Positioning education in the sustainable development agenda

Assessing the reciprocal links between education and the other sustainable development goals Sustainable development is now commonly defined in terms of four interlinked, reinforcing dimensions: inclusive economic... [ view full abstract ]

Assessing the reciprocal links between education and the other sustainable development goals

Sustainable development is now commonly defined in terms of four interlinked, reinforcing dimensions: inclusive economic development, inclusive social development, environmental sustainability and good governance. Education can have a major impact on all aspects of sustainable development. However, education interventions and improved outcomes cannot be expected to work in isolation since education policies are embedded in the existing socioeconomic and political realities that affects the efficacy of these interventions.

The 2016 Global Education Monitoring Report will assess the links between education and other development sectors, as represented by the other 16 Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the Opening Working Group at the UN. This presentation will discuss the conceptual framework, methodology and the initial evidence accumulated on a few sectors (water and sanitation, infrastructure and energy, gender, environmental sustainability) utilizing this framework and methodology for the Report.

In the Report, education is conceptualized as influencing decision-making for sustainability, and ensuring that people are informed and aware of the risks they face and what positive strategies are relevant and feasible in their communities. Education is thought of fairly broadly as the array of learning opportunities throughout life – from early childhood to adulthood, in both formal and non-formal settings.

The Report will examine the links between education and the other development goals using literature-driven theoretical arguments and research evidence, in-depth case studies, and an understanding of sector-specific perspectives on education’s role in helping achieving the sector’s goals.

Financing for education in the post-2015 development agenda The 2016 GMR report will consider the interrelationships in financing the sustainable development agenda across sectors and continue to assess whether education is... [ view full abstract ]

Financing for education in the post-2015 development agenda

The 2016 GMR report will consider the interrelationships in financing the sustainable development agenda across sectors and continue to assess whether education is receiving its fair share of resources.

The Report will determine the extent to which national governments and donors are taking a multi-dimensional approach to funding education and the broader SDG agenda within their development strategies. It will investigate (a) the extent to which investments in sectors other than education can help increase the efficiency of spending in education, (b) the extent to which within-education funding allocation is currently supporting and promoting a sustainable development agenda and (c) an assessment of the risk of duplication and gaps in resource allocation decisions across sectors. The Report will consider these questions from both the country and global perspective through a series of country case studies and analysis of international aid donors.

In addition, there will be an exploratory analysis of multi-sectoral aid and its direct (or indirect) contribution to the education targets, together with a more holistic mapping of donor strategies in relation to the SDGs and education. Furthermore, the Report will address the contribution of other funders, most notably the private sector, in basic schooling and other elements of the lifelong learning spectrum (technical and vocational education, higher education, and non-formal education).

The year 2015 marks the end of one era’s aspirations for global education, driven by the Education For All and Millennium Development Goals agendas, and the dawn of a new one in which education is positioned more integrally... [ view full abstract ]

The year 2015 marks the end of one era’s aspirations for global education, driven by the Education For All and Millennium Development Goals agendas, and the dawn of a new one in which education is positioned more integrally in the broad sustainable development agenda. This symposium presents preliminary conceptualizations and analyses by the Global Education Monitoring Report team concerning education’s linkages with other sectors and on financing education for the new development agenda.

The first presentation, Assessing the reciprocal links between education and the other sustainable development goals, provides alternative conceptual frames, methodology, and initial evidence to discuss how education is anchored in and affected by the sustainability agenda, and a discussion of how best to understand education’s potential role in improving development processes and outcomes with reference case studies of particular sectors.

The second presentation, Financing for education in the post-2015 development agenda, addresses arguments for increasing investment in education given its importance in alleviating poverty and other development outcomes and key financing implications, both at the country-level and in relation to donor plans to implement multisectoral strategies. It focuses on the roles of the different actors (domestic, donor, private and other) for different types of education financing in the context of life-long learning.

After each presentation, a key discussant will provide a critical analysis of the approaches and evidence to help further the work of the Report.