Quality vs. access: How much are children learning?

As we head into 2016 we have so much to look forward to and also much to work towards. At the top of the agenda is the quality of education in developing countries. Education is the crucial link among all of the Sustainable Development Goals, the comprehensive framework that form the new set of global objectives to end of hunger and poverty and to promote environmental protection and civic leadership. An educated population is necessary for success.

The Millennium Development Goals, in place from 2000 to 2015, succeeded in getting many more children into the classroom, and UNESCO estimates that there are 84 million fewer out-of-school children and adolescents now than there were 15 years ago.

Yet, the influx of students has left some low-income countries coping with overcrowded classrooms. This, combined with a persistent shortage of qualified teachers, begs the question: how much learning is actually going on?

Have a look at this link for more information on the teacher shortage.

Access is not enough

It’s no longer enough to simply promote access to school. While the MDG education goal called for Universal Primary Education, the SDG for education aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life long learning opportunities for all.”

Going forward, the buzzword for the new Education 2030 agenda is QUALITY, as promoted by the new GEM report campaign the #EducationWeWant.

The UN has defined seven target objectives to work toward ramping up the quality of education in developing countries. To know if we’re succeeding, we have to measure the facts on the ground. To this end, UNESCO and UNICEF are developing indicators to evaluate learning outcomes and to measure quality, which for now is loosely defined as proficiency in literacy and numeracy skills for children who are currently in school.

On our end, the 60 million girls Foundation is working toward choosing educational projects in countries where the need is high and where marginalized and vulnerable children have limited ability to go to school. Ensuring that our funding leads to a higher quality of education is fundamental to our approach. Merely sitting in a classroom is no longer enough: children need learning materials and qualified teachers to optimize their potential.

Keep a look out for our next post on equity in learning opportunities. We believe that all children have the right to go to school; for some, the barriers to education are still too high.