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.
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 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.
À la lumière des normes relatives aux droits de l'Homme concernant le droit à l'éducation et de l'objectif de développement durable (ODD) 4, les organisations de la société civile signataires cidessous expriment de sérieuses inquiétudes quant aux implications potentielles de l’étude récemment publiée "Can Education be Standardized ? Evidence from Kenya" (L'Éducation peutelle être standardisée ? Données du Kenya). Nous exhortons les gouvernements et les autres parties prenantes à reconnaître les limites de cette étude, que certains chercheront à utiliser pour justifier l'expansion de l'offre éducative privée à but lucratif et des méthodes d'enseignement scénarisées1 . Il existe des approches bien établies pour relever les défis auxquels sont confrontés certains systèmes éducatifs et nous exhortons toutes les parties prenantes à se concentrer sur les stratégies et les politiques éducatives qui ont fait leurs preuves en matière d'éducation inclusive, équitable et de bonne qualité, et qui contribuent à renforcer l'éducation publique pour toutes et tous.
In the light of human rights standards on the right to education and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, the signatory civil society organisations below raise serious concerns about the potential implications of the recently released working paper “Can Education be Standardized? Evidence from Kenya". We urge governments and other actors to recognise the limitations of this study, which some will seek to use to justify the expansion of for-profit private provision of education and scripted teaching methods. There are well established approaches to address the challenges faced by some education systems and we urge all actors to focus on education strategies and policies that have been proven to deliver inclusive, equitable and good quality education, and that contribute to strengthening public education for all.
Synthèse commissionnée par l’Initiative pour le droit à l’éducation (RTE) dans le cadre de la préparation du rapport L’enseignement supérieur en France : un droit menacé face aux inégalités croissantes ? soumis à la conférence mondiale de l’UNESCO sur l’enseignement supérieur en mai 2022.
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.
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.
في عالم يواجه التَّمزق الاجتماعي، والتفاوت البيئي والمناخي؛ نحتاج إلى التعليم الرسمي ذي الجودة والتحول والشمول الآن أكثر من أي وقت مضى. بينما تكافح أنظمتنا السياسية لتعزيز الديمقراطية، وإرساء قيم المواطنة، ومكافحة التمييز، مما يمكن التعليم الرسمي المجاني من خلق جمهور مستنير متمكن وقادرٍ على التعامل مع هذه التحديات العالمية.
الجمهور يدعم التعليم الرسمي، و التعليم الرسمي يعمل.
إن التعليم الرسمي المجاني والجودة والشامل هو حق إنساني يدعمه الجمهور ويطالب بإنفاذه. على مدى العقود الأخيرة، قام المجتمع العالمي بجهد غير مسبوق لتوفير التعليم الرسمي لملياري تلميذ في العالم، وإنشاء أنظمة تعليمية واسعة النطاق وقابلة للتكيف للتعليم والتعلم. كما أن الدولة هي الجهة الملتزمة بتقديم وإنفاذ التعليم الرسمي، الذي يحقق التعليم للجميع دون تمييز، ويتطلب ذلك من الدول تحقيق وتوسيع دورها المركزي لتفعيل هذا الالتزام.
In a world facing social fragmentation, harmful inequities, and environmental deterioration, we need quality, transformative, inclusive public education now more than ever. As our political systems struggle to resist autocracy and to foster democracy, free public education can help create a well-informed public with the capacity to address these global challenges.
The public supports public education, and public education works.
Please sign the statement as an organisation or as an individual and join us in the process of advocating for States to realise the full potential of public education. Our future depends on it!