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There is nothing new about brain drain, the main theme of thisissue of Education Today. Indeed, the Renaissance might neverhave happened without the westward movement of Greek artists
and intellectuals after the fall of Byzantium. Nor is the phenomenon limited todeveloping countries. Eastern Europe is currently experiencing the emigration ofits “best and brightest” towards the United Kingdom and Ireland, itself a countrywhich suffered from acute brain drain until the mid-1990s.
The flight of human capital, as it is also called, is a controversial issue in North-South debates. The fierce competition among Northern companies and universitiesfor top researchers, engineers, medical professionals and managers has been com-pared to football team transfers where the star player goes to the highest bidder.
Formerly, when people left in search of greener pastures, they stayed abroad.In today’s knowledge society, although the one-way ticket still reigns (especially tothe United States), globalization has made temporary workflows almost common-place.“Brain exchange” allows sending and receiving countries alike to benefit fromthe specialized experience of expatriate professionals – and not just from theirremittances, considerable as these may be. The role of overseas Indian techniciansin building ICT industries in Bangalore, India, is a textbook example.
I am sometimes asked what governments can do to build capacity and how UNESCOcan help them. The UNESCO initiative, Academics Across Borders, aims to strengthenuniversities in developing countries by building global partnerships. Since 1996,a UNESCO-supported “brain circulation” project has enabled expatriate Malian academics to return home to teach short courses. In a different vein, theUNESCO/Hewlett Packard digital hub in South-East Europe is working to foster anenvironment for academic excellence and entrepreneurship.
Launching digital diasporas, luring migrants back with incentives, creating the conditions for brain circulation or even reintegration… the strategies may vary butthe goal is the same: to keep more professionals at home while reaping the benefitsof expatriate elites. While reversing the brain drain may not always be possible oreven desirable, UNESCO’s mission is to help its Member States develop innovativeways to transform it into “brain gain” for all.
N0. 18October 2006 – January 2007
EDITO
INSIDE
Peter SmithAssistant Director-General for Education
EEDUC
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FOR ALL
BBRIEFS
LLEAR
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FFOCUS
A boost for global literacy p. 10
Scoring goals for street children p. 3
Can we gain from brain drain? p. 4
Education in Sudan:a new start p. 8
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
The Newsletterof UNESCO’s
Education Sector
The term “brain drain” has been used since the 1950s and is often associated with loss. But can brain drain be turned into“brain gain”? FOCUS, a four-page dossier, responds.
FROM BRAIN DRAIN TO BRAIN GAIN
Education TODAY No. 182
LEARNING WORLD
method develops self-confidence by permit-ting the youths to discover their aptitudes”says Dada. A UYDEL social worker agrees:“Rehabilitation of the youth cannot be com-plete until they have gone through voca-tional skills training.’’ Futhermore, the use ofartisans is a more cost-effective way of tar-geting young people for skills developmentthan formalized training institutions andapproaches.
Integration of HIV and AIDS preventionmessages in educating marginalized youth is another objective of UYDEL’s. Artisans arethus encouraged to raise awareness aboutHIV and AIDS among their young trainees.
“We are trained on how to talk to youth andhelp them change behaviours as we teachthem vocational skills” says Jane, a hair-dresser from Kawempe. “This has helped mepass on information about HIV and AIDS andother risks.”
Building bridgesAt the beginning of the project, the commu-nity’s perception was that these childrenwere lazy, rebellious, violent, prostitutes,lawbreakers and drug abusers. Continuousawareness-raising through dissemination of the survey findings changed perceptions.Community members are now more involvedin the UYDEL vocational placement pro-gramme.
The drop-in centre gives the youth a senseof having a place in society and helps themlearn how to make the right choices. Onebeneficiary of UYDEL, now a hairdresser atthe Shedric Salon, describes her transfor-mation: “I was helped by UYDEL staff when I was so poor that poverty could be seenfrom my face. But now I can smile. I amhappy because I am self-supporting anduseful to my family.”
Contact: [email protected]
S oon after he was orphaned at 10,William turned to a life of drugs,depending on them to see him
through the day. Living on the streets ofKampala, the capital of Uganda, he droppedout of school because, like many others, hecouldn’t afford the fees. Today, William isdrug-free and working as a mechanic in agarage in Wandegeya, a Kampala suburb.
The turning point in William’s life was thedrop-in center run by the Uganda YouthDevelopment Link (UYDEL). William foundadult guidance and skills training in the programme “Building Capacities for Non-Formal Education and Life Skills”, which isimplemented by UYDEL with financial andtechnical support from UNESCO.
The programme is designed to respond tothe psycho-social needs of vulnerable anddisadvantaged youth. It also provides non-formal education and a life skills programmeby placing these marginalized youth withlocal artisans for three months of practical
training. The Uganda Ministry of Gender,Labour and Social Development, along withMakerere University, participated by devel-oping tools, undertaking a baseline survey,monitoring and evaluating the project.
With a population of 24.5 million, 50 percent of Uganda’s population is under 15years old and 85 per cent of adolescents donot attend secondary school. “We wanted tocome up with new ways of bringing marketable skills and a livelihood to theseyouth,” says Mehboob Dada, who coordinatesUNESCO’s technical and financial support oftwo drop-in centres – one in rural Arua, theother in Kampala. Since 2004, 288 marginal-ized youth have been placed in viable pro-fessional situations and the majority arenow working.
Looking and learningThe centres’ training methods revolvearound three basic approaches: learning bydoing, learning by producing and learning byearning. The process starts when a young
person comes into thecentre or is referred bysocial workers. After thefirst visit, the social work-ers evaluate the adoles-cent’s needs and look inhis or her home area forskilled artisans in the fieldof work selected by theyoung person. Carpentry,hairdressing, mechanics,and tailoring are the mostpopular trades althoughothers such as cooking,welding and electronicsare also available.
Each youth receives anappropriate “Toolkit” forhis or her respectivetrade. William, for exam-ple, was provided withoveralls and screwdriverswhile others seeking tailoring skills receivedneedles, cloth and scissors.“The ‘looking and learning’
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Kampala youth “tune up” their new skills.
The future in a toolkitDrop-in centre brings new skills to marginalized street and slum youth in Uganda
write and to be trained professionally overtwo years.
During his visit to Guinea, Silvestre met upwith street children aged 13-15. These chil-dren left their villages and families andcame to the city in order to support them-selves and those they left behind. At nightthey sleep in the streets where they riskbeing mugged.
Children’s education is the most efficientway to fight poverty, Silvestre told themedia in Guinea. His decision to donatemoney was motivated by fatherhood. “Whenyou have children, you soon understand thateducation is the most important thing,” heremarks.
After listening to and evaluating the chil-dren’s needs, the search for partners canbegin. Local partnerships are crucial forproviding support, land, or shelter but theycannot afford the expense required bylearning centres. The big funds come follow-ing appeals to foundations and personali-
ties. The investment of Mikaël Silvestre inthe Guinea project is the result of such anappeal.
Airlines and private companies are alsoapproached for donations in kind: planetickets, sports gear and even small itemssuch as calculators and notebooks. This cre-ates a win-win situation: UNESCO gets freeequipment to distribute to children in needand companies give away products to a goodcause.
Mikaël Silvestre is now interested in fundinga new project in one of the world’s poorestcountries, Niger. With a sports star financ-ing a second project, a new goal could bescored for UNESCO’s Hope and Solidaritythrough Ball Games team.
Contact: [email protected]
Education TODAY No. 18 3
Footballers Paolo Cesar, ChristianKarembeu, Emmanuel Petit and MikaëlSilvestre, runner Marie-José Pérec,
tennis player Cédric Pioline and judo cham-pion David Douillet have all geared up toplay one of the most significant games oftheir lives – with street children. They areamong some 20 sports stars and celebritieswho have joined UNESCO’s programme Hopeand Solidarity Through Ball Games. This ini-tiative aims at using team sports to enablemarginalized children in developing coun-tries to learn some basic socialization rulesthat can allow them to find a path towardseducation and thus reintegrate society.
The programme gives homeless children achance to interact with famous people andto receive gifts such as footballs and t-shirts. Sports activities, especially foot-ball tournaments, are organized in order tofacilitate interaction between girls andboys, between schooled and out-of-schoolchildren and between children from differ-ent communities and neighborhoods. “Thisallows the children to rebound back intolife,” says UNESCO’s programme coordinatorMarie José Lallart.
An entry pointMore than 60 countries have benefited fromthe programme including Afghanistan,Burundi, Rwanda, Togo and Tunisia. Over fivemillion dollars’ worth of sports equipmenthas already been sent all over the worldsince 1993, giving approximately 24,000children a year the chance to play andsocialize. “This small step towards insertionconstitutes in some ways the entry point tocommunity life,” says Lallart. “The goal iseventual integration within the formalschool system or professional training.”
A new phase of the programme began inJuly 2006, just after the World Cup. Mikaël Silvestre flew to Kankan in Guinea to inau-gurate the first non-formal education cen-tre opened with the support of UNESCO andKosimankan, an association working withstreet children in the Baada neighbour-hood. He donated 50,000 euros to enable25 street children to learn how to read,
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Footballer Mikaël Silvestre with street children in Baada, Guinea.
Scoring goals for street childrenUNESCO mobilizes personalities and funds to help homeless children reintegrate society
4
FOCUS
Well-educated migrants worldwide are not only a source of revenue but potential key actors i
From brain drain t
Every year, tens of thousands of highlyspecialized professionals and aca-demics leave the developing worldfor what they believe to be a better
quality of life in countries of the North.
The majority – doctors, engineers, lecturers,researchers and senior managers as well asstudents – are tempted by more attractivecareer opportunities, salaries and livingconditions. A university degree is also thesafest passport out of an unstable politicalenvironment.
“A global phenomenon is emerging,” saysGeorge Haddad, Director of the Higher Education Division in UNESCO. “It’s driven bynew forms of transport, communication,business and the search for economic, edu-cational and scientific opportunity.”
Staggering numbersThe extent of this “flight of human capital”is staggering, according to the UN Eco-nomic Commission for Africa and the Inter-national Organization for Migration. Anestimated 27,000 skilled Africans left thecontinent for industrialized countriesbetween 1960 and 1975. During the period1975 to 1984, the figure rose to 40,000.Since 1990, at least 20,000 qualified peoplehave left Africa every year. As Alex Nunn ofLeeds Metropolitan University succinctlystates, that makes 20,000 fewer people inAfrica who can deliver public services andarticulate calls for greater democracy anddevelopment.
But brain drain is not restricted to theAfrican continent, nor to developing coun-tries in general. Skilled migration betweenwestern countries is also on the rise, charac-terized by temporary flows of undergradu-ate and postgraduate students, researchers,managers and specialists in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Keydestinations include the European Union,North America, Japan, Canada and Australia.
Education TODAY No. 18
Cover illustration of “La fuite des compétences en Afrique francophone”, UNESCO, Paris, 2004. © B. Ambry / UNESCO
Since 1990, at least 20,000 qualified people have left Africa every year.
nomic and social progress has also broughtrecognition that the circulation of skills andmanpower can be a positive force in accel-erating development”.
Seddoh points to “the immense benefitsthat can be gained from internationalmigration for individuals in both sendingand receiving countries, in terms of accu-mulated skills and experience as well asknowledge and technology transfer throughnetworks and contacts”.
This reflection is echoed by Mark Regets ofthe Institute for the Study of Labour inBonn, Germany, who believes that “many ofthe global gains from migration – the cre-ation and transfer of knowledge, the emer-
Education TODAY No. 18 5
Experts agree that something needs to bedone about the scarcity of key workers indeveloping countries. The question is what?
Many argue that those governments experi-encing a significant outflow of professionalworkers should introduce incentive meas-ures such as tax and welfare credits to limitthe extent of outward migration from Southto North. It has also been suggested thatreceiving countries should desist fromrecruiting in the most vulnerable sectors oflabour markets in the South.
On the other hand, limiting migration fromparticular regions or countries could domore harm than good, comments AshokParthasarathi, a former science advisor tothe Indian Prime Minister. “A ‘pro-develop-ment’ response to this situation must notinclude restrictions on migration [that] vio-late the fundamental values of humanrights and individual freedom,” he says.
A positive forceA paradigm shift is needed in the way braindrain is perceived and analysed, argue anincreasing number of development stake-holders, including scholars. The idea is tomove away from the negative concept ofbrain drain and start talking about “braincirculation”.
“Until the early 1990s, the term ‘brain drain’evoked the idea of a one-way, permanentmigration of skilled people from the devel-oping world to the North”, comments Fran-cisco Seddoh, former Director of the Divi-sion of Higher Education and Adviser to theDirector-General of UNESCO. “The term hadnegative connotations because it impliedthat vital human resources were beingdrained from those countries that needthem most.”
These days, he adds, “migration is no longera one-time only experience. Nor is it uni-directional. The influence of mobility on eco-
in their countries’ development. Perhaps it is time to stop seeing them as a loss of investment.
to brain gain
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The United States is still, however, themain pole of attraction, according to theOECD. Since the early 1990s, some 900,000highly skilled professionals – mainly ICTworkers from India, China and the RussianFederation – have migrated to the UnitedStates under its temporary H1B visa pro-gramme. This was created specially to allowthe recruitment of foreign professionals fora period up to six years. Higher education isan important source of highly skilledmigrants for recruiting firms; a quarter oftemporary visa holders were previouslyenrolled at U.S. universities.
Adding up the costs The costs of this economic migration interms of human development and publicwelfare are incalculable. Governments usescarce resources to subsidize the educationand specialized training of workers whothen take the potential economic and socialspin-offs with them when they depart. Inthe meantime, the same governmentsstruggle to fill posts in public welfare serv-ices and cope with skills shortages in keyeconomic sectors.
In Latin America, for example, enrolmentin medical schools is high, but countries inthe region still have a chronic shortage ofdoctors. In certain African countries,national medical associations have warnedthat the skills shortage threatens thevery existence of national health servicesas medical care and health facilitiesbecome available only to the wealthy.Countries such as Ghana and Nigeria standand watch as their doctors and nursesleave in large numbers to take up better-paying positions in Europe and NorthAmerica. In other spheres, developingcountries are also critically lacking inengineers who can design and overseeinfrastructure projects, as well asresearchers and scientists who can pio-neer advances in all areas of public welfareincluding health and education.
Did you know ?As of 2000, over 80 per cent ofgraduates from Haiti, Jamaica andGuyana were living abroad.
Close to 30 per cent of the labour force from Guyana, Grenada and Dominica is currently in the United States.
Africa lost 60,000 professionals (doctors, university lecturers, engineers)between 1985 and 1990. For every100 professionals sent overseas fortraining between 1982 and 1997,35 failed to return.
US$4 billion is spent annually on the salaries of approximately 100,000 Western expatriates in sub-Saharan Africa.
There are over eight million overseasFilipino workers worldwide, representing10 per cent of the total Philippinepopulation and over 22 percent of the country’s labour force.
Sources: United Nations, World Bank, PhilippineOverseas Employment Administration.
The inability to attract or keep qualifiedacademic staff is having a profoundly nega-tive impact on higher education systems inthe developing world. In some countries, notenough researchers and PhD holders can betempted to stay within academia just to fillteaching posts, never mind carrying out keyscientific research.
So what would it take for talented students,researchers and lecturers to stay? Much ofthe literature seems to indicate the needfor challenging academic and career oppor-tunities.
This is no easy feat for under-resourcedhigher education systems. But the mostentrepreneurial universities are looking athow their changing funding structures andservice mandate can be turned to theiradvantage. One solution is to directresearch to areas providing the highestprobability of academic excellence for staff,as well as full-time, waged employment forgraduates.
Brain circulationAt Makerere University in Uganda, for exam-ple, the Agriculture Department hasadapted its undergraduate courses to thelocal world of work. The university’s exten-sion services have, in turn, stimulateddomestic investment in university infra-structure and research and developmentcapacities.
In India, the success of university/industrypartnerships, twinning arrangements withinstitutes of technology in the UnitedStates, and technology/knowledge transferled by the Indian Diaspora in Silicon Valley,have achieved almost folklore status in thebuilding of India’s ICT industries in the Ban-galore region.
Universities are also drawing on the notionof “brain circulation” to create new learningarrangements that will keep or lure backtheir most prized lecturers and students.Existing undergraduate courses might becomplemented with short periods of spe-cialized and intensive study abroad. Mean-while, exchange programmes encourageacademic and research staff to return tem-porarily to their country of origin to give alecture series or provide technical advice toa development project.
John Sarpong, founder of Africast.com, animportant internet portal for Africans living overseas.
The Digital Diaspora Network is anotherexample. Launched in July 2002, this UN ini-tiative aims to generate a network ofexperts and entrepreneurs in computertechnology from the African diaspora inEurope and North America.
A headache for universitiesThe issue of brain drain is a major headachefor the world’s universities as they adjust toincreasingly mobile and competitive labourmarkets.
The premium placed on scientific expertiseand technological knowledge, at least inindustrialized countries, means that univer-sities must compete with industry and pri-vate research and development institutionsto attract qualified staff and scientists.
In addition, funding cuts in academic infra-structures, science and technology subjectsor teaching/learning materials and equip-ment drive a growing number of graduatesand researchers out of academia to take uplucrative posts in the private sector. Thistrend accelerates as university salaries fallbehind those of senior managers in privatecompanies.
gence of a skilled and educated workforceand the fostering of commercial ties – areshared to some extent by countries on bothsides of the equation”.
Partners in local development Many expatriates already contribute mas-sively to their national economies throughsending remittances to their families. Forexample, Ghanaians living abroad con-tribute about US$400 million annually tothe national economy, constituting Ghana’sfourth highest source of foreign exchange.
But many more would like to use theirexpertise, skills and capital to become realpartners in local and national development.This is true even if concerns about livingconditions and (in the worst cases) politicalinstability and human rights abuses meanthat they don’t necessarily want to returnto their homeland.
For this group, the possibility of “virtualparticipation” in nation-building is nowmade easier through interactive technologythat facilitates knowledge sharing as well asthe conversion of specialized expertise intoeconomic, social and cultural capital.
Diaspora networks offer “a major opportu-nity to transform the historical brain drain… into [the] new African ‘brain trust’,” notes
Education TODAY No. 186
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From brain drain to brain gain
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African Students:the most mobile in the worldThird-level students from sub-Saharan Africa are the most mobile in the world,with one out of every 16 studying abroad, according to a report from the UNESCOInstitute for Statistics (UIS).
“What this report shows is that the real dynamic in tertiary education is comingfrom African, Arab and Chinese students. They are the driving force behind theinternationalization of higher education,” says Hendrik van der Pol, UIS Director.
Between 1999 and 2004, the number of mobile students worldwide surged by 41 percent from 1.75 to 2.5 million. This does not mean that more students aretravelling, rather it reflects the rapid expansion of higher education itself, withtertiary enrolments also increasing by about 40 percent during the same period.
Six countries host 67 percent of the world’s mobile students: with 23 per centstudying in the United States, followed by the United Kingdom (12 per cent), Germany(11 per cent), France (10 per cent), Australia (7 per cent) and Japan (5 per cent).
Contact: [email protected]
One successful example of a programmetapping into the positive benefits of “braincirculation” is the Transfer of Knowledgethrough Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN) proj-ect at the University of Mali. A joint endeav-our of the national government, UNESCOand the United Nations Development Pro-gramme (UNDP), the project was initiated in1996 to encourage overseas-based Malianacademics, experts, professors andresearchers to undertake short-termteaching contracts.
Similarly, the UNESCO initiative AcademicsAcross Borders (AAB) is planning to facilitatea short-term volunteer service for retiredacademics and professors from developingcountries who are willing to assist teachersin selected universities in their countries of origin.
The UNESCO/Hewlett Packard project inSouth-East Europe is another innovativeprogramme aimed at stimulating the scien-
FOCUS
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Education TODAY No. 18 7
Public/Private Solutions in South-East EuropeIn the 1990s, conflict in South-East Europe resulted in great loss of life, but also of intellectual capacity.Many countries experienced emigration of up to 70 percent of their skilled professionals, while two out of threeteaching and research jobs were lost on some universitycampuses, devastating scientific research and highereducation capacities.
Young scientists in South-East Europe have now beengiven the possibility to link up with fellow-nationalsabroad through a powerful IT platform.
Launched in 2003, the joint UNESCO/Hewlett Packardinitiative Piloting Solutions for Alleviating Brain Drain in South East Europe hopes to turn brain drain into brain gain.
A total of seven universities in Albania, Bosnia andHerzegovina, Serbia, and the Federal Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia received state-of-the-art equipment fromHewlett Packard, enabling them to share computer powerand data storage capacity.
The project is using a cutting-edge informationtechnology called grid computing. “It has the potential
to convince local talented individuals that they no longerneed to look further afield in order to gain access to thelatest technology,” says John Saw, Marketing Directorand Philanthropy Manager of Hewlett PackardInternational Sales Europe.
Participating universities have succeeded in creatingteams of faculties, scientists and decision-makers acrossthe region, all working closely together. In the Universityof Belgrade, for example, several young engineersremained in the country to develop experiments usingthe grid computing technology. Project meetings havealso acted as a stimulus for overcoming boundaries atinter-regional level.
“Not only has the project strengthened scientific andeducational capacities at the national level, it has re-established dialogue among young researchers fromthe region after years of broken communication,” saysStamenka Uvalic-Trumbico, the UNESCO coordinator
A booklet on the project will shortly be available.
Contact: [email protected]
tific or entrepreneurial environment neces-sary for academic excellence. It offers aplatform for students thinking about emi-grating to stay in contact with leadingauthorities in their fields, principallythrough access to overseas libraries and co-operation with their fellow-nationalsabroad. “Such initiatives are a significantfactor in slowing down the flow of those whootherwise would leave for good”, saysUNESCO coordinator of the programme,Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic.
Is brain drain inevitable? The UN EconomicCommission for Africa and the InternationalOrganization for Migration warn that, in thefuture, it may become even tougher to keepskilled professionals in developing countries.With falling birth rates and aging popula-tions, demand for labour in Northern coun-tries is expected to grow. And in a globali-zing world which promotes the free move-ment of capital, it will be difficult to restrictthe free movement of skilled labour.
The challenge for policymakers is to findinnovative strategies to face these harshrealities. They can continue to use ICT tobuild capacity, especially in the universities.Most of all, governments should liberate thepotential of their diaspora communities andenable them to play a meaningful role intheir countries’ development.
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Education TODAY No. 188 Much more on
Rebuilding Sudan’s education system
After two decades of civil war, illiteracy rateshave dropped to below 50 per cent in NorthSudan and a dramatic 87 per cent in theSouth. The 2005 landmark peace agreementgives new hope. Now, the ambition of thePresident of the Government of SouthSudan, Salvarkiir Mayardit, is to halve illite-racy by 2010. “We have come out of one war,”the President recently said. “Only one warremains: the fight against illiteracy.”
Quoting the President’s remark, IbrahimaSidibe, Head of UNESCO’s new antennaoffice in Khartoum, sets out the enormouschallenges facing Sudan’s education sys-tems, in an interview with Education Today.
What is the role of education in rebuilding Sudan?Education was in fact one of the main causesof the war although it is also considered asone of the main solutions for peace and reconciliation. The education system wassimply not providing the fourth pillar of edu-cation which is learning to live together.Sudan was not recognized as a multiculturalsociety. It is crucial to ask ourselves whicheducation system should be put in place soSudanese citizens will recognize the multi-faceted aspects of Sudan and work to pro-vide a peaceful and progressive country.
What is the most importantchallenge, in your opinion?Building classrooms and infrastructure butespecially, reconstructing the system itself.The country needs to undertake reform ofcurricula, teacher training and manage-ment. It also needs to strengthen the roleand participation of local communities.
What is UNESCO’s role in the light of these reforms? We have to push the country to enter the21st century of education. This doesn’t onlymean knowing how to write and read butputting scientific and technological skills at
the heart of education. We need to build thecapacities of local governments in areassuch as education costing, financing, andplanning.
UNESCO is working to assist UNICEF with itsGo to School Program by putting in place themechanisms which will improve the pro-grammes so that children don’t only go toschool but stay there. UNESCO providestechnical services on reforming the curricu-lum content, improving learning methodsand teaching. By making learning contentmore relevant to the needs of children andparents, UNESCO’s participation canincrease the role and effectiveness of educa-tion so that more Sudanese children willcomplete the education cycle.
Finally, because Sudan is a post-conflictcountry, it has a lot of internally displacedpersons. Millions of returnees will also becoming from 7 or 8 different neighbouringcountries with different educational back-grounds and languages. UNESCO needs to
make sure that the new Sudanese educationsystem can absorb millions of additional peo-ple coming from diverse horizons.
What are the most urgent issues?First, everything in Sudan has to be taughtin light of the approach “one country, twosystems”. South Sudan urgently needs torebuild classrooms because all has beendestroyed. The north of the country alsorequires rebuilding but needs curriculumreform so as to include all Sudanese citizens.
For me the best test of Sudan’s success inpromoting diversity is when any Sudanesecitizen, whether he comes from the north,the south, the west or Darfur can sit in anyclassroom of the country and take from theeducational system the knowledge of learn-ing to be, to know, to do and to live together.
Contact: [email protected]
Interview with Ibrahima Sidibe, Head of UNESCO’s new antenna office in Khartoum
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Back to school in Sudan.
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Education TODAY No. 18 9www.unesco.org/education/efa
3Seventh meeting of the WorkingGroup on EFA
There is a US$ 7.6 billionshortfall in order fordeveloping countries,
particularly in Africa, to achieve key basic education goals.So UNESCO Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura toldparticipants at the G8 Summit in St Petersburg (RussianFederation), which took place from July 15 to 17, 2006.He also urged developing countries to do their utmost to mobilize domestic resources. Nevertheless, significantfunds are needed if these countries are to achieve the six Education for All goals by 2015. It is estimated that
external aid to basic education globally needs to reach $12 billion per year.
The G8 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the EFAagenda in the education document approved by the G8Summit – entitled “Education for Innovative Societies inthe 21st Century”. They welcomed “UNESCO’s efforts tofinalize a Global Action Plan to achieve the EFA goals andprovide a framework for coordinated and complementaryaction by multilateral aid agencies in support of country-level implementation.”
The abolition of school fees, the elimination ofchild labour, education in fragile states and theneed for gender-sensitive education to address the HIV and AIDS epidemic were on the agenda ofthe seventh meeting of the Working Group on EFA,held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 19 to21 July 2006.
The Director-General of UNESCO, KoïchiroMatsuura, called on the Working Group to draw on its “expertise, experience and resources toassist developing countries in overcoming these[obstacles] in a systematic and coherent manner”.
The Director-General also highlighted theimportance of improving education servicedelivery in fragile states. He asked the WorkingGroup not only to focus on the short-term issue ofthe restoration of services, but also to considerthe much longer-term and more complex questionof rebuilding institutions.
The Working Group will provide recommendationsconcerning the implementation of the GlobalAction Plan, particularly at country level. In 2007and 2008, UNESCO will coordinate a Review andStocktaking of the EFA Progress at national level,which aims to improve inputs into national policyformulation.
The sixth meeting of the High-Level Group on EFAwill be held from 14 to 16 November 2006 in Cairo,Egypt, following the launch in October of the EFAGlobal Monitoring Report 2007 on the theme ofEarly Childhood Care and Education.
Contact: [email protected]
Overcoming obstacles to EFA
What is the focus of the 2007 EFA Global Monitoring Report?
Our special focus this year is on earlychildhood care and education (ECCE)– thefirst of the six EFA goals. While efforts toachieve universal primary education havedominated national and international policyagendas, minimal attention is paid to whathappens in the first six to eight years of life.This is a serious mistake. Supportingchildren during these early years sets strongfoundations for all future learning. The caseis overwhelming, based both on rights andon reducing poverty.
How is ECCE important in thecontexts of social development,
gender equity and poverty reduction?We know that a child born in the developingworld has a four out of ten chance of livingin extreme poverty. About 10.5 millionchildren die each year before age five, mostfrom preventable diseases. Good qualityECCE programmes provide health, nutrition,hygiene, stimulation and social interactionthat supports the child’s development andlearning. They improve children’s chances ofdoing well in primary school. When youngchildren attend ECCE programmes, theirolder sisters or female relatives are relievedof care-giving responsibilities, often
a barrier to school attendance. ECCEprogrammes yield very high economicreturns, especially for children from poorfamilies. They are thus a powerfulcontributor to reducing poverty, theoverarching objective of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals.
What is the greatest challenge to EFA?Time is running out to meet even the
primary education goal by 2015. Acting withurgency is imperative. We need to ensurethat education really is for all. Right now it isnot. The comprehensive vision of the Dakaragenda is being lost. Most countries – andmost donor agencies – are paying minimalattention to improving adult literacy and toECCE. There is a wide gap between enrolmentand completion rates in primary school. Thenumber of out-of-school children remainsunacceptably high. Efforts need to beaccelerated and more focused. In too manycountries, fees and indirect costs remain amajor obstacle to poor children’s schooling.Public spending on basic education clearlyneeds to increase but so does internationalaid: levels have increased, but aid to low-income countries must at least double to reach the EFA goals.
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questions toNicholas BurnettDirector of the EFA Global Monitoring Report Team
EFA at the G8 Summit
Education TODAY No. 1810
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Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland,Georgia, Germany, Iran, Kazakhstan, Latvia,Lithuania, Poland Romania, RussianFederation, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine. Alsopresent were experts on World Heritage andSustainable Development.
Students conducted hands-on experiments,presented research on scientific and cultural
topics and proposed sustainable solutions for preserving the region’s biodiversity andWorld Heritage sites. They also engaged indialogue with each other and their teacherson reinforcing school partnerships to workon similar issues. “When students startlearning from doing, with their teachers as partners, you know the experience is
worthwhile” says BernardCombes of UNESCO.
Implemented by an intersectoralteam at UNESCO Moscow officeand Paris Headquarters, theGVRR project is one of the firstmajor regional educationinitiatives designed tocontribute concretely to theUnited Nations Decade onEducation for SustainableDevelopment (2005-2014).
Contact: [email protected]
The Volga, Europe’s longest river, faces anumber of environmental challenges. Whatbetter way for students to investigate themthan on board a ship at an internationalforum where they study as they navigate?
“Along the Great Volga River Route: Youngpeople set sail to explore World Heritage,Sustainable Development and ICTs”,a scientific cruise organized aspart of UNESCO’s Great VolgaRiver Route (GVRR) project, tookplace from 16 to 20 May 2006between Moscow and Yaroslavl(Russian Federation). Field tripsalong the way allowedparticipants to observesustainable development issuesin real life situations.
On board were 47 teachers and secondary school studentsfrom UNESCO Associated Schools(ASPnet) in the 16 GVRRparticipating countries:
White House Conference on Global Literacy “a great success”UNESCO has hailed the White HouseConference on Global Literacy a greatsuccess. The Conference, organized andhosted by the First Lady of the UnitedStates of America, Laura Bush, in hercapacity as Honorary Ambassador of the UNLiteracy Decade (2003-2012), took place inNew York on Monday 18 September 2006.
The event was aimed at mobilizinggovernments into action to reduce by halfthe world’s adult illiteracy rates by 2015.During the Conference, Mrs Bush announcedthat the United States would contributeUS$1 million to the Literacy Assessment andMonitoring Programme (LAMP), a UNESCOinitiative to improve the accuracy of globaldata on literacy. The Director-General ofUNESCO welcomed the announcement.“Improved monitoring,” he said, “will beabsolutely essential to our success inmeeting international literacy targets.”
Mr Matsuura also announced that tomaintain the momentum created by theWhite House Conference, UNESCO wouldorganize a series of high-level RegionalConferences during 2007 and 2008. “Theseconferences,” he said, “will address specificregional challenges in literacy with the aimof building cooperation among stakeholdersand mobilizing resources for concreteinterventions at country level.”
The President of the United States, GeorgeW. Bush, US Secretary of State CondoleezzaRice and US Secretary of Education MargaretSpellings also participated, along with 32 first ladies and spouses of world leaders,41 ministers of education from around theworld, and numerous other personalities.
Contact: [email protected]
Exploring sustainable development on the Volga
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All aboard for a unique learning experience.
Every year on 8 September, International LiteracyDay highlights the importance of literacy toindividuals, communities and societies. The themeof 2006 was “Literacy Sustains Development”.Celebrations took place throughout the world.
Education TODAY No. 18 11
Comparing studentachievement:a new approachHow can governments design effectivepolicies that raise the quality of learningwhile reducing disparities among students? A new report from the UNESCO Institute ofStatistics (UIS) addresses this question aswell as providing a useful “measuring-stick”for decision-makers.
Entitled Learning Divides: Ten Policy Questionsabout the Performance and Equity of Schoolsand Schooling Systems, the report introducesan analytical tool called the gradient to showthe relationship between student learningoutcomes and socioeconomic status.
Part of the UIS series of working papers,the report highlights obstacles andopportunities policymakers face when tryingto improve the quality and equity ofeducation systems.
To find out more and download the report:www.uis.unesco.org (under ‘Documents’).
EventsLaunch of 2007 Education for All Global Monitoring ReportOctober 26 • New York, United States of AmericaThe 2007 edition focuses on early childhood care and education (ECCE)– the first of the six EFA goals – arguing that early intervention is crucial to shaping the quality of children’s lives, their future education, their health and well-being.Contact: [email protected]
Sixth High-Level Group Meeting on EFA • 14-16 November • Cairo, Egypt This annual meeting brings together several Heads of State, Ministers, senior officials of development agencies and civil society representatives. It will draw on the data and conclusions of the 2007 EFA Global Monitoring Report, focusing on early childhoodcare and education.Contact: [email protected]/education/efa
World AIDS Day • 1 December UNESCO celebrates World AIDS Day with activities at its field offices and headquarters.This year’s theme – Accountability – focuses on the challenges faced in achieving globaltargets and commitments, as well as advocating for a greater and more meaningfulinvolvement of civil society.Contact: [email protected]/aids
International Mother Language Day • 21 February 2007Nearly 6,000 languages will be celebrated on International Mother Language Day,an event aimed at promoting linguistic diversity and multilingual education.The theme for 2007 is languages and cyberspace.Contact: [email protected]/education/imld
A new Education webportal for UNESCOThe redesigned web portal of the UNESCO EducationSector is now online. Navigation has been simplified,reducing graphics to a minimum and providing greatercoherence as well as accessibility across differentoperating systems. The goal is to generate and sharerelevant information and knowledge on UNESCO educationpriorities and activities.
New features include a new version of country profiles,a comprehensive list of networks and a range of newservices, including inventories of ED databases, guidelines,toolkits, journals and UNESCO newsletters about education.Most information is or will shortly be available in threelanguages (English, French and Spanish).
Your comments and suggestions are welcome [email protected].
www.unesco.org/education
BOOKSHELF
Education Today, Executive Office, Education Sector, UNESCO • 7, place de Fontenoy • 75352 Paris 07 SP • France Tel: 33 1 45 68 21 27 • Fax: 33 1 45 68 56 26/27 • E-mail: [email protected] news on: www.unesco.org/education
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
BOOKSHELF
Education Today is a quarterly newsletter on trends and innovations in education, on worldwide efforts towards Education for All and on UNESCO’s own education activities. It is published by UNESCO’s Education Sector in Arabic,Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian. All articles are free of copyright restrictions and can bereproduced provided Education Today is credited.Editors: Anne Müller, Jean O’Sullivan, Géraldine De St PernContributors: Annie Mathieu, Carmela Salzano, pp 4-7 Assistant: Martine Kayser • Design: Pilote Corporate • Layout: Sylvaine BaeyensPhoto credits (cover): Berthold Egner; UNESCO/ASPnet/Karin Hunziker; UNESCO/Brendan O’Malley;UNESCO/Georges Malempré; UNESCO/Spier-Donati • ISSN 1814-3970
Education Today, Executive Office, Education Sector, UNESCO • 7, place de Fontenoy • 75352 Paris 07 SP • France Tel: 33 1 45 68 21 27 • Fax: 33 1 45 68 56 26/27 • E-mail: [email protected] news on: www.unesco.org/education
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
The Sixth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting Report highlights the commitment to accelerate progress towards Education for All(EFA) by intensifying South-South cooperation within the nine most populated countries in the world (E-9) as well as with otherdeveloping countries. The meeting took place in Monterrey, Mexico,13-15 February 2006. In English only.Contact: [email protected]
Report of the Fifth meeting of the High-Level Group onEducation for All. The report expresses clear determination toaccelerate progress in EFA through more coordinated action andcloser alignment with individual country needs. It acknowledgesand reinforces support for South-South cooperation and the GlobalAction Plan. Held in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, 28-30November 2005, the meeting brought together 360 participants.Available in English and French.Contact: [email protected]
Expanding the Field of Inquiry: Cross-Country Study of HigherEducation Institutions’ Responses to HIV and AIDS is the firstreport documenting at a global level the responses of higher edu-cation institutions to the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The 73-page reportanalyses the findings from twelve case studies. In English only.Contact: [email protected]
The NFE-MIS Handbook provides an easy-to-use methodology for setting-up a non-formaleducation management information system (NFE-MIS). This system responds to the demandfor a practical and internationally applicableapproach to NFE mapping, monitoring andevaluation which is adaptable to local contextsand information needs. In English only.Contact: [email protected]
Street Children and HIV and AIDS:A Methodological Guide for Facilitators. This flexible trainingresource to assist facilitators in dealing with HIV and AIDS andstreet children focuses on preventing risk behavior. It also offerstools in order to measure the effectiveness of interventions.Available in French and English.Contact: [email protected]
Education, HIV and AIDS in Central Africa: How can SchoolsShape Behaviour? This report features the findings of theFebruary 2006 regional workshop on HIV and AIDS curriculumdevelopment. It also explains how schools can shape behaviour.In English only.Contact: [email protected]
Quality Education and HIV and AIDS.How can education systems change their conductin relation to HIV and AIDS? This publicationpresents a framework for quality education,including ten specific areas for consideration.Available in English, French and Spanish.Contact: [email protected]
Synergies between Formal and Non-Formal Education.This report is a first step in showing how national Ministries of Education in four regions (Latin America, Asia and the Pacific,the Arab States and Africa) are creating synergies with non-formal education providers. In English only.Contact: [email protected]
Orienting Technical and Vocational Education for SustainableDevelopment: A Discussion Paper. This paper explores key conceptssuch as the definition of sustainable development within technicaland vocational education and training (TVET) and its impact on the world of work. Available in English and French.Contact: [email protected]
Three New Volumes on Teacher Education and the TeachingWorkforce. The first volume presents teachers’ knowledge on HIV and AIDS, as well as proposals to incorporate preventioninformation into initial teacher training curricula. The second is a comparative analysis on teacher performance, assessment andprofessional careers in 50 countries and 55 education systems inEurope and North America. The third presents seven innovativemodels in initial teacher education in Latin America and Europe.In Spanish only.Contact: [email protected]
Getting Girls Out of Work and Into School: Policy Brief.This brief summarizes the causes and consequences of girls’child labour on their educational opportunities and describesinstruments and strategies to reduce girls’ labour.Available in English only.Contact: [email protected]
Higher Education in South-East Asia. An analysis of thechallenges facing higher education in the South-East Asia region,which reveals the interplay between global higher education trendsand national and regional needs and developments. Available inEnglish only.Contact: [email protected]
Using ICT to Develop Literacy. A concise overview which explainshow ICT can enhance literacy education and contribute toachieving the goals of the UN Literacy Decade (2003-2012).Literacy Decade goals. Available in English only.Contact: [email protected]
All UNESCO education publications can be found onwww.unesco.org/education/publications
