1. Reflecting on the Education for All agenda in 2015 and beyond Keynote address to the Education Study Group at DSA Ireland’s Annual Conference 18-20 November 2015 Mary Goretti Nakabugo, PhD Twaweza East Africa gnakabugo@twaweza.orggnakabugo@twaweza.org / gnakabugo@yahoo.co.ukgnakabugo@yahoo.co.uk 1

2. In the year 2000, the global community committed to attaining universal primary education and gender equality by the year 2015 In the same year, in Dakar, Senegal, a global Education for All (EFA) agenda was set consisting six broad goals 2

3. Education for All Goals 2000- 2015 1.Early childhood care and education (ECCE) 2.Free and compulsory primary education 3.Youth and adult skills 4.Adult literacy 5.Gender parity and equality 6.Quality education 3

4. 4 2015 is almost gone! What have we achieved? What do we need to do differently in the next 15 years?

5. There is a lot to celebrate since 2000! 5

6. Enrollments have increased and there is almost gender parity at primary level… 6

7.  In many countries, the current MDG for education has been almost reached. Schooling status today : Everywhere school enrollments are very high …

8. -There are 84 million fewer out-of- school children and adolescents, … 52 million of these are girls -34 million more children have gone to school due to intensive efforts of EFA movement -Two-thirds more children are enrolled in pre- primary education 8

9. Spending billions: The case of Uganda Although with fluctuations, Education getting lion share % of National Expenditure in Uganda – 1997/98-2012/2013 1997/1998 - 2012/2013 Source: Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) (MTEF & Annual Budget Performance Reports) 9

10. Spending mostly on Primary Education.. Source: Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) (MTEF & Annual Budget Performance Reports) 10

11. But we have not reached Education for All globally! Just a third of countries have achieved all of the measurable EFA goals Only just over half of countries achieved Universal Primary Enrolment 121 million children and adolescents were still out of school in 2012 A third of countries did not reach gender parity in primary education; a half of countries did not in secondary 11

12. Goal 1: Early childhood care and education (ECCE) - globally AchievementsReasons for successChallenges Child mortality rates dropped by nearly 50% -Laws to mandate participation e.g. Mexico -Abolishment of fees e.g. South Africa -Campaigns targeting parents e.g. Thailand -Improving quality e.g. Jamaica 6.3 million children died before 5 years in 2013 Global malnutrition fell from 40% in 1990 to 24% in 2013 1 in 4 children are still short for their age enrolments in pre- primary education increased by two-thirds since 1999 (from 112 million to 184 million). Only half of countries made clear progress in pre-primary education pre-primary education is compulsory in only 40 countries. 12

13. Goal 2: Free and compulsory primary education AchievementsReasons for successChallenges Most prominent of the EFA goals -Guaranteeing a truly free education e.g. Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania -School and classroom construction e.g. Mozambique tripled the no. of its classrooms -School feeding programmes: In 32 countries in sub- Saharan Africa, providing on-site meals increased girls’ and boys’ enrolment by 28% and 22% respectively. 57 million children are out of primary school in 2015. Half of countries reached universal primary enrolment 100 million children will not complete primary school in 2015. Big gaps in attainment between the poorer and the richer households The proportion of out-of- school children in conflict-affected countries increased from 30% to 36% from 1999 to 2012. 13

14. Goal 3: Youth and adult skills AchievementsReasons for successChallenges There are 42 million more adolescents in lower secondary education since 2000 -Abolishing school fees in 94 countries -Changes in the legal frameworks to assure basic education. -Ratifying the ILO Minimum Age Convention to enforce labour protection for working children -Suspending exams at the end of primary school as in the case of Pakistan Only half of countries achieved universal lower secondary education by 2015 63 million adolescents are still out of school Only 1 in 3 adolescents finish lower secondary school in low income countries... …compared to 5 of 6 adolescents in upper middle income countries 14

15. Goal 4: Adult literacy AchievementsReasons for successChallenges This goal registered the lowest achievements of all goals -International or national surveys that directly assess literacy skills, identify crucial policy challenges. E.g. Kenya’s 2006 assessment -Mother tongue literacy programmes: Mexico developed learning materials in 45 languages -Well planned and resourced literacy campaigns: Nepal invested $35 million in a national campaign -Relevant literacy programmes linked to community needs Worldwide the adult illiteracy rate will have fallen by only 23% by 2015, far short of the 50% target. Only a quarter of countries reduced their adult illiteracy rates by 50%; 781 million adults with minimal literacy skills, of which two-thirds are still women. Half of all Sub-Saharan African women lack minimum literacy skills 15

16. Goal 5: Gender parity and equality AchievementsReasons for successChallenges There have been substantial reductions in gender disparities since 1999, but they have not been eliminated. -Creating an enabling environment through policy reform e.G. Burkina faso and ethiopia integrated a gender perspective into national education plans -Community mobilisation and advocacy campaigns, as was seen in tajikistan, uganda and zambia -Improving facilities including water and sanitation -Addressing gender equality in the classroom e.g. increase female teachers, safe schools, gender sensitive training Defining and measuring gender equality remains contested, which undermines effective monitoring Girls remain less likely than boys to ever enter school, especially girls from poor families. Only a third of countries did not reach gender parity in primary education; a half did not in secondary education In wealthier middle and high-income countries, boys are at higher risk of failing to complete a cycle of secondary education. 16

17. Goal 6: Quality Education AchievementsReasons for successChallenges Shift of focus from inputs to learning -Utilising Learning assessments: Since 2000, 142 countries are now monitoring learning outcomes (from 70 countries in 2000) in order to improve education quality. -Filling the trained teacher gap e.g. of Nepal -Shifting towards a multi- lingual language policy -Increasing instructional time: Time devoted to learning does enhance students’ exposure to knowledge. While many countries have made impressive gains in access to education, ensuring good quality education has been much more of a challenge Some countries such as Ghana, Kenya, and Mexico - have increased access and learning at the same time 250 million unable to do basics: read, write, count, even after 4 years of schooling Learning outcomes are lowest in low income countries e.g. in East Africa, less than a third of children in class three possess appropriate literacy and numeracy skills 17

18. Uwezo Uganda Fact 1 (2013) : One out of 10 Children Assessed in Primary 3, and 7 out of 10 Assessed in Primary 7 were Able to Read and Comprehend a Primary 2 Level Story and Correctly Solve Primary 2 Level Division Tasks 18

19. This is how most 3rd-grade kids in Uganda read, at best This is how most 3rd-grade kids in rich countries (OECD) read What it feels like to be a non- reader…

20. What next? Agenda 2030 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have been agreed internationally (2016-2030) encompass, for education, the same ideals that inspired the MDGs and EFA goals. SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all = 7 targets (see notes) 20

21. What needs to be done differently Focus on access + learning Invest in the first 5 years of the child Early grade assessment and learning Strive for a more balanced approach to educational development The fundamental responsibility for successfully implementing this agenda lies with governments. Donors to honour their development commitments 21

22. Aid to education fell by US$1.3 billion between 2010 and 2012 International Aid: Donors did not keep their promise 6.5 8.6 8.9 9.8 10.9 12.0 11.8 13.9 13.0 12.6 2.6 4.2 4.0 4.5 4.9 5.1 4.8 5.4 5.5 5.1 5.2 Total aid to post-secondary education 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.6 1.9 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.3 Total aid to secondary education 2.9 3.2 3.5 4.1 4.4 5.0 5.1 6.0 5.7 5.1 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 20022003200420052006200720082009201020112012 Constant 2012US$ billions Total aid to basic education Source: OECD-DAC, 2014 Only 2% of aid to basic education went to pre-primary education

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