Proposals will ensure a strong Commonwealth voice in the next generation of global development goals
Commonwealth education ministers tasked with drafting a set of recommendations on future development goals for education are calling for input from professionals, civil society organisations and other stakeholders as part of their consultations.
The working group of ministers was established at the 18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers, which took place in Mauritius in August 2012. Ministers were asked to provide overarching guidelines and principles, and to identify priority areas for action.
Their proposals will ensure a strong Commonwealth voice in the next generation of global development goals which will feed into discussions taking place at the United Nations on a framework for post-2015 anti-poverty targets.
In an interview at the meeting, Amina Mohammed, UN Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning, said: “The Millennium Development Goals have had a lot of success in the Commonwealth, both in terms of the institution giving it emphasis, particularly in education. But I do believe there is still a way to go. Many of our Commonwealth countries are on track to meet the MDGs, but there are so many that are not. We need that last push to go to scale as we approach the last three years".
She said that beyond getting children into school, quality issues needed to be addressed, alongside more investments in terms of the training of teachers and the deployment of teachers by subject for rural and urban settings.
“Post-2015 legitimacy will come from finishing that last mile,” she added.
Dr Vasant Bunwaree, Minister of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius, who is Chair of the Commonwealth Ministerial Working Group said: “The Commonwealth has a broad global reach in terms of its membership. It also has the ability to consult at all levels through professional and civil society networks. The recommendations we have been asked to make will help shape the future of education – not only in the Commonwealth, but across the world.
“It is an honour for me to chair this Working Group, and having just hosted the Education Ministers’ Meeting in Mauritius, we are well-placed to support the Commonwealth’s important contribution in this area.”
Members of the working group are from Bangladesh, Barbados, Cyprus, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda.
The ministers’ draft recommendations will be open for comment from 17 to 27 October.
Stakeholders interested in getting involved in the consultation should email [email protected] by 20 October to request to be included in the consultation.
