Education is a human right.
We have a goal: all children learning.

Help us share this video.

Investing in education
can change a young person’s life.

But 263 million children worldwide lack access to education. These numbers continue to grow. Even if a child is in school, there is no guarantee they are learning. And for children in the world’s poorest countries, or in areas of conflict, the story is often worse. Where an education is absent, so too are opportunities and hope.

If we fail to act, by 2030,
half a generation of young people
will not be learning.

This situation can be reversed.
We propose four transformations.

Performance

Performance

Reform education systems to deliver results

lt-green-strip-bg

Our Recommendations

The primary measure of educational performance should be whether children are learning.

Too many reforms have failed because of weaknesses in decision-making, capacity and accountability.

We recommend setting and monitoring clear standards, investing in proven approaches and cutting waste.

What EC has done

What is being done

Country-led Breakthroughs

We started the Pioneer Country Initiative to help national governments accelerate successful education reforms and to inspire other countries to increase investments in quality education. Our Initiative offers a new way to secure positive results for children and young people. To date:

  • Heads of state, government and ministers from more than 20 African, Latin American and Southeast Asian countries endorsed the Learning Generation findings and are working to implement its recommendations.
  • In May 2017, leaders from 12 African countries attended the Learning Generation Workshop in Nairobi and were introduced to the “delivery approach”— a planning and implementation methodology designed to achieve better and faster education results.
  • Four countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, Tunisia, and Uganda – are taking the lead and ready to implement change.

This work complements the existing efforts of partner organizations supporting education reforms.

What EC has done

Country Spotlight: Chile

In 1988, Chile established the Sistema Nacional de Medición de la Calidad de la Educación (National System for Measuring the Quality of Education, or SIMCE) which informs policy, provides support to educators, and hold schools accountable. The program compares schools serving students of similar backgrounds and, in 1996, began to identify “outstanding schools” which became eligible for financial awards, an annual bonus for teachers, and public identification as a high-performing school.

The results were published through the press, parent-teacher associations, and banners posted on winning schools. Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores have singled out Chile as the country that most improved in reading results between 2000 and 2009. Since then, SIMCE data has also helped inform effective and stable educational policy.

Innovation

Finance

Increase and improve education financing

finance

Our Recommendations

More and better financing for education is needed to make sure that all children benefit from free quality education from pre-primary to secondary levels.

We recommend that all countries invest 5.8% of GDP in education; more international aid; and the establishment of an International Finance Facility for Education to secure additional funds.

We also recommend donor countries fully fund the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait fund.

What EC has done

What is being done?

Learning Generation Compact
We call for a compact between countries and international supporters. Countries would increase education spending and better use existing funds. The international community would provide financial or other aid to countries that commit to delivering results for young people.

The International Finance Facility for Education is a new initiative that, by 2020, would unlock $10 billion annually in education funding. These funds would support countries committed to delivering results for young people.


  • We are designing the Facility in consultation with development banks, civil society, and prospective donor and partner countries.
  • More than 30 international organizations and 145,000 individuals worldwide have already endorsed the creation of the Facility.
  • The 2017 G20 Leaders Declaration acknowledged the recommendation to establish the Facility and committed to advancing this proposal.
What EC has done

Country Spotlight: Syria

Roughly 1 million Syrian refugee children are out of school. Most of those who are in school will drop out before starting their secondary education. In the space of a single primary-school generation, Syria has suffered what may be the greatest education reversal in history. Aid dollars – whether for Syria or other countries impacted by conflict and emergencies – are hard to come by, and only a fraction of pledged funds are ever delivered.

The Education Cannot Wait fund presents a significant opportunity to leverage new public and private financing for education in emergencies, ensuring multi-year financing.

Innovation

Innovation

Invest in solutions that ensure learning

lt-green-strip-bg

Our Recommendations

Faced with escalating demands and constrained resources, education must transform if it is to prepare young people for life in 2050 and beyond.

By investing in new solutions, education systems can prepare young people for the jobs of tomorrow.

We recommend strengthening and diversifying the education workforce, harnessing technology for learning, and building partnerships between civil society and nonstate actors.

What EC has done

What is being done?

New Solutions
Our Education Workforce Initiative helps to expand the size and effectiveness of the world’s educator labor market. This working group:

  • Brings educators, policymakers and researchers together to develop proposals for the redesign of professional roles within education.
  • Reinforces existing educators’ motivation and strengthens leadership at school and district levels.

We also promote technological advances that can help break down learning barriers and guarantee education for the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach children. We work with governments and partners to increase Internet connectivity and equip classrooms for the future. One such effort is with the Global Digital Library, funded by the Norwegian government as part of the Global Book Alliance.

What EC has done

Country Spotlight: Singapore

Singapore supports educators through mentoring programs that connect new teachers with experienced teachers and school leaders. A tailored development plan is generated for each teacher and they participate in at least 100 hours of professional development annually. After three years of teaching, educators are assessed to see whether they have the potential for three different career paths: a teaching track, a leadership track, and a senior specialist track. This has the added benefit of addressing the need for teacher workforce diversification.

Inclusion

Inclusion

Focus on youth at risk of not learning
Inclusions

Our Recommendations

Education must support those at greatest risk of not learning – children facing discrimination, disadvantages, or conflict situations.

We recommend prioritizing children living in poverty and investing in the early years of learning. We also propose tackling the issues that prevent marginalized communities from learning including poor health, child marriage and child labor.

What EC has done

What is being done?

Progressive Universalism
Our Pioneer Country Initiative encourages participating countries to adopt the principle of "Progressive Universalism," which means prioritizing those children most at risk of being excluded from receiving quality education. This is necessary to ensure all children are included.

At-risk youth
National and international organizations are focusing their energies toward the most at-risk children, such as those under the age of five, girls and refugees.


  • Theirworld's #5for5 campaign champions early childhood education, calling for the Commission recommendation of two years of free pre-primary education for everyone.
  • ONE Campaign's Poverty is Sexist report calls for increased financing and domestic reforms to improve quality education as girls' opportunities are disproportionately affected by poverty.
  • UNICEF's A Child Is A Child report calls on world leaders to ensure education is provided to refugee children.
What EC has done

Country Spotlight: Brazil

Participation in quality pre-primary programs increases the likelihood of primary school attendance and lowers the risk for grade repetition or dropping out. In Brazil, low-income girls who participated in community preschool programs were two times more likely to reach fifth grade and three times more likely to reach eighth grade than their peers who did not attend preschool. Good quality preschools also lead to better primary school outcomes, particularly for poor and disadvantaged students.

This situation can be reversed.
We propose four transformations.

Performance
Ensure that education is tied to real learning

 

Our Recommendations

The primary measure of educational performance should be whether children are learning.

Too many reforms have failed because of weaknesses in decision-making, capacity and accountability.

We recommend setting and monitoring clear standards, investing in proven approaches and cutting waste.

 

 

What is being done

Country-led Breakthroughs

We started the Pioneer Country Initiative to help national governments accelerate successful education reforms and to inspire other countries to increase investments in quality education. Our Initiative offers a new way to secure positive results for children and young people. To date:

  • Heads of state, government and ministers from more than 20 African, Latin American and Southeast Asian countries endorsed the Learning Generation findings and are working to implement its recommendations.
  • In May 2017, leaders from 12 African countries attended the Learning Generation Workshop in Nairobi and were introduced to the “delivery approach”— a planning and implementation methodology designed to achieve better and faster education results.
  • Four countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, Tunisia, and Uganda – are taking the lead and ready to implement change.

This work complements the existing efforts of partner organizations supporting education reforms.

 

 

Country Spotlight: Chile

In 1988, Chile established the Sistema Nacional de Medición de la Calidad de la Educación (National System for Measuring the Quality of Education, or SIMCE) which informs policy, provides support to educators, and hold schools accountable. The program compares schools serving students of similar backgrounds and, in 1996, began to identify “outstanding schools” which became eligible for financial awards, an annual bonus for teachers, and public identification as a high-performing school.

The results were published through the press, parent-teacher associations, and banners posted on winning schools. Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores have singled out Chile as the country that most improved in reading results between 2000 and 2009. Since then, SIMCE data has also helped inform effective and stable educational policy.

 

Innovation
Invest in solutions that ensure learning

 

Our Recommendations

Faced with escalating demands and constrained resources, education must transform if it is to prepare young people for life in 2050 and beyond.

By investing in new solutions, education systems can prepare young people for the jobs of tomorrow.

We recommend strengthening and diversifying the education workforce, harnessing technology for learning, and building partnerships between civil society and nonstate actors.

 

 

What is being done

New Solutions
Our Education Workforce Initiative helps to expand the size and effectiveness of the world’s educator labor market. This working group:

  • Brings educators, policymakers and researchers together to develop proposals for the redesign of professional roles within education.
  • Reinforces existing educators’ motivation and strengthens leadership at school and district levels.

We also promote technological advances that can help break down learning barriers and guarantee education for the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach children. We work with governments and partners to increase Internet connectivity and equip classrooms for the future. One such effort is with the Global Digital Library, funded by the Norwegian government as part of the Global Book Alliance.

 

 

Country Spotlight: Singapore

Singapore supports educators through mentoring programs that connect new teachers with experienced teachers and school leaders. A tailored development plan is generated for each teacher and they participate in at least 100 hours of professional development annually. After three years of teaching, educators are assessed to see whether they have the potential for three different career paths: a teaching track, a leadership track, and a senior specialist track. This has the added benefit of addressing the need for teacher workforce diversification.

 

Inclusion
Focus on youth at risk of not learning

 

Our Recommendations

Education must support those at greatest risk of not learning – children facing discrimination, disadvantages, or conflict situations.

We recommend prioritizing children living in poverty and investing in the early years of learning. We also propose tackling the issues that prevent marginalized communities from learning including poor health, child marriage and child labor.

 

 

What is being done

Progressive Universalism
Our Pioneer Country Initiative encourages participating countries to adopt the principle of “Progressive Universalism,” which means prioritizing those children most at risk of being excluded from receiving quality education. This is necessary to ensure all children are included.

At-risk youth
National and international organizations are focusing their energies toward the most at-risk children, such as those under the age of five, girls and refugees.

  • Theirworld’s #5for5 campaign champions early childhood education, calling for the Commission recommendation of two years of free pre-primary education for everyone.
  • ONE Campaign’s Poverty is Sexist report calls for increased financing and domestic reforms to improve quality education as girls’ opportunities are disproportionately affected by poverty.
  • UNICEF’s A Child Is A Child report calls on world leaders to ensure education is provided to refugee children.

 

 

Country Spotlight: Brazil

Participation in quality pre-primary programs increases the likelihood of primary school attendance and lowers the risk for grade repetition or dropping out. In Brazil, low-income girls who participated in community preschool programs were two times more likely to reach fifth grade and three times more likely to reach eighth grade than their peers who did not attend preschool. Good quality preschools also lead to better primary school outcomes, particularly for poor and disadvantaged students.

 

Finance
Increase and improve education financing

 

Our Recommendations

More and better financing for education is needed to make sure that all children benefit from free quality education from pre-primary to secondary levels.

We recommend that all countries invest 5.8% of GDP in education; more international aid; and the establishment of an International Finance Facility for Education to secure additional funds.

We also recommend donor countries fully fund the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait fund.

 

 

What is being done

Learning Generation Compact
We call for a compact between countries and international supporters. Countries would increase education spending and better use existing funds. The international community would provide financial or other aid to countries that commit to delivering results for young people.


The International Finance Facility for Education
is a new initiative that, by 2020, would unlock $10 billion annually in education funding. These funds would support countries committed to delivering results for young people.

  • We are designing the Facility in consultation with development banks, civil society, and prospective donor and partner countries.
  • More than 30 international organizations and 145,000 individuals worldwide have already endorsed the creation of the Facility.
  • The 2017 G20 Leaders Declaration acknowledged the recommendation to establish the Facility and committed to advancing this proposal.

 

 

Country Spotlight: Syria

Roughly 1 million Syrian refugee children are out of school. Most of those who are in school will drop out before starting their secondary education. In the space of a single primary-school generation, Syria has suffered what may be the greatest education reversal in history. Aid dollars – whether for Syria or other countries impacted by conflict and emergencies – are hard to come by, and only a fraction of pledged funds are ever delivered.

The Education Cannot Wait fund presents a significant opportunity to leverage new public and private financing for education in emergencies, ensuring multi-year financing.

 

The Education Commission has a plan to create the Learning Generation.

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