Despite Accumulated Progress, Education Faces Challenges due to Disparities

This was one of the reflections arrived upon at a meeting following the presentation of the UNESCO report, “Education for Everyone: 2000-2015. Achievements and Challenges,” held at Funglode, with Miguel Llivina, a UNESCO official, and Virginia Wall, Funglode’s representative to ECOSOC.

Although there has been significant progress in education since 2000, only one-fourth of the world’s countries have reduced their
adult illiteracy rates by 50%, while 100 million children worldwide will not finish primary school in 2015.

Miguel Llivina, an official from the Education Program of the Regional Cultural Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural (UNESCO) organization, discussed this at a seminar on “Education: Achievements 2000-2015 and Challenges Facing the Post 2015 Agenda.”

Virginia
Wall, Funglode’s representative before the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for negotiations of the Post 2015 Agenda, outlined the goals they wished to achieve with these agreements, in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). She stressed that this year is crucial in the quest to achieve those goals.

The Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) and its sister organization in the United States, Global Foundation for
Democracy and Development (GFDD), organized the discussion along with the Dominican National Commission for UNESCO (CNDU in Spanish), in coordination with the UNESCO Office in Havana and the UNESCO Chair in Social Sciences, Public Policy and Democratic Governability of the Global Institute for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (IGLOBAL).

President of Funglode and former Dominican President, Leonel Fernández, attended the meeting and took part in the exchange of ideas
that followed the presentations. Along with the President was Minister of Science and Technology Education, Ligia Amada Melo; former Minister of Education, Josefina Pimentel; Funglode Vice President, Natasha Despotovic as well as dozens of teachers, professors, regional board members and school principals from around the country.

Addressing concerns raised by the audience after the presentations, President Fernández explained that when talking about evaluating teachers,
one must take into account that there is no single measurement parameter for all countries.

He also reaffirmed his vision of refocusing on the issue of investment in education with regard to the teaching system.

Mr. Llivina alluded to this same issue, adding that recommendations from UNESCO’s report emphasized the need to invest in quality education. “It is necessary for governments to make adequate investments in order to provide
good quality education. Priority should be given to those policies that result in improving professionalism and the motivation of teachers.”

Marco Herrera, Executive Director of Funglode, gave the welcoming speech. He stressed Funglode’s interest in addressing the issue of education from multiple perspectives, which, he said, are necessary to form relevant reflections and make important decisions.

Among other goals, Ms. Wall said
that by 2030, all children should be attending and finishing primary and secondary schools and that they should be free of charge, equitable and high quality. She added that schools must provide early educational development programs so that young students are properly prepared when they begin primary school.

Another objective being sought is to ensure equal access for all women and men into the areas of technical, vocational and higher education, including acceptance
into affordable and good quality universities.

Link:
“Educación: logros 2000-2015 y desafíos de cara a la elaboración de la Agenda Post 2015”