OTRAƎDUCACION: World Bank

Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta World Bank. Mostrar todas las entradas

Six «Education for All» Goals ▸ Seis Metas de la «Educación para Todos»

(ver español abajo)

▸ In 1990, at the World Conference on Education for All (Jomtien-Thailand), the Education for All (EFA) initiative was launched. The conference was organized by UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA and the World Bank. Six «basic education» goals were approved, including children, youth and adults, in and out of school. The year 2000 was established as the deadline.

▸ In 2000, at the World Education Forum (Dakar-Senegal), the EFA decade evaluation showed that the six EFA goals had not been achieved. The goals were ratified, with some changes. It was decided to expand EFA's deadline until 2015, under UNESCO co-ordination.

▸ 2015 was the deadline for both EFA and Millennium Development Goals - MDG (2000-2015). After 25 years of EFA implementation, once again, the goals were not met. In 2015, EFA remains "an unfinished business".

▸ The very modest MDG goal for education - "all children completing primary education" (four years of schooling: "survival to grade 5") - was not met in many countries, among them the poorest in the world. And millions of children who complete those four years of schooling do not learn even basic reading, writing and numeracy skills, given the low quality of the education received.

▸ In March 2015 at the World Education Forum 2015 held in Incheon, Republic of Korea, a new education agenda was agreed upon until 2030. The Incheon Declaration adopted "Education 2030: Towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all". Will these much more ambitious goals be met in the next 15 years, when much more modest ones were not achieved in 25 years?

The table below compares EFA goals - Jomtien (1990-2000) and Dakar (2000-2015) - followed by a brief analysis of their similarities and differences.

Education for All (EFA) Goals

1990–2000: Jomtien

2000–2015: Dakar

1. Expansion of early childhood care
and development activities, including family and community interventions, especially for poor, disadvantaged and disabled children. 1. Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

2. Universal access to, and completion of,
primary education (or whatever higher
level of education is considered “basic”)
by 2000. 2. Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality.

3. Improvement in learning achievement
such that an agreed percentage of an appropriate age cohort (e.g. 80% of 14 year-olds) attains or surpasses a defined
level of necessary learning achievement. 3. Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes.

4. Reduction in the adult illiteracy rate
(the appropriate age cohort to be determined
in each country) to, say, one-half its 1990 level by the year 2000, with sufficient emphasis on female literacy to significantly reduce the current disparity between the
male and female illiteracy rates. 4. Achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults.

5. Expansion of provision of basic education and training in other essential skills required by youth and adults, with programme effectiveness assessed in terms of
behavioural changes and impacts on health, employment and productivity. 5. Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls’ full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.

6. Increased acquisition by individuals
and families of the knowledge, skills
and values required for better living
and sound and sustainable development, made available through all educational channels including the mass media, other forms of modern and traditional communication, and social action, with effectiveness assessed in terms of
behavioural change. 6. Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence for all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

Similiarities and differences: EFA goals approved in 1990 (Jomtien) and in 2000 (Dakar)
(We have kept in the table the original English texts)

▸ Basic education: Both 1990 and 2000 goals deal with the “expanded vision of basic education" adopted in Jomtien: basic learning needs of children youth and adults, in and out of school, including all ages: early childhood, childhood, youth and adulthood.

▸ Early childhood: in 1990 the term used was “early childhood care and development” while in 2000 the term used was “early childhood care and education”. “Development” is more comprehensive than “education”; the term “comprehensive” is added in 2000. The 1990 version highlights the role of families and communities. The 2000 version refers not only to expansion but also to improvement.

▸ Primary education: In both cases the primary education goal refers to children (and not also to youth and adults). Jomtien considered going beyond primary education (“primary education or whatever higher level of education is considered ‘basic' in each country). Both refer to access and completion; in Dakar improvement was added. Both prioritize disadvantaged children (poor, disabled). In Dakar girls are mentioned specifically.

▸ Learning: in Jomtien, a specific goal was devoted to learning. In Dakar, that goal was eliminated. Learning is mentioned within a (new) goal referred to quality.

▸ Citizen information and education: In Jomtien, a specific goal (Goal 6) was devoted to public information, using the education system and all available media. This goal was eliminated in Dakar.

▸ Quality: In Dakar, a goal was created for quality. There is even mention of 'excellence'. References to 'improvement' appear also in other goals (goal 1: early childhood; goal 3: primary education).

▸ List of goals: Both Jomtien and Dakar goals are organized as a list, with no visible connection between goals. Although the six goals refer to the lifespan (from early childhood to adulthood), there is no mention of lifelong education or lifelong learning.

▸ Literacy/basic education: Both in Jomtien and in Dakar, literacy and basic education appear as two separate goals, referred to youth and adults. However, literacy is part of basic education.

▸ No clear indicators: Both lack concrete indicators to measure the goals.

▸ Language problems: Both use confusing terminology. There is lots of repetition. Confusion is particularly evident in the goals referred to youth and adults.

▸ Unaccomplished goals: Neither the Jomtien nor the Dakar goals were accomplished in the agreed deadlines.

▸ Focus on primary education: Both in 1990-2000 and in 2000-2015 priority in actual implementation was placed on children, primary education, access and enrollment. Early childhood and youth/adult goals were always sidelined. (In the case of adult illiteracy: in 1990, Jomtien EFA statistics acknowledged 895 million illiterate adults in the world; in 2012, they were 774 million).

ESPAÑOL

▸ En 1990, en la Conferencia Mundial sobre Educación para Todos (Jomtien-Tailandia), se lanzó la iniciativa mundial de 'Educación para Todos' (EPT), organizada por UNESCO, UNICEF, PNUD, FNUAP y el Banco Mundial. Allí se aprobaron seis metas de 'educación básica', destinadas a "satisfacer necesidades básicas de aprendizaje" de niños, jóvenes y adultos, dentro y fuera del sistema escolar. Se estableció el año 2000 como plazo para cumplir con dichas metas.

▸ En 2000, en el Foro Mundial de Educación (Dakar-Senegal), la evaluación de la década de EPT mostró que las metas no se habían cumplido. Se decidió ratificarlas, con algunos cambios, y prolongar el plazo hasta el año 2015, bajo la coordinación de la UNESCO.

▸ 2015 fue el plazo establecido tanto para las metas de la EPT como para los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio - ODM (2000-2015). La meta modesta para la educación dentro de los ODM -- "lograr la enseñanza primaria universal" (cuatro años se escolaridad: "supervivencia al quinto grado") - no se cumplió en muchos países, entre ellos los más pobres del mundo. Y millones de niños que completan el cuarto grado no han aprendido a leer, escribir y contar, dada la mala calidad de la oferta escolar.

▸ Después de 25 años de trayectoria de la EPT, las metas no se cumplieron, quedando la EPT como "un asunto inconcluso".

▸ En marzo 2013, UNESCO y UNICEF realizaron una Consulta Global Temática sobre Educación Post2015, también en Dakar. Se planteó redefinir las metas de la EPT y ampliar el plazo 15 años más, hasta el año 2030.

▸ En marzo 2015, en el Foro Mundial sobre la Educación realizado en Incheon, Corea del Sur, se acordó una nueva agenda educativa para 2015-2030. La Declaración de Incheon habla de "Educación 2030: Hacia una educación inclusiva y equitativa de calidad y un aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida para todos". ¿Podrá lograrse en 15 años lo que no se logró en 25 con metas mucho más modestas?

A continuación una tabla que compara las metas de EPT acordadas en Jomtien (1990-2000) y en Dakar (2000-2015), así como un breve análisis de sus similitudes y diferencias.

Metas de la Educación para Todos (EPT)

1990–2000: Jomtien

2000–2015: Dakar

1.Expansión de la asistencia y actividades de cuidado y desarrollo de la primera infancia, incluidas intervenciones de la familia y la comunidad, especialmente para los niños pobres, desasistidos e impedidos. 1. Expandir y mejorar el cuidado infantil y la educación inicial integrales, especialmente para los niños y niñas más vulnerables y en desventaja.

2. Acceso universal a la educación primaria (o a cualquier nivel más alto considerado "básico") y terminación de
la misma, para el año 2000. 2. Asegurar que, para el 2015, todos los niños, y especialmente las niñas y los niños en circunstancias difíciles, tengan acceso y completen una educación primaria gratuita, obligatoria y de buena calidad.

3. Mejoramiento de los resultados del aprendizaje de modo que un porcentaje convenido de una muestra de edad determinada (ej. 80% de los mayores de 14 años) alcance o sobrepase un nivel dado de logros de aprendizaje considerados necesarios. 3. Asegurar la satisfacción de las necesidades de aprendizaje de jóvenes y adultos a través del acceso equitativo a programas apropiados de aprendizaje de habilidades para la vida y para la ciudadanía.

4. Reducción de la tasa de analfabetismo adulto a la mitad del nivel de 1990 para el 2000. El grupo de edad adecuado debe determinarse en cada país y hacerse suficiente hincapié en la alfabetización femenina a fin de modificar la desigualdad frecuente entre índices de alfabetización de hombres y mujeres. 4. Mejorar en 50% los niveles de alfabetización de adultos para el año 2015, especialmente entre las mujeres, y lograr el acceso equitativo a la educación básica y permanente para todas las personas adultas.

5. Ampliación de los servicios de educación básica y capacitación a otras competencias esenciales necesarias para los jóvenes y los adultos, evaluando la eficacia de los programas en función de la modificación
de la conducta y del impacto en la salud,
el empleo y la productividad. 5. Eliminar las disparidades de género en la educación primaria y secundaria para el año 2005, y lograr la equidad de géneros para el 2015, en particular asegurando a las niñas acceso a una educación básica de calidad y rendimientos plenos e igualitarios.

6. Aumento de la adquisición por parte
de los individuos y las familias de los conocimientos, capacidades y valores necesarios para vivir mejor y conseguir
un desarrollo racional y sostenido por medio
de todos los canales de la educación
-incluidos los medios de información modernos, otras formas de comunicación tradicionales y
modernas, y la acción social- evaluándose la eficacia de estas intervenciones en función de la modificación de la conducta. 6. Mejorar todos los aspectos de la calidad de la educación y asegurar la excelencia de todos, de modo que todos logren resultados de aprendizaje reconocidos y medibles, especialmente en torno a la alfabetización, el cálculo y las habilidades esenciales para la vida.

Similitudes y diferencias entre las metas fijadas en 1990 (Jomtien) y en 2000 (Dakar)
(Hemos mantenido en la tabla los textos originales de la traducción al español)

▸ Educación básica: Tanto en 1990 como en 2000, las metas de la Educación para Todos se enmarcan en la "visión ampliada de la educación básica" adoptada en Jomtien: necesidades básicas de aprendizaje de niños, jóvenes y adultos, dentro y fuera del sistema escolar, y a lo largo de la vida: primera infancia, edad escolar, juventud, edad adulta.

▸ Primera infancia: En 1990, el término usado fue “cuidado y desarrollo infantil”; en 2000 el término usado fue “cuidado infantil y educación inicial". “Desarrollo” es más amplio que "educación"; a éste se le agregó "integral" en Dakar. En 1990 se destacaba el papel de la familia y la comunidad. Eso desapareció en la versión Dakar. En Dakar se agregó, en cambio, mejora y no solo expansión.

▸ Educación primaria: En Jomtien y en Dakar educación primaria se refiere a niños (y no también a jóvenes y adultos). En Jomtien se consideró ir más allá de la educación primaria (“educación primaria o cualquier nivel de educación considerado 'básico' en cada país). En ambos casos la meta se refiere a acceso y completación; en Dakar, se agregó mejoramiento. En ambos casos se prioriza a niños y niñas desfavorecidos (pobres, discapacitados). En Dakar se menciona también a las niñas.

▸ Aprendizaje: Una de las seis metas de Jomtien se dedicó al aprendizaje. En Dakar, esa meta se eliminó; el aprendizaje se menciona dentro de la meta dedicada al tema calidad.

▸ Información pública y educación ciudadana: En Jomtien, una meta específica (Meta 6) giró en torno a la importancia de la información pública, usando el sistema educativo y todos los medios disponibles. Esta meta se eliminó en Dakar.

▸ Calidad: En Dakar se creó una meta específica para calidad (meta 6). Hay incluso una mención a “excelencia”. Referencias a "mejoramiento" aparecen también en otras metas (meta 1 y meta 3).

▸ Lista de metas: Tanto en Jomtien como en Dakar las metas se organizaron como un listado, sin que exista una conexión visible entre ellas. Pese a que las seis metas abarcan todas las edades, desde la primera infancia hasta la edad adulta, no se mencionan en ningún lado los conceptos de educación a lo largo de la vida o aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida.

▸ Alfabetización/educacion básica: En ambos casos, la alfabetización (de adultos) aparece como una meta suelta, separada de la meta de educación básica de jóvenes y adultos. En verdad, la alfabetización es una necesidad basica de aprendizaje, como quedó dicho en la misma conferencia de Jomtien, y es por ende parte de la educación basica de toda persona.

▸ Faltan indicadores claros: En ambos casos faltan indicadores concretos para medir el avance de las metas.

▸ Problemas de lenguaje y redacción: Ambos conjuntos de metas tienen problemas de redacción, usan una terminología confusa, hay mucha repetición. La confusión es particularmente notoria en el campo de la educación de jóvenes y adultos.

▸ Metas incumplidas: Ni las metas de Jomtien ni las de Dakar se cumplieron en los plazos previstos.

▸ Enfasis en la educación primaria: Tanto en 1990-2000 como en 2000-2015 la implementación priorizó la meta 3 referida a la educación primaria y a los niños en edad escolar. El énfasis se puso asimismo en el acceso y la matrícula. Las metas referidas a la primera infancia y a la educación de jóvenes y adultos han sido siempre dejadas de lado en la Educación para Todos.

Avances de la Educación para Todos 2000-2012
(Tomado del Informe Mundial de Seguimiento de la Educación para Todos 2012 - Resumen)

■ Objetivo 1: Las mejoras en el ámbito de la atención y educación de la primera infancia han sido demasiado lentas.

En 2008, aproximadamente el 28% aproximadamente de los niños de menos de cinco años padecían de retraso en el crecimiento, y menos de la mitad de los niños del mundo recibían una enseñanza preescolar.

■ Objetivo 2: Los progresos encaminados a hacer realidad la enseñanza primaria universal están perdiendo impulso. En 2010 seguía habiendo 61 millones de niños sin escolarizar en el mundo.
De 100 niños no escolarizados, se estima que 47 no lo estarán nunca.

■ Objetivo 3: Muchos jóvenes no disponen de competencias básicas.

En 123 países de bajos ingresos o ingresos medianos bajos, unos 200 millones de jóvenes que tienen entre 15 y 24 años ni siquiera han logrado terminar sus estudios primarios, lo que representa un joven de cada cinco.

■ Objetivo 4: La alfabetización de los adultos sigue siendo un objetivo difícil de alcanzar.

El número de adultos analfabetos ha experimentado una disminución de solo un 12% entre 1990 y 2010. En 2010, unos 775 millones de adultos eran analfabetos, siendo las dos terceras partes mujeres.

■ Objetivo 5: Las disparidades entre varones y niñas cobran formas muy diversas.

En 2010, había todavía diecisiete países con menos de nueve niñas por diez varones en la enseñanza

primaria. En más de la mitad de los 96 países que no han logrado la paridad entre los sexos en la enseñanza secundaria, los varones están en situación de inferioridad.

■ Objetivo 6: La desigualdad en materia de resultados del aprendizaje sigue siendo muy marcada a escala mundial.

Asciende a nada menos que 250 millones el número de niños que podrían llegar al cuarto grado sin ser capaces de leer o de escribir.

International Initiatives for Education ▸ Iniciativas internacionales para la educación

Rosa María Torres

Compilación de textos sobre iniciativas y actividades vinculadas a organismos internacionales publicados en este blog

Compilation of texts on initiatives and activities linked to international agencies published in this blog

Youth & Adult Education and Lifelong Learning in Latin America and the Caribbean

Rosa María Torres

(published in LLinE - Lifelong Learning in Europe, Vol. XXVI, No. 4, 2011)

1. Introduction

This paper draws from various studies I have conducted on adult education and on lifelong learning in Latin America and other regions. Two such studies (written in English) serve here as main references:

- Youth and AdultEducation and Learning in Latin America and the Caribbean: Trends, Issues and Challenges. Regional report prepared for the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI, Belém, Brazil, Dec. 2009), commissioned by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL).[1]

- LifelongLearning in the South: Critical Issues and Opportunities for Adult Education, Sida Studies 11, Stockholm, 2004. Global study commissioned by Sida.

Latin America and the Caribbean is a highly heterogeneous region, comprising two subregions (Latin America, the Caribbean) and 41 countries and territories with very different political, cultural, economic, social and educational realities. Some 600 languages are spoken; Spanish and Portuguese are the two most widespread official languages. Any regional generalization would be abusive, and space does not allow us to elaborate here more on each country. Also, the situation is very dynamic; trends may change considerably in a short period of time. In the current international context, and vis a vis the world and European crisis, Latin America appears strong and united, with economic and social indicators improving over the past few years.[2] On the other hand, Mexico and Chile, the two Latin American countries that are members of OECD, are facing major turmoils, their education systems being exposed and under heavy social scrutiny and criticism.

In most Latin American countries, the term used is Youth & Adult Education (henceforth YAE). The term “youth” was incorporated in the 1980s, acknowledging the increased presence of young people in adult education programmes as well as the need to address the specificity of youth in such programmes.

The information and analysis presented below refers basically to the 12-year period between CONFINTEA V (1997) and CONFINTEA VI (2009).

2. Reactivation of youth and adult education in the region in the past few years

Between the late 1980s and the late 1990s YAE practically disappeared in most countries, following World Bank recommendations to governments in “developing countries” in the sense of giving priority to primary education and to children as opposed to adults. (WB also rectified later its argument about the failure of adult literacy, which was ill-documented). The Education for All (henceforth EFA) world initiative coordinated by UNESCO (1900-2000-2015) has followed the same trend: out of the six EFA goals, Goal 2 referred to primary education has received the most attention while Goals 3 and 4 referred to youth and adult education have received the least attention, as acknowledged every year by EFA Global Monitoring Reports (henceforth EFA GMR). In fact, the 2009 EFA GMR, coinciding with the year of CONFINTEA VI, continued to ignore YAE, not considered of strategic importance to the achievement of EFA by 2015.

For various reasons, since the late 1990s there has been a visible reactivation of YAE in the region. CONFINTEA V contributed to enhance social mobilization and networking around YAE, both before and right after the Hamburg conference. Later on, we have witnessed the emergence of new supranational and international actors engaged in YAE, notably the Cuban government and its ‘Yo Sí Puedo’ (Yes, I Can) literacy programme, and the Organization of IberoAmerican States (OEI) which organized the Ibero-American Plan for Youth and Adult Literacy and Basic Education (PIA) 2007-2015.

Such reactivation is reflected among others in the following:

Bialfa: Paraguay

Renewed emphasis on youth/adult literacy A new wave of ‘illiteracy eradication’ has taken over the region. Many countries resumed national literacy programmes or campaigns, even some countries with very low illiteracy rates (lower than 3%) such as Argentina and Uruguay. The exception is Cuba, declared ‘territory free of illiteracy’ almost half a century ago (1961), as well as several countries in the English-speaking Caribbean where governmental focus on literacy is on the formal system. There are also sub-national and local programmes run by local governments, religious groups, NGOs, social organizations and movements, and teacher unions.

Clearer institutionalization of YAE There are advances in legislation and policy in most countries. There is increased recognition of the right to (free) education as well as to linguistic and cultural diversity and to inter-culturality as a comprehensive approach to education. In Cuba and Mexico for a long time, and more recently in countries such as Chile, Venezuela, Bolivia or Paraguay, YAE becomes more institutionalized, pointing towards the building of a system or subsystem, rather than the usual and discontinued ad-hoc interventions.

New actors and partnerships In most countries, there are government partnerships with NGOs, universities, religious groups and the private sector. In a few countries, partnerships have included teacher unions and strong social movements (e.g. in Argentina and Brazil). There are also several international actors engaged in YAE in the region. As indicated, the most active in recent times are the Spanish government/OEI and the Cuban government/IPLAC. Others include the Convenio Andrés Bello (Andrés Bello Agreement -CAB), an international inter-governmental organization focused on supranational integration (12 countries), based in Bogota and linked to OEI; and the Organization of American States (OAS), based in Washington, which coordinates the Summits of the Americas.

More and better information and knowledge on YAE There is considerable growth in research and documentation at national, subregional and regional level in recent years. Of course, there are also major differences between countries in terms of quantity, quality, topics and approaches related to research. Big countries such as Brazil and Mexico and also Chile report many surveys and studies.

Advances in evaluation Evaluation has become a central piece of school systems and reforms in the region since the 1990s, but its incorporation is rather recent in YAE. In Brazil, a Functional Literacy Indicator (INAF), based on actual evaluation of reading, writing and numeracy skills of the adult population (15-64 years of age), has been developed annually since 2001 by two private institutions. In Mexico, the National Institute for Adult Education (INEA) has its own evaluation system. In Chile, evaluation of student outcomes is under a National System for the Evaluation of Learning and Certification of Studies, which includes YAE. Both Mexico and Chile have adopted results-based schemes for paying the institutions and/or teaching staff hired for YAE programmes.

Aiquile, Bolivia. Photo: Rosa María Torres

Linkages between education/training and work as a field of research, policy and action The linkages between education, the economy and work have become a field of concern, policy and action, within the overall concern with poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. Social Economy gains increased attention as an alternative economic model that generates also alternative approaches to education and training linked to production, commercialization, barter and other income-generation activities by families, cooperatives, and organized communities.

Increased attention to ‘special groups’ Visible attention has been given in recent years to the disabled, migrants and prison inmates. The use of traditional and modern technologies has facilitated this task, especially with the disabled and with the migrant population. Prison education has been enhanced since 2006 in the framework of the EUROsociAL programme of the European Commission. Initiatives aimed at the blind, the visually challenged and hearing impaired have been developed in recent years in many countries.

New technologies reaching the field Radio has been a powerful ally of YAE for several decades and continues to be in many countries, especially in some of the poorest ones such as Haiti, Bolivia, and Paraguay. In the past few years, audiovisual media have become widespread mainly through the Cuba-assisted Yo Sí Puedo literacy and post-literacy programme operating in several countries since 2003. Computers and the Internet are also reaching YAE, particularly for the younger population. Tele-centers or info-centers (different from cybercafes, privately owned and for-profit) are part of basic education programmes in several countries. In remote rural areas, energy plants or solar panels are being installed. In many places today it is easier to find a cybercafe or a tele-center than a library, a computer than a book.

3. Some old and new weaknesses and limitations. Challenges for the future

The ‘Agenda for the Future’ approved at CONFINTEA V, its wide vision and ambitious proposals for adult learning, is not the one that has been implemented in this region since 1997. Neither is the 2000-2010 YAE Regional Framework for Action prepared as a follow up to CONFINTEA V. Advances coexist with old and new limitations related to governmental and non-governmental action as well as to international agencies intervening in the field.

Sectoral approaches and interventions Despite advances in cross-sectoral policies and collaboration with other government actors, YAE continues to be perceived as pertaining to the ‘education sector’, unconnected with major economic, political and social issues. YAE is in fact a transversal issue, but invisible unless it falls directly under an education authority and refers somewhere explicitly to the term ‘adult’.

Dominican Rep: Haitian Batey. Photo: Rosa María Torres

Continued low status of YAE The traditional low status of YAE is related to: (a) age (vis a vis children), and (b) socio-economic status. Estimations of costs of programmes and plans rarely consider infrastructure, equipment or even remunerated work. In many cases, YAE continues to be considered a ‘special regime’ together with other areas that challenge conventional classifications, such as bilingual intercultural education, special education, and multigrade schools.

Activism and discontinuity of efforts Activism has been a characteristic of YAE, often related to one-shot and isolated activities lacking continuity, monitoring, systematization, evaluation and feedback. Countries engage from time to time and over and over again in ‘illiteracy eradication’ or ‘illiteracy reduction’ initiatives. So far, policies have been unable to deal with literacy/basic education in a sustained and integral manner, linking school and out-of-school, children’s and adults’ education as part of one single strategy towards education for all.

Big distances between policies and implementation The right to free, quality education continues to be denied to a large portion of the population. National reports prepared for CONFINTEA VI say little about actual implementation. One key conclusion I drew from the field study on literacy and written culture by out-of-school youth and adults in nine countries of the region is that “policies in this field have become autonomous, with little or no contact with actual practice on the ground.”

Bogotá, Colombia. Photo: Rosa María Torres

High political, financial and administrative vulnerability of YAE YAE continues to be highly vulnerable to national/local political and administrative changes as well as of changes in international priorities. This implies a permanent threat to the continuity of policies and programmes, and to the building of national capacities and accumulated practical experience. A key component of such vulnerability are the meager financial resources available for education in general and for YAE in particular. Few national reports and studies provide concrete information on YAE funding and costs. This is marked in the case of the private sector. In many countries YAE budget represents less than 1% of educational spending. Brazil calculates that, budgetwise, an adult learner counts as 0.7% of a primary school child (Brazil CONFINTEA VI report).

Funding comes from various sources: government, churches, the private sector, social movements, and international agencies. There is scarce information on the financial contribution of bilateral and multilateral agencies to YAE, its uses and impact. In most countries, government plays the major role, especially in basic education levels.

Government programmes generally do not charge fees and many of them provide access to free equipment and materials. Also, various countries have been adopting compensation policies or plans tied to studying.

Rise of for-profit spirit and market mechanisms There is an important decline in volunteerism, social mobilization and political commitment traditionally linked to YAE. In many countries, NGOs are hired and paid by governments to implement programmes. On the other hand, the trend towards accreditation and certification (completion of primary/basic/secondary education) has attracted the for-profit private sector, introducing fees and other market mechanisms into the field.

Low attention to professionalization of adult educators The low status, poor training and bad working conditions of adult educators continue is an old vicious circle in YAE. Training is generally poor and short, and its deficits are even more visible in the case of indigenous educators prepared for intercultural bilingual education programmes. Availability of audiovisual and digital technologies are contributing to further reduce the importance of professionalization and of initial and in-service training,

Requisites for adult educators have been “upgraded” in some countries, including a professional teaching title or completion of secondary education rather than primary education only; such requisites tend to loosen in rural areas and in literacy programmes, which continue to operate in most cases with community volunteers. The question that remains concerns the desired profile and education/training of adult educators, and whether possessing a teacher certificate ensures good teaching.

Weak dissemination, use and impact of research and evaluation results Research, documentation and evaluation efforts lack sufficient and opportune dissemination. We found differentiated circuits, one closer to academic circles and another one closer to bureacucratic and government structures. Overall, there is little evidence that research results are informing and influencing policy-making, training or teaching practice. They have not contributed to modify long-entrenched ‘common sense’ in the field, including negative perceptions and terminologies linked to illiteracy (e.g. ‘scourge’, ‘plague’, ‘darkness’, ‘blindness’, ‘shackle’, ‘eradication’, etc.), the association between illiteracy and ignorance, between number of years of schooling and ‘functional literacy’, and between adult education, non-formal and remedial education. Also, most diagnoses and recommendations are based on literature reviews, with little connection to realities and little or no empirical research.

Age discrimination within YAE There is a consistent trend towards (a) giving priority to the younger segments of the adult population, establishing age limits (40, 35, in some cases less), and (b) segmenting educational opportunities by age: literacy offered to older generations and other programmes offered to youth. Cuba is the only country that has the elderly as a priority group in terms of educational and cultural attention by government. Uruguay – known for its high percentage of third age population - is also expanding the age of learners within YAE.

Perú - ARE. Photo: PYSN

Continued neglect of indigenous peoples The YAE Regional Framework for Action (2000-2010) identified four priority groups: indigenous, peasants, youth and women. Youth and women have in act been prioritized; indigenous and afro descendant groups have not. Racism is alive despite advances in national and international legislation, including the approval in 2007 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Brazil’s national illiteracy rate (2008) was 7,1%, and among indigenous peoples 18% and among black people 16% (Brazil CONFINTEA VI report). In Mexico, the national illiteracy rate was 8.4%. and the illiteracy rate among indigenous groups was 36.1% (Mexico CONFINTEA VI report). Also, Intercultural Bilingual Education (IBE) continues to focus in rural areas. However, indigenous populations are also settled in urban areas, especially in large Latin American cities, following strong rural-urban migration patterns.

Continued neglect of rural areas Formal and non-formal education continue to concentrate in urban and the periphery of urban areas, thus maintaining and even deepening the urban-rural educational gap. Probabilities that youth and adults in rural areas get no or incipient education are twice as big as in urban areas, and in some countries three times bigger (SITEAL). Peru has the highest urban-rural school gap. Peru’s CONFINTEA VI report acknowledged that practically all educational institutions doing adult education are located in cities. In Brazil, illiterates in urban areas are 9.7 million against 4.7 million in rural areas; however, in percentile terms rural areas have almost three times more illiterates – 26.3% against 8.7% in urban areas.

Low coverage of programmes YAE programmes are very limited for actual needs. Despite being a prioritized age group, by 2007 less than 10% of 20-29 year olds who had not completed secondary education attended some educational programme. In large countries such as Brazil and Mexico, all efforts seem small and advances slow. According to Brazil’s CONFINTEA VI report, only 10% of the demand was served in 2008. Chile calculated that it would take 20 years to reach the 4 million people who have not completed basic education (Chile CONFINTEA VI report).

Quality and learning remain distant issues Quantitative indicators (enrolment and retention, number of groups organized, materials or equipments distributed, etc.) predominate as indicators of achievement and success. A minimum number of participants is often established as a requisite to start a programme or a center, thus leading often to cheating (e.g. manipulating the statistics, completing the list with family members, friends or persons who are not part of the target population, etc.). In literacy programmes, goals continue to be set in terms of ‘eradicating’ or ‘reducing’ illiteracy rates, rather than in terms of learning and effective use of reading and writing. Only in very few cases have adult literacy programmes and campaigns been thoroughly evaluated. One such examples is Ecuador’s National Literacy Campaign ‘Monsignor Leonidas Proaño’ (1988-1990).

Continued weaknesses of technical and vocational education/training programmes There is skepticism in relation to the effectiveness of these programmes; several international organizations have commissioned studies and impact evaluations of the programmes they support. The “solution” of keeping or ‘re-inserting’ adolescents and youth in schools (often against their will) - the same unchanged schools that expelled them in the first place – is also debatable. An IIEP study of 52 programmes in 14 Latin American countries concluded that education/training programmes intended to prepare young people for work (a) take a simplistic view of youth inclusion in the labor market, (b) reach only a small portion of the potential population, (c) adopt a narrow approach focused on specific training, and (d) do not take sufficiently into account the importance of formal education, the competitiveness of the labor market and the scarcity of decent jobs.

“Best practices” selected without clear criteria Many practices selected as ‘good’ or ‘best’ practices in education and in YAE in particular are outdated, are based on documents, experts’ opinions or self-evaluation by their own actors, and lack evidence of their implementation, results and actual perceptions by participating learners. Few of them would pass the test of the four As - availability, accessibility, adaptability and acceptability. On the other hand, many relevant experiences remain unsystematized and unknown because of chronic lack of time and of resources in the field, their commitment to action and their many urgencies. Also, it is important to remember that ‘innovative’ does not necessarily mean ‘effective’, or generalizable. Innovations are specific, generally local and small-scale, and cannot be easily replicated or expanded on a massive scale.

Major coordination problems among national and international actors

Decentralization processes and diversification of educational provision have increased coordination and articulation problems amongst the diverse national actors: government across sectors and at the various levels, governmental and non-governmental bodies, profit and non-profit private sector, NGOs, universities, churches, etc. The same is true for the various international actors working in YAE, and in the literacy field in particular. Each of them has its own plans, objectives, goals, timeframes, diagnoses, approaches, methodologies, reporting and financing mechanisms. See table below for the case of literacy.

Table 1

Regional and international adult literacy goals (1980-2015)

MPE Major Project for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean	EFA I-Jomtien Education for All	EFA II–Dakar Education for All	UNLD United Nations Literacy Decade	PIA Ibero-American Plan for Youth and Adult Literacy and Basic Education
1980-2000	1990-2000	2000-2015	2003-2012	2007-2015
UNESCO-OREALC	UNESCO-UNICEF-UNDP-World Bank		UNESCO	OEI
Eradicate illiteracy by 2000	Reduce illiteracy by half by 2000	Reduce illiteracy by half by 2015	Reduce illiteracy by half by 2012	Eradicate illiteracy by 2015

Elaborated by R.M. Torres

4. Lifelong Learning (LLL) in Latin America and the Caribbean

The paradigm shift proposed worldwide – from education to learning, and from adult education to adult learning – has not been appropriated in this region. Although CONFINTEA V had strong regional resonance, the term learning was never introduced in its follow up. Youth and Adult Education (YAE) was the term used in the Regional Framework for Action following CONFINTEA V.

The Lifelong Learning (LLL) concept - emerged in the North closely related to economic growth, competitiveness and employability - is understood and utilized in most diverse ways worldwide. Generally: (a) LLL continues to be used interchangeably with Lifelong Education, without differentiating education and learning [3]; and (b) LLL is associated to adults rather than to the entire lifespan - ‘from the cradle to the grave’.

All this is reflected in Latin America and the Caribbean. LLL is mentioned in many legal and policy/programme documents, with the same biases and inconsistencies that are found internationally. LLL appears often as a separate line of action or goal rather than as embracing category. In Jamaica’s Ministry of Education’s structure, for example, LLL was added as a sixth section, next to the other five sections on early childhood, primary, secondary, tertiary and special education.

From the documents and websites reviewed, the LLL terminology appears to be more widespread - and more embedded in recent policies and plans - in the English-speaking Caribbean countries than in Latin American ones. In the Caribbean, LLL seems to follow the frameworks adopted in Europe. In Jamaica, for example, the LLL policy devised in 2005 was decided by the Human Employment and Resource Training-HEART Trust /National Training Agency-NTA, the institutions that coordinate workforce development in Jamaica.

Even new initiatives such as the Metas Educativas 2021 (2021 Education Goals) coordinated by OEI do not refer to Lifelong Learning but to Lifelong Education, and is considered a separate goal rather than a goal including all others.

Table 2

OEI: Metas Educativas 2021 (2021 Education Goals) 2012-2021

1. Participation of society in educational action.
2. Achieve educational equality and overcome discrimination.

3. Increase supply for early childhood education.

4. Universalize primary education and lower secondary education, and expand access to upper secondary education.

5. Improve the quality of education and of the school curriculum.

6. Facilitate the connection between education and employment through technical-professional education.
7. Offer every person lifelong education opportunities.

8. Strengthen the teaching profession.

9. Expand the Ibero-American Knowledge space and strengthen scientific research.
10. Invest more and better.
11. Evaluate the functioning of education systems and the 2021 Education Goals project.

Source: http://www.oei.es/metas2021/libro.htm Translation from Spanish: Rosa María Torres

5. A few conclusions

▸ Given the big gap between rhetoric/policies/laws and practice, the inclusion of YAE in recent policies, reforms and legislative frameworks on paper should not lead to assumptions about effective implementation.

▸ Quantitative gains – small as they are - are usually shadowed by quality and equity problems.

▸ Priority given to youth has ended up marginalizing adults and the elderly, just as priority given to women ended up marginalizing men in several countries and programmes.

▸ The acknowledgement of the importance of literacy has traditionally placed it at the heart of YA efforts, and is currently being overemphasized in many countries with too many programmes running in parallel and poor targeting of efforts.

▸ Literacy achievements are rarely sustained and complemented with policies and strategies aimed at making reading and writing accessible to the population, paying attention to their specific needs, languages and cultures.

▸ Many vocational and technical training programmes continue to ignore the complex issues involved in the transition between education and work (not only employment), and of the world of work these days.

▸ The important impulse towards completion of primary/secondary education and accreditation of studies needs to be accompanied by the necessary efforts to ensure effective, meaningful and useful learning.

▸ Many hands involved often do not generate genuine ‘partnerships’ but rather enhanced lack of coordination, competitiveness, duplication of efforts and misuse of resources.

▸ Experience indicates that decentralization and outsourcing not necessarily bring with them the advantages promised.

▸ Expansion of ICTs for YAE purposes is counterbalanced with improvisation, poor use of such technologies, poor criteria to decide on the best one or the best combination to use in each specific case, and – most importantly - neglect of the essential interpersonal pedagogical relationship.

▸ Cost-efficiency applied to YAE is often understood as ‘cheaper and quicker’, thus leading to an amplified vicious circle of low quality and poor results.

6. Challenges for the future

A common language The terminological labyrinth is an old concern in the field of education and especially of YAE worldwide. Glossaries have been proposed and produced over the past few decades, but the terminological/conceptual confusion persists and becomes more acute as new terms emerge. Once again during the CONFINTEA VI process, and specifically in the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, it was agreed that a common language is essential if we want to communicate better and also give more scientific consistency to the field.

Lack of evidence and lack of financial resources: two myths to be revisited Two myths must be revisited with regard to YAE and education in general: that in order to receive more attention what is needed is (a) more evidence and (b) more financial resources. In fact, there is plenty of research evidence, for several decades now, on the multiple benefits of investing in YAE, for learners themselves, for their families and communities, and for citizenship-building and national democracy. Abundant research shows that YAE has positive effects on the self-esteem and life opportunities of men and women as well as on their children’s wellbeing (child mortality, child birth, rearing practices, access to school, learning outcomes, etc.). It is clear that lack of attention to YAE is not related to insufficient data, evidence or conceptual clarity, as argued in the 2009 EFA Global Monitoring Report.[4] There is more than enough knowledge available on YAE – theoretical and empirical, regional and international - to indicate what needs to be done and to do it well. The main shortcoming concerns action, not information and knowledge.

On the other hand, the financial deficit is only a manifestation of a political deficit, namely the lack of political will to make education a priority and to invest in the poor on the basis of quality and equity. Addressing the political deficit is the real priority. Also, as evaluations in the field of school education reiterate, there is no direct and necessary connection between more financial resources and better education. What is needed is not only more – usually highlighted - but better use of available resources, precisely because they are scarce. Parameters of what is ‘good spending’ and ‘good international co-operation’ in YAE must be established.

Internationally, in 2005 the Global Campaign for Education proposed “at least 3% of the education budget” allocated to adult literacy in order to attain the EFA goal of reducing illiteracy by half by 2015. Regionally, the Final Document of the Mexico CONFINTEA VI Regional Conference (Sep. 2008) requested 3% for YAE in general, not only for literacy. Many countries have set financial benchmarks for the education sector in their constitutions, laws and/or policies. Most of them aim at reaching, over several years, 6% of the GNP allocated to education. It is thus clear that the fight for higher financial resources devoted to YAE must be associated with the fight for more and sustained financial resources and attention dedicated to education as a whole.

Time for action and for investing in people Lots of money is spent in research that has little relevance and impact on actual decision-making, on costly events and publications that reach only a few, on reiterated diagnoses that repeat the same problems and the same information. It is time to revise the allocation of scarce financial resources at all levels, from governments and international agencies to organizations of civil societies. It is time for action, for making sure that policies and laws are effectively implemented, that what is already known is translated into practice. It is time for investing in the people, in the capacities and qualities of those engaged in YAE at all levels, not only facilitators on the ground, but also those in planning, organizing and managing positions.

Holistic approach Whatever the advances or inertias, they cannot be attributed solely to education in general and to YAE in particular, but also and primarily to the political, social and economic contexts in which education operates. YAE deals with the most disadvantageous situations and with the most vulnerable segments of society, those most affected by poverty, exclusion, and subordination in many aspects: political, economic, social, cultural, linguistic. How much more or better could be done under the concrete circumstances in each case, remains an open question with at least one clear answer: unless there are important economic and social changes in the overall conditions of the population served by YAE, YAE will not be able to fulfill its mission. It is time to rethink the equation: education by itself cannot fight poverty and exclusion, unless specific and intended economic and social policies – not just compensatory programmes – are in place to deal with them in a radical manner. YAE is not an independent variable.

Recuperate the transformative role of education and of YAE specifically The role of education is not to ensure enrolment, retention, completion and accreditation. The ultimate mission is to enhance personal and social change, to ensure relevant learning, awareness raising, critical and creative thinking, informed and committed action, citinzenship building. YAE’s historical critical and transformative nature has been lost and must be recuperated, challenging conformity and mere social adaptation promoted by current times and ideologies dominating the world. Learners must be educated as citizens, not only as people in need of certain basic skills, but in need of knowing their rights and duties so as to be better able to fight for them.

From literacy to lifelong learning “From literacy to lifelong learning” was the title chosen for the CONFINTEA VI regional preparatory conference held in Mexico (Sep. 2008). In other words, the challenge to move from usual narrow understandings of adult education as equivalent to adult literacy, from adult education to adult learning and to lifelong learning, anywhere and anytime: in the family, in the community, at work, through the media, through art, social participation and through the active exercise of citizenship. The right to education today is no longer the right to basic literacy, to access school or to complete a number of years of schooling, but the right to learn and to learn throughout life, from early childhood to late adulthood.

[1] This regional report analyzed a large volume of documents, including: national reports submitted to UIL by Ministries of Education/Adult Education Departments based on the questionnaire circulated by UIL; documentation produced in the framework of the Ibero-American Plan for Youth and Adult Literacy and Basic Education (2006-2015) promoted by the Spanish cooperation for Ibero-American countries (it excludes French- and English-speaking countries in the region); national studies on the state of the art of Youth and Adult Education produced in 2007 in the framework of a CREFAL-CEAAL regional study on the subject (available in Spanish, and in Portuguese for the case of Brazil); cross-national field study on “Literacy and access to the written culture by youth and adults excluded from the school system in Latin America and the Caribbean”, conducted in 2006-2008 together with CREFAL in nine Latin American and Caribbean countries; and international and regional documentation produced for CONFINTEA V (Hamburg 1997) and its regional follow-up.

[2] About the current situation of the region, see: ECLAC’s Social Panorama of Latin America 2011 “Poverty and Indigence Levels Are the Lowest in 20 Years in Latin America”
“Good tidings from the south: Less poor, and less unequal”, The Economist, 3 Dec. 2011.

[3] Lifelong Learning in Spanish is Aprendizaje a lo largo de toda la vida. Most translators continue to use education and learning in an undifferentiated manner. The Delors Report entitled “Learning, the Treasure within” was translated into Spanish as “La educación encierra un tesoro”. The1st World Forum on LifelongLearning (Paris, October 2008) was translated as Foro Mundial para la Educación y la Formación a lo largo de la vida and into French as Forum Mondial pour l'Education et la Formation Tout au Long de la Vie.

[4] Also, “the fact that no clear quantitative targets were established at Dakar, apart from the main literacy target, may have contributed to a lack of urgency. In addition, the language of the commitment is ambiguous. Some read goal 3 as calling for universal access to learning and life-skills programmes, but others, including the drafters of the Dakar Framework, understand no such intent.” (EFA GMR 2009, 2008: 91).

Related texts in this blog:
» Rosa María Torres, Adult Literacy in Latin America and the Caribbean: Plans and Goals 1980-2015
» Rosa María Torres, From Literacy to Lifelong Learning ▸ De la alfabetización al aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida
» Rosa María Torres, Literacy and Lifelong Learning: The Linkages
» Rosa María Torres, Lifelong Learning: moving beyond Education for All
» Letter to UNESCO on the Literacy Decade (2003-2012)

OTRAƎDUCACION

Recordando al Conejo - Fernando Velasco Abad

Six «Education for All» Goals ▸ Seis Metas de la «Educación para Todos»

Education for All (EFA) Goals

Metas de la Educación para Todos (EPT)

International Initiatives for Education ▸ Iniciativas internacionales para la educación

Youth & Adult Education and Lifelong Learning in Latin America and the Caribbean

LinkWithin

1990–2000: Jomtien	2000–2015: Dakar
1. Expansion of early childhood care and development activities, including family and community interventions, especially for poor, disadvantaged and disabled children.	1. Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
2. Universal access to, and completion of, primary education (or whatever higher level of education is considered “basic”) by 2000.	2. Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality.
3. Improvement in learning achievement such that an agreed percentage of an appropriate age cohort (e.g. 80% of 14 year-olds) attains or surpasses a defined level of necessary learning achievement.	3. Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes.
4. Reduction in the adult illiteracy rate (the appropriate age cohort to be determined in each country) to, say, one-half its 1990 level by the year 2000, with sufficient emphasis on female literacy to significantly reduce the current disparity between the male and female illiteracy rates.	4. Achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults.
5. Expansion of provision of basic education and training in other essential skills required by youth and adults, with programme effectiveness assessed in terms of behavioural changes and impacts on health, employment and productivity.	5. Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls’ full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.
6. Increased acquisition by individuals and families of the knowledge, skills and values required for better living and sound and sustainable development, made available through all educational channels including the mass media, other forms of modern and traditional communication, and social action, with effectiveness assessed in terms of behavioural change.	6. Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence for all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

1990–2000: Jomtien	2000–2015: Dakar
1.Expansión de la asistencia y actividades de cuidado y desarrollo de la primera infancia, incluidas intervenciones de la familia y la comunidad, especialmente para los niños pobres, desasistidos e impedidos.	1. Expandir y mejorar el cuidado infantil y la educación inicial integrales, especialmente para los niños y niñas más vulnerables y en desventaja.
2. Acceso universal a la educación primaria (o a cualquier nivel más alto considerado "básico") y terminación de la misma, para el año 2000.	2. Asegurar que, para el 2015, todos los niños, y especialmente las niñas y los niños en circunstancias difíciles, tengan acceso y completen una educación primaria gratuita, obligatoria y de buena calidad.
3. Mejoramiento de los resultados del aprendizaje de modo que un porcentaje convenido de una muestra de edad determinada (ej. 80% de los mayores de 14 años) alcance o sobrepase un nivel dado de logros de aprendizaje considerados necesarios.	3. Asegurar la satisfacción de las necesidades de aprendizaje de jóvenes y adultos a través del acceso equitativo a programas apropiados de aprendizaje de habilidades para la vida y para la ciudadanía.
4. Reducción de la tasa de analfabetismo adulto a la mitad del nivel de 1990 para el 2000. El grupo de edad adecuado debe determinarse en cada país y hacerse suficiente hincapié en la alfabetización femenina a fin de modificar la desigualdad frecuente entre índices de alfabetización de hombres y mujeres.	4. Mejorar en 50% los niveles de alfabetización de adultos para el año 2015, especialmente entre las mujeres, y lograr el acceso equitativo a la educación básica y permanente para todas las personas adultas.
5. Ampliación de los servicios de educación básica y capacitación a otras competencias esenciales necesarias para los jóvenes y los adultos, evaluando la eficacia de los programas en función de la modificación de la conducta y del impacto en la salud, el empleo y la productividad.	5. Eliminar las disparidades de género en la educación primaria y secundaria para el año 2005, y lograr la equidad de géneros para el 2015, en particular asegurando a las niñas acceso a una educación básica de calidad y rendimientos plenos e igualitarios.
6. Aumento de la adquisición por parte de los individuos y las familias de los conocimientos, capacidades y valores necesarios para vivir mejor y conseguir un desarrollo racional y sostenido por medio de todos los canales de la educación -incluidos los medios de información modernos, otras formas de comunicación tradicionales y modernas, y la acción social- evaluándose la eficacia de estas intervenciones en función de la modificación de la conducta.	6. Mejorar todos los aspectos de la calidad de la educación y asegurar la excelencia de todos, de modo que todos logren resultados de aprendizaje reconocidos y medibles, especialmente en torno a la alfabetización, el cálculo y las habilidades esenciales para la vida.