The second edition of the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report) presents the latest evidence on global progress towards the education targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

With hundreds of millions of people still not going to school, and many not achieving minimum skills at school, it is clear education systems are off track to achieve global goals. The marginalised currently bear the most consequences but also stand to benefit the most if policy-makers pay sufficient attention to their needs. Faced with these challenges, along with tight budgets and increased emphasis on results-oriented value for money, countries are searching for solutions. Increased accountability often tops the list.

The 2017/8 GEM Report shows the entire array of approaches to accountability in education. It ranges from countries unused to the concept, where violations of the right to education go unchallenged, to countries where accountability has become an end in itself instead of a means to inclusive, equitable and high-quality education and lifelong learning for all.

The report emphasises that education is a shared responsibility. While governments have primary responsibility, all actors – schools, teachers, parents, students, international organizations, private sector providers, civil society and the media – have a role in improving education systems. The report emphasises the importance of transparency and availability of information but urges caution in how data are used. It makes the case for avoiding accountability systems with a disproportionate focus on narrowly defined results and punitive sanctions. In an era of multiple accountability tools, the report provides clear evidence on those that are working and those that are not.

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This report examines public-private partnerships in education, which are inextricably linked to rapidly expanding privatization. The Special Rapporteur highlights their implications for the right to education and for the principles of social justice and equity. Lastly, he offers a set of recommendations with a view to developing an effective regulatory framework, along with implementation strategies for public-private partnerships in education, in keeping with State obligations for the right to education, as laid down in international human rights conventions, and the need to safeguard education as a public good.

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Ce rapport examine les partenariats public-privé dans le domaine de l’éducation, indissociables de l’expansion rapide de la privatisation. Le Rapporteur Spécial souligne ainsi leurs incidences sur le droit à l’éducation et les principes de justice sociale et d’équité. Enfin, il propose une série de recommandations en vue d’élaborer un cadre réglementaire efficace, ainsi que des stratégies pour la mise en œuvre de partenariats public-privé dans le domaine de l’éducation, conformément aux obligations qui incombent aux États concernant le droit à l’éducation, énoncées dans les instruments internationaux relatifs aux droits de l’homme, et eu égard à la nécessité de protéger l’éducation en tant que bien public.

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En este informe, el Relator Especial examina las alianzas público-privadas relativas a la educación, que están ligadas indisolublemente al rápido avance de la privatización. Pone de relieve sus repercusiones en el derecho a la educación y los principios de justicia social y equidad. Por último, formula una serie de recomendaciones con miras a elaborar un marco normativo eficaz y unas estrategias de ejecución de las alianzas público-privadas en el ámbito de la educación, en cumplimiento de las obligaciones de los Estados relativas al derecho a la educación, conforme a lo establecido en las convenciones y convenios internacionales de derechos humanos, y la necesidad de salvaguardar la educación como un bien público.

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In recent decades, governments have made considerable efforts to provide education for all. However, a large gap remains between international commitments, such as the Sustainable Development Goal 4, and the actual achievement of inclusive and equitable quality education for all. As a result, certain actors often critique public education as ineffective and inefficient, and thus incapable of addressing this issue. They argue for privatisation as a solution, deeming private providers as more innovative and effective than public ones. However, shortcomings in public education often arise not from lack of capacity, but lack of political will.

This review of examples of public education in low- and middle-income countries shows that, in direct contrast to widely disseminated (and empirically unvalidated) ideas, public education can be highly effective, efficient and transformative and, crucially, it is possible to develop quality public education everywhere. 

En los países latinoamericanos, la necesidad de disponer de recursos adicionales para financiar los servicios sociales, la infraestructura y la inversión educativa ponen de manifiesto la urgencia de vincular fiscalidad y educación en las discusiones sobre las políticas públicas. Para incrementar la inversión social en educación es necesario que la comunidad educativa regional considere activamente la relevancia que la actual estructura tributaria y en específico el impacto que los flujos financieros ilícitos (FFI) tienen sobre el desfinanciamiento de la inversión social, ya que significan pérdidas cuantiosas en términos de ingresos tributarios no recaudados. 

Le présent rapport de la Rapporteuse spéciale sur le droit à l’éducation, Farida Shaheed, est soumis à l’occasion du vingt-cinquième anniversaire de la création du mandat relatif au droit à l’éducation. Dans son rapport, la Rapporteuse spéciale passe en revue les résultats obtenus dans le domaine du droit à l’éducation et expose la manière dont on conçoit ce droit et les obligations qui en découlent, ainsi que les questions contemporaines et nouvelles dont il convient de tenir compte pour garantir le droit à l’éducation pour tous, aujourd’hui et à l’avenir.

 

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Este informe de la Relatora Especial sobre el derecho a la educación, Farida Shaheed, se presenta con ocasión del 25º aniversario del establecimiento del mandato sobre el derecho a la educación. En su informe, la Relatora Especial examina los logros realizados en este ámbito, cómo se entiende el derecho a la educación y las obligaciones que conlleva, así como cuestiones tanto contemporáneas como emergentes que deben tenerse en cuenta para garantizar el derecho a la educación para todos, hoy y en el futuro.

 

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In her first report to the Human Rights Council, 25 years after the establishment of the mandate on the right to education, the Special Rapporteur reviews achievements, particularly on how the right to education is understood today and the obligations it entails, as well as contemporary and emerging issues that need to be considered to ensure the right to education for all, today and in the future.

A/HRC/53/27

 

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