter-government groups, and organizations both bilateral and multilateral ("Partnership in Action")

Within the education division of UNESCO, the organization works on a national level to provide experience and foster connections in order to improve education. On an international level, UNESCO works to create educational societies which connect nations together and disseminate knowledge. In particular, UNESCO's education division is focused on three key areas: HIV education, teacher training, and literacy ("UNESCO's Education Program").

These three key areas are sustained through three separate initiatives. LIFE (The Literacy Initiative for Empowerment) is an initiative which started in 2005 to reach 35 countries deemed to have the highest level of illiteracy. TTISSA (Teacher Training in Sub Sahara Africa) focuses on training teachers in 46 sub-Sahara countries. Furthermore, UNESCO joins with ten other United Nation agencies in the initiative ECUAIDS which is dedicated to HIV prevention and education ("UNESCO's Education Program"). However, these three initiatives represent only a fraction of the different programs that UNESCO maintains and the organizations it collaborates with to achieve the goal of EFA.

Other agencies UNESCO maintains are directly linked to education: UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO International Bureau of Education, and UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean are some of the UNESCO-maintained organizations which work directly to accomplish EFA ("Partnership in Action").

UNESCO's ASPnet (Associated Schools Project Network) is a worldwide association of over 9,500 schools (encompassing everything from preschools to teacher training institutes) in 180 different countries as of January 2014. This network promotes sound educational practices and encourages the furtherance of issues such as human rights and environmental concerns. Schweisfurth (2005) states that ASPnet is one of UNESCO's oldest programs, as well as one of the largest (possibly the largest) worldwide network of schools (p. 222).

UNESCO has partnered with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to form the World Education Indicators program (WEI). This particular program focuses on the needs of 19 middle-level nations which combined contain 70% of the total world population ("World Education Indicators").

UNESCO also partners with such organizations as World Bank, Education International, Oxfam, and the International Reading Association. Some of these organizations are directly focused on educational development; others are concentrated on other areas such as nutrition and medical services, all which directly affect people's access to education and their continued educational development.

Another entity vital to EFA is the Global Task Force, an organization which sees the connection between child labor and lack of global access to education and seeks to eradicate the former and encourage the latter. The Task Force's goal is not just to end child labor but also to understand the conditions that lead to child labor (poverty, poor access to education, lack of parental education) and improve these conditions ("Global Task Force"). Because child labor is a major impediment to EFA, particularly for girls, UNESCO is part of the Global Task Force.

To concisely summarize all of the different initiatives, organizations, and programs UNESCO is either directly responsible for or partnered with would be a challenge far beyond the scope of this article. To reiterate this point, Education for All is a tremendously complex goal that encompasses everything from water conservation to social stigmas against the handicapped to information technology. Accomplishing this goal will require considerable effort from all fronts, and UNESCO's many initiatives and partnerships reflect this understanding.

Viewpoints

The scope of what UNESCO wants to accomplish is extremely vast, mostly because so many obstacles stand in the way of all people having access to education. Despite these challenges, UNESCO is actively and aggressively pursuing EFA. However, how UNESCO has gone about doing this and what results it has produced have come under careful scrutiny.

Progress

UNESCO itself confidently states that "Globally, 47 out of 163 countries had achieved Universal Primary Education (UPE) while projections showed that 20 additional countries out of 90 countries with relevant data were on track to achieve UPE by 2015" ("UNESCO, Education for All by 2015").

Good progress has also been seen in the countries participating in WEI: with some exceptions, most young people in these countries complete a primary education and an increasing amount achieve a secondary education (Investing in Education p. 9). This has been helped by falling birth rates: better educated women tend to have fewer children, and this often translates into a smaller teacher-to-student gap and more resources available for students (p. 10).

The gender gap, in particular, seems to be lessening. In most WEI countries, women and men achieve virtually the same levels of secondary and tertiary education (Investing in Education, p. 14). In fact, UNESCO has played a tremendous role in reducing gender discrimination. UNESCO's 1960 Convention Against Discrimination in Education helped pave the way for the 1979 United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women – both of these conventions helped advance women's rights and opportunities worldwide (World Education Report, p. 50-51).

Barriers & Shortcomings

While UNESCO is achieving progress, it is important to note that the 1990 World Conference on Education for All set goals for reducing illiteracy and improving education by the year 2000. However, 2000 approached and many countries were far from reaching these goals. Because of this, UNESCO sponsored The World Education Forum, held in Dakar in April of 2000. The outcomes of this forum were the creation of six key goals to improve worldwide literacy and education by 2015 and a re-commitment of countries to these educational goals ("Education for All"). While this forum brought about more focused key goals and greater awareness of the issues at stake, its very existence is due to the fact that original goals were not being met and education was not being promoted as quickly and widely as originally planned.

More than a decade after the World Education Forum, progress is still slow. UNESCO's 2007 EFA Global Monitoring Report lists a wide range of different outcomes: positive gains in some areas and regions, marginal gains in others, and negative gains in some areas and countries. Global enrollment in primary education only increased 3% from 1999 to 2004 (83% to 86%) however certain areas of the world that have traditionally had very little access to education have improved more significantly: South and West Asia, for example, improved from 77% to 86% during this decade (EFA Global Monitoring Report).

Even though it has its triumphs to report, UNESCO admits that overall "The quality of schooling and levels of learning achievement remain major issues everywhere" (EFA Global). Other sources have highlighted further negative information. Postlethwaite (1998) states that a 1995 study of primary schools in fourteen countries found that, on average, enrollment was up 5-7 percent since 1990 but general quality of education and resources had deteriorated (p. 290). While in general, getting more students enrolled in school is a good thing, this means additional teachers and resources are needed to cope with the demand. In areas where teachers and teaching resources are already at a minimum, the influx of new students puts further demands on these stretched resources.

Teacher Shortages

UNESCO itself admits that millions of new teachers are needed to reach the goal of worldwide education ("Teacher Shortage"). The difficulty of recruiting these teachers will likely be aggravated by the chronic problem of low salaries. In the majority of WEI countries, a teacher's salary is equal to or less than the average salary for that country. This makes it harder to attract good teachers and often results in teachers with low qualifications, particularly in the primary levels (Investing, p.15)

Even if 18 million qualified teachers were available, the sheer enormity of the task that UNESCO has set itself is staggering. De Merode (2005-2006) stated that "Yet even with pristine leadership and political will across all countries, not to speak of resources, addressing literacy will require a massive effort with more effective strategies than ever before mobilized in order even to stay apace with population momentum" (p. 23).

Leadership

"Pristine leadership" is something which gives pause, for the organization and structure of UNESCO itself has come under fire. DeJong-Lambert (2006) argued that the effects of the cold war had an enormous influence on how countries viewed UNESCO. He states that UNESCO's goals were often viewed as communistic in nature, therefore the US made national loyalty, not intellect, the defining status for serving in UNESCO, thus defeating the purpose of the organization. The US itself left the organization in 1984, said Manzo (2007), partly because UNESCO had been subject to long-standing critique of being undemocratic and poorly managed (p. 10). It wasn't until 2003 that the US rejoined UNESCO after the organization promised to improve in these areas.

Disparate Values

Even with reorganization and focus within UNESCO, the organization as an entity can only do so much. Topracki (2007) pointed out that the success of an organization is based on goals. If the goals of UNESCO match those of the member country, success is apparent. However, Topracki argues that "most of the members of UNESCO have not assimilated official institutional objectives of UNESCO" (p. 7). Furthermore he states, "The data on 38 of the region countries have been obtained. There is no meaningful relationship between the membership dates and the level of adherence to all the UNESCO objectives" (p. 12).

UNESCO itself wholly embraces the fact that in order for EFA to become a reality, all nations must share common values. Unfortunately, this is an extremely difficult goal to achieve. UNESCO cannot accomplish EFA if the world does not share common values and uphold education as crucial for all. Yet it is generally accepted as common knowledge that education is one of the few forces capable of helping people put aside prejudices and preconceived ideas and embrace common values – education links people together in a way that few other forces can. The question is whether universal education can be promoted without global unity or whether global unity can be achieved without universal education. UNESCO would appear to be doing both – promoting both global unity and education - but that may prove to be a challenge beyond any the world has ever faced.

It cannot be denied that UNESCO's efforts are having a positive impact on the world. Education is becoming more and more accessible, prejudices are being slowly eradicated, and difficulties such as soil conservation are being overcome. But the year 2015 is rapidly approaching, and many of UNESCO's goals and objectives are far from being reached. Clearly, major obstacles such as an acute shortage of teachers and disunity among countries will need to be overcome and quickly, if UNESCO is to meet its goals by 2015.

Terms & Concepts

Decade of Education: The decade of 2005 to 2014 has been declared by the UN to be the Decade of Education with the goal of every child and adult having access to primary education by 2014.

Education for All: UNESCO holds firmly to the belief that all people, regardless of age, gender, or social status, have a right to a free primary education.

Initiative: This refers to a specific movement towards fulfilling a goal. UNESCO has various initiatives to answer specific challenges in the world.

Literacy: For UNESCO and the UN, this does not merely refer to the ability to read, write, and perform math but rather the ability of the individual to be a life-long learner and continually be progressing in knowledge.

Primary Education: This is generally defined by UNESCO as six years of good-quality schooling – essentially a 6th grade education equivalent.

Shared Values: In order for Education for All to become a reality, UNESCO believes that the world must be united through a mutual belief in the rights of all humans, the value of education, the importance of non-discrimination, and the responsibility of countries to work towards peace. It is only within this context that EFA can happen.

Sustainable Development: This refers to working to improve and develop economic situations, environmental concerns, human rights, and cultural values so that educational progress can be maintained and goals can be achieved.

UNESCO: The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, a vast organization dedicated to bringing about peace through education

About UNESCO . Retrieved on July 31, 2007, from http://portal. and the sharing of mutual values.

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Suggested Reading

Beja Jr., E. (2013). Subjective well-being approach to the valuation of international development: Evidence for the Millennium Development Goals. Social Indicators Research, 111, 141–159. Retrieved January 6, 2014 from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=85210069

Bruns, B., Mingat, A. & Rakotomalala, R. (2003). Achieving Universal Primary Education by 2015. A Chance for Every Child. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.

De Varennes, F. (2004). The right to education and minority language . Retrieved July 30, 3007, from http://www.eumap.org/journal/features/2004/minority_education/edminlang

Goldstein, H. (2004). Education for All: The Globalization of Learning Targets. Comparative Education, 40 , 7-14.

Lewin, K. M. (2011). Policy dialogue and target setting: Do current indicators of Education for All signify progress?. Journal Of Education Policy, 26, 571–587. Retrieved January 6, 2014 from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=62596626

Pigozzi, M. J. (2004) A UNESCO View of Global Citizenship Education. Educational Review, 58 ,1-4.