UNESCO launched its 2014 Education For All Report

Yesterday (29th January 2014), UNESCO launched its 2014 Education For All (EFA) monitoring report on Teaching and Learning for Development. The EFA report is an essential tool to track best practice in education and identify where progress still need to be made.

The European Youth Forum welcomes the publication of the new EFA report. We have been cooperating closely with UNESCO on many topics and also consider education to be an essential development priority.

164 countries committed themselves to the objectives of the 2000 Dakar World Education Forum. In order to achieve these goals, we firmly believe that educational systems should be inclusive, norm-critical, non-discriminatory, culturally sensitive and framed in a rights-based approach. A greater focus should be given to learning outcomes and much more attention should be given to equality.

Education should also be recognised as a life-long right enabling individuals to continuously develop key competences to become an active and informed members of a global society. As well as giving them the chance to live a fulfilled life, whilst unleashing their full potential.

But right to access to education also encompasses other forms of learning opportunities, like non-formal education in the context of youth organisations. More importance should be given to alternatives to formal education for young people such as training schemes, apprenticeships, recognition of volunteering experiences and other non-academic qualifications.

Investing in quality education represents a long-term return for wider society, both in economic as well as social and cultural terms. Investing in quality education means investing in a productive and stimulated labour force, and in resourceful and pro-active citizens making informed choices about their lives. This in turn equates to investing in building democratic, peaceful and inclusive societies.

The European Youth Forum is therefore supporting the right to access to quality education for all.

Read more:

2014 Education For All (EFA) monitoring report on Teaching and Learning for Development from UNESCO: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002256/225660e.pdf

Document from UNESCO on the Dakar World Education Forum in 2000: http://www.unesco.org/education/wef/en-docs/depang.pdf)