Global report on education

The 2009 Global Monitoring Report (GMR) on education was discussed by experts at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters on 13 November 2007.

Over 40 education specialists from the Commonwealth Secretariat, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the British Council and other international organisations debated content for the report, which assesses the world’s progress in achieving Education for All (EFA).

In 1990, the Education for All movement was launched at a conference in Jomtien, Thailand. Delegates from 155 countries as well as representatives from 150 governmental and non-governmental organisations urged countries to increase efforts to improve the learning needs of all children.

“The 2009 Report will continue to monitor progress towards the achievement of the EFA goals,” said Seamus Hegarty, Chair of the EFA Working Group, Education Committee, UK National Commission for UNESCO.

Experts analysed effective education models and case studies and discussed potential specialists who they will commission to conduct further research in this area. The findings from this meeting, hosted by the Secretariat, have been passed on to the GMR Working Group, which is expecting to publish the report in November 2008.

The report is likely to cover the role of the state in education, the involvement of civil society, the significance of decision-makers in education systems, financial management, regulatory frameworks, human resource management, and monitoring and evaluation systems.

Ann Keeling, Director of Social Transformation Programmes Division at the Secretariat said: “We anticipate that the report will be of high quality. Subjects covered at the meeting included governance, management and financing education, which are all at the heart of the Millennium Development Goals.”

Increasing the efficiency of management practices by devolving responsibility from governments to schools, developing the ability of managers in the education system and enhancing the motivation and competence of teachers will also be debated by education experts, before the report is published.

The meeting was jointly organised by the Secretariat and the UK National Commission for UNESCO.

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