Post-MDG 2: Quality and Relevant Education For All
September 8, 2011 in Guest Author, MDG 2 (Education), MDGs
The current MDG on education MDG 2 (achieve universal primary education) has largely focused on pushing up the numbers of pupils being admitted into and completing school at primary level. Under this goal much investment in this goal has been put in paying for pupils tuition and school fees and with little being invested in the development of school infrastructure and buying of textbooks and other material which is necessary for learning . This has adversely affected the quality of education especially in developing countries.
This situation is evident buy the poor teacher to pupil ratios which may exceed 1:50 in the cases of some African schools. The same goes for textbooks which are also in short supply, This situation is a worsened by the fact that the teachers themselves are in short supply as a result of factors such as shortage of training facilities for teachers and brain drain among others. All these have compromised the quality of education.
To improve the quality of education, the post MDG policy on education should not only focus on pupil enrolment but on development of infrastructure and training of more educators. Funding should also made available for teachers salaries especially in developing countries to curb brain drain.
The relevance of the education is also another factor which has not been catered for by the MDG 2, in this modern day and age one can acknowledge that basic education goes beyond reading and writing only but also involves computer literacy . This calls for investment in computers for schools and also training of educators on ICT based teaching methods such as cyber learning (use of software tutorials, use of internet for research, e-learning etc)
Every child should be computer literate
Another issue which needs to be addressed is on the sustainability of MDG 2. The emphasis of primary education alone and not secondary education should be reviewed. In most countries even though one has completed primary education this qualification is not even recognized in the job market. This has created a situation whereby the investment in that person enabling them to be literate still results in them being unemployed and on the street with little or no contribution to the GDP - therefore perpetuating the poverty cycle. It is more sustainable to invest in secondary education in which the pupil after completion will be guaranteed a job and contribution to GDP.
On the other hand it would be unethical to neglect primary education altogether, so a balance has to be struck between the two in terms of investment. Policy after 2015 should be drafted to create a curriculum were pupils will be educated on vital aspects such as gender issues, HIV and AIDS, environmental issues, human rights and good governance. This will improve the relevance of the education.
I strongly hope that the post-MDG policy on education will take be pivotal in improving the quality and relevance of education for both levels, primary and secondary in order to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty.
Article By Moses Machipisa, Mathematics student teacher, Zimbabwe
This goal deals with an integral issue, which solution should involve concepts related to development from all its approaches; its accomplishment depends on many factors, like empowerment of the communities and implementation of entrepreneurship programs, along with financial assistance, in order to attack the issue from the root, rather than only diminishing its consequences. Furthermore, involvement from the civil society constitutes an essential factor in the quest for equality and social justice, along with the political will of government representatives of any kind and level; they should be encourage to build a reliable database using empirical evidence, that will allow those in charge of resources to properly allocate them. We strongly suggest the leaders throughout the world to become involved in the solution of this issue, taking into account that every person has dignity and is entitled to the right t food and development.
The following are actions taken around the globe, which can be more broadly utilized, to implement Goal 2 of the Millennium Development Goals; to ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. Remove fees associated with attending school, including the cost of tuition, books, supplies, uniforms, and transportation. Provide amnesty for undocumented, migrant, and refugee children to attend school with out deportation or other consequences. Provide two meals a day to encourage families facing poverty to send their children to school. Address gender barriers, especially in rural areas. Provide feasible transportation to children, or adopt mobile schools.
It become evident in the group discusions that the 8 MDG is not recognised and the information around the issues that it affects is not well recognised. This goal deals with developing an open finance system and non discriminatory trading practices. After much delibaration some points were agreed upon as to how this MDG could be improved to suit a system based approach of how the MDG’s should be implemented. Overally the group felt the MDG was articulated on a top down approach and very much western centric.Thus not representing the real issues of all countries. Firstly the use of ‘partners’ in wording of the MDG should be replaced with ‘stakeholders’ as this word is more inclusive of all the actors in achieving this MDG. There was a consesus that debt problems is not only on developing countries thus it should change focus and include all countries and also include debt owing to international monetary organisations. Also that the issue of tarrifs should be reduced or removed as countries for example the UK places high tariifs on products from Africa of which the collect more money then the one the give aid to the African continent. Much needs to be done on this MDG in order to achieve its targets.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) are the world’s time bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter and exclusion while promoting gender equality, education and environmental sustainability. There are eight goals and this article focuses on MDG 6 which targets to combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases.
Bangladesh, being geographically positioned at the receiving end of perhaps the largest river system, and owing to other concomitant factors like the deltaic formation history and low-line coastal morphology has become the most disaster prone region on earth. Processes embedded in the nature, caused by multitudinous factors, constitute hazards to the environment of this region having severe aftermath on local lives, property and livelihoods of the population, and eventually, impeding the overall socio-economic development of Bangladesh. The (co)occurrence of these natural events are often coupled and multiplied with the high base vulnerabilities of the individuals, households and communities results in disasters that further drive the country towards greater environmental degradation, hunger, poverty, social deprivation and political conflicts, thereby impeding the development of Bangladesh. Therefore, over the last few decades, both national and international communities have been engaged in counteracting the negative developmental impacts of disasters as well as ensuring that development interventions do not exacerbate vulnerability to hazards.
It become evident in the group discusions that the 8 MDG is not recognised and the information around the issues that it affects is not well recognised. This goal deals with developing an open finance system and non discriminatory trading practices. After much delibaration some points were agreed upon as to how this MDG could be improved to suit a system based approach of how the MDG’s should be implemented. Overally the group felt the MDG was articulated on a top down approach and very much western centric.Thus not representing the real issues of all countries. Firstly the use of ‘partners’ in wording of the MDG should be replaced with ‘stakeholders’ as this word is more inclusive of all the actors in achieving this MDG. There was a consesus that debt problems is not only on developing countries thus it should change focus and include all countries and also include debt owing to international monetary organisations. Also that the issue of tarrifs should be reduced or removed as countries for example the UK places high tariifs on products from Africa of which the collect more money then the one the give aid to the African continent. Much needs to be done on this MDG in order to achive its targets.