Tsunami
waves have brought the worst in the
lives of thousands of people. Over
one hundred and fifty thousand people
dead and thousands of others whose
lives have been affected by this disaster.
The silver lining in this grim situation
is however, that a huge tide of sympathy
and help came forth from all corners
of the world. Since more tangible
cooperation efforts are being designed
in the form of long term rehabilitation
programmes for Tsunami victims, it
adds up to the value of development
cooperation in a new dimension. It
is also a sign that despite a strong
market driven materialistic culture,
the humane component is still a strong
element in our societies even today.
We can also hope for a better tomorrow
for children by empowering them through
education and learning. There are
several bottlenecks in achieving Education
For All goals which the international
community has pledged to, but one
cannot deny that while civil society
is getting vocal and stronger, governments
are being compelled to bring education
into the global political agenda and
above all the demand for Education
as a basic human right is emerging
fast from the masses which needs to
be catered to. The Global March Against
Child Labour and the Global Campaign
for Education have been long advocating
for the recognition of education as
a fundamental human right for all
people and that education be addressed
as one of the key features or components
of development.
This
was one of the issues I raised at
the Meeting of the High Level Task
Force on Global Mapping and Implementation
Plan of EFA, constituted by UNESCO
in Paris on the 24 th - 25 th of January.
Since education is largely perceived
as a sectoral issue, it remains one
of the many areas of focus for UNESCO
and other UN agencies as well as a
result of which it often doesn't get
the priority that it needs. Similarly,
education has remained a sectoral
issue within various government departments
as well. For instance, the ministries
of social welfare, labour and finance
work in a disjoint manner. Even the
education ministries and department
of education work in isolation. This
problem is also seen in civil society
at large. The result is that education
is often perceived in isolation and
a holistic solution to problems with
education as the binding force to
all is not sought.
|
"To
understand
and define
the spectrum
of education
holistically
as also
recognise
it as a
cross cutting
issue with
several
inter-linkages,
I suggested
UNESCO take
on a research
and come
up with
comprehensive
position
papers for
advocacy
and inter
– linkage
purposes.." |
|
|
|
 |
As
most you might be aware, the High
Level Group on Education For All had
been constituted in Dakar with the
objectives of mobilising political
will in favour of education, monitoring
progress of EFA Goals and providing
help in filling the financial gaps.
The group in it's current form is
structurally inappropriate to achieve
these aims. It is far too large and
diffused and consequently lacks clear
objectives for it's meetings. Communiqués
remain at the level of worthy rhetoric
and there is no monitoring from one
year to the next to check whether
promises made have actually been implemented.
The ineffectiveness of the HLG creates
a political vacuum that weakens the
momentum and profile of the EFA movement
outside of a narrow community of education
specialists.
To
understand and define the spectrum
of education holistically as also
recognise it as a cross cutting issue
with several inter-linkages, I suggested
UNESCO take on a research and come
up with comprehensive position papers
for advocacy and inter – linkage purposes.
These papers could be structured around
the following points
Investing
in Education for Sustainable Development
Sustainable development as a concept
is hard to define. Like many other
issues within development it can be
interpreted in many ways and needs
to be contextualised keeping the cultural,
social and economic environment of
a place in mind. But broadly a few
features it would incorporate would
be development for the present, but
not at the cost of the future and
certainly something that is planned
anticipating long term needs, economic
growth, conservation of natural resources,
adequate education and health facilities
for all, equitable access to food
and safe drinking water and peace
and stability across the world. Education
for sustainable development would
actually mean investing in systems
of education and curricula that support
and ensure all of the above. In December
2002, the UN General Assembly adopted
a resolution to put in place a UN
Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development, lasting from 2005 to
2014. UNESCO was tasked with leading
the Decade and developing a draft
International Implementation Scheme
(IIS). This is a wonderful opportunity
for us to ensure that education is
laid as the foundation for sustainable
development and a future in which
environmental, societal, and economic
considerations are balanced in the
pursuit of development and improved
quality of life.
Investing
in Education for Economic Growth and
Poverty Reduction
|
|
"It
is difficult
to talk
about poverty
reduction
without
talking
about economic
growth in
the same
breath.
Poverty
reduction
or eradication
for that
matter pre-supposes
economic
growth for
all, but
it is not
always vice-
versa. And
therein
lies the
challenge..." | |
|
|
|
It
is difficult to talk about poverty
reduction without talking about economic
growth in the same breath. Poverty
reduction or eradication for that
matter pre-supposes economic growth
for all, but it is not always vice-
versa. And therein lies the challenge.
To ensure that economic growth takes
place in an equitable manner within
a community or nation for it to be
effective in reducing poverty. I think
the role of education towards increasing
economic growth and thereby reducing
poverty is one that has been elucidated
for many centuries and something that
needs no further debate. No country
or society can achieve overall economic
growth without ensuring quality education
in the era of this knowledge based
economy. Distribution of the fruits
of globalization, if any, very much
depends on sharing of knowledge and
information which would be possible
only through the universalisation
of education. Some of the most powerful
evidence comes from East Asia, where
research by the World Bank found that
primary-school enrolment rates in
1960 were almost twice as important
as investment levels in explaining
the subsequent growth performances
of South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
In South Korea , the formula was simple,
to invest in schools and education
before investing in industry, manufacturing
and trade. The high levels of education
among the citizens they thus achieved,
meant that people were automatically
in a position to use more sophisticated
technologies and therefore able to
increase their individual earning
capacity and the country's economic
growth.
Investing
in Education for Social and Gender
Justice
A lot of talks are on around the issues
of social justice, both in economic
and political contexts in a number
of countries. Issues relating to dalits,
ethnic minorities, indigenous people,
adivasis and other socially excluded
communities are gaining significance.
Over a period of time is has been
observed that those people from the
above-mentioned groups and social
strata who were able to obtain good
quality mainstream education were
empowered in the process. They were
then able to raise the isues pertaining
to these groups and lead the process
of ensuring social justice, in the
process diluting the process of social
exclusion. India is a case in point
for this. Gender based discrimination
is also closely linked with education.
Out of the total number of out of
school children in the world, two-third
are girls. Losing out on education
gets translated into other disadvantages
later in their lives, such as lack
of access to information, economic
stability, proper health care, food,
water and sanitation. Educating girls
on the other hand has a far reaching
impact and results in improved maternal
and child health care, a more likely
next generation of learners and educated
children, good food habits, sanitation
and hygiene and increased life expectancy.
Not to mention the fact that it will
create a community of knowledge empowered
women, who are aware of their rights
and able to lead a productive life.
The State of Kerala in India is a
good example of how educating women
positively impacts a community. One
of the distinguishing features of
Kerala's development was the early
promotion of female literacy. When
compared with other states in India
, Kerala is found to have much higher
rates of life expectancy among children
and women, improved public health
services and a literacy rate of 86%
among women.
Investing
in Education towards the prevention
of HIV/ AIDS
HIV/ AIDS is undoubtedly the greatest
health threat that we, as a race,
face today. An analysis by GCE suggests
that if all children received a
complete primary education, the
economic impact of HIV/AIDS could
be greatly reduced and around 700,000
cases of HIV in young adults could
be prevented each year – 7 million
in a decade. What is a cause for
concern are the other threats that
HIV / AIDS poses to already impoverished
people and communities in terms
of the high cost implications, losing
out on means of livelihood etc.
While education cannot be cited
as the only solution to HIV/ AIDS,
it is most certainly one of the
key factors or tools that could
be used towards combating it, especially
in the case of women and girls.
Research has shown that educated
women are able to use the information
they receive on the subject to make
choices that are preventive in nature.
For instance, the proportion of
women who do not know that HIV infection
can be transmitted to children is
three times higher for uneducated
women than for educated women, while
the proportion believing that there
is no way of avoiding HIV/AIDS is
four times higher. Education among
young girls and boys or adolescents
also empowers them with information
that then translates into behavioral
changes among them, effectively
reducing their chances of contracting
the disease. There is therefore,
a clear need to use education as
an effective tool to put brakes
on this epidemic, which is spreading
like wildfire.
Investing
in Education for Peace and Stability
|
|
"An
analysis
by GCE suggests
that if
all children
received
a complete
primary
education,
the economic
impact of
HIV/AIDS
could be
greatly
reduced
and around
700,000
cases of
HIV in young
adults could
be prevented
each year
– 7 million
in a decade..." | |
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The
World today is full of conflict and
violence. A majority of countries
in the world allocate a large portion
of their annual budgets towards military
expenditure, which far exceeds their
annual expenditure on education, health
or any other fundamental right. Their
justification for doing so is the
need to keep their country secure,
it's borders secure from external
threat, or in some cases expend the
money in resolving internal conflict.
If this money was spent on educating
the people in the first place, my
belief is that there would be no need
to have such large sums spent on warfare
and warfare technology. Here again,
education can play a vital role. Educating
people for peace and stability is
a process that urgently needs to be
put in place in what is now nothing
more than a global village. Educating
people on ethnic and religious differences,
teaching them to appreciate and respect
cultural differences, understanding
the need for international co-operation
and solidarity, respect for human
rights and struggle against all forms
of discrimination are issues that
need to be included in Education systems
worldwide. Education also empowers
people to understand their rights,
and most importantly to think, and
therefore needs to be free of any
form of religious indoctrination.
When the state and society as a whole
fail to provide quality mainstream
education for all, it is the people
from poor communities who are vulnerable
to the influence of fundamentalists
who target them by appealing to their
religious sentiments. There are reports
from Madrasas in India and Pakistan
, that under the garb of providing
education, the children are in fact
subject to religious indoctrination
and later turn into extremists. This
holds true of other religions like
Hinduism and Sikhism as well. Quality
mainstream education, which inspires
a child to think, to judge between
what is right and wrong is a sure
shot way to combat terrorism. I have
been arguing for long that gone are
the days when problems relating to
conflict, violence and terrorism are
localised. There are many examples,
but if we take the example of 9/11,
it is clear that issues born in one
corner of the world don't take much
time to reach the rest of the world
and shake us out of our slumber. It
proved that no nation is safe from
terrorism and that problems and solutions
cannot be looked at in isolation without
keeping the global perspective in
mind. Peace, therefore, is no longer
Piecemeal. It is a global challenge
and must be addressed collectively
with education being one of the key
tools
Investing
in Education for Effective Democracy
and civic participation
Which leads us to the relationship
between education and democracy. Many
of the gains achieved from education
results from the fact that education
empowers people, enabling them to
exercise greater choice and to exert
more control over the events that
shape their lives. It is only an educated
and informed citizenry who will have
the right skills to make an appropriate
choice of their political leadership
and participate actively in an effective
democratic process. Constitutions
and laws set up a framework of operation
for a country, but what gives it it's
functionality is when the citizens
are aware of their so called ‘Rights'
and the laws and are therefore able
to use them for their benefit. And
that will only be possible, when people
are empowered with this knowledge
which can only come through education.
Investing
in Education for the protection of
Child Rights.
Finally
we come to the issue of Education
for child rights. This is an issue
that is very close to my heart, something
that I have personally struggled with
for over 25 years. Every child is
born with equal rights. The rights
of each human being are non-negotiable
and cannot be altered by economic
and social status of individuals.
Education or the right to quality
education is a fundamental right of
all people, and most certainly for
children. There cannot be any debate
about a government being too poor
to provide education, or to say that
some children, who cannot afford education,
can be excluded from their obtaining
their rights. Various parties including
the state, community and parents responsible
for ensuring child rights, if not
well informed and educated, can never
create a societal culture wherein
the rights of children are respected.
On the other hand, if free, meaningful,
child friendly and compulsory education
is not provided for, along with the
creation of adequate infrastructure
and resources, children can never
achieve not only their right ot education
but any of their other rights as well.
As far as educating children to ensure
that they have access to their other
rights of health care, a happy and
safe environment conducive to their
development, adequate nutrition etc,
I think the points I have made above
say it all. Suffice to say, that children
are our future, and education is the
foundation that helps them build their
future. Without it they will be lost.
In
conclusion I will say that I have
given only a sketchy framework on
the importance of seeing education
as a cross cutting issue and a pivotal
one at that. Many of my colleagues
in the Global March and the Global
Campaign on Education would probably
have a better and deeper understanding,
thinking and knowledge on the subject.
I think it would certainly be very
relevant and useful, if as readers
of this piece, you would like to add
to it any way and give your comments
on the subject. Do write back to us
at childhood@globalmarch.org
to share your views.
