Education

Education has long been an area in which the Commonwealth makes a distinct contribution. Since 1959, Conferences of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEMs) have brought together ministers of education, officials, academics, teachers, students and civil society groups to engage with key priority issues for education.

Our education programme

The Commonwealth Secretariat’s demand-driven education programme reflects the mandates and priorities of education ministers, the values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Through policy advocacy, technical assistance including toolkits and frameworks, and its strategic partnerships, the Secretariat works closely with member countries and partners to strengthen education systems and policies across the Commonwealth.

In its education projects and initiatives, the Secretariat looks to ensure that all Commonwealth learners can benefit from equitable and inclusive access to quality education.

Areas of work

The two years covered here, from July 2013 to June 2015, were a period of transformation for the Commonwealth Secretariat as we worked to translate into practical action our Strategic Plan from 2013/14 to 2016/17. The Plan is a clearly signposted roadmap, following implementation of the most fundamental reforms for a generation, both of the work we do and of the way we do it.

Commonwealth Secretariat outcomes: Education

South Africa, Mauritius, Swaziland, Botswana, Kenya, Samoa and Maldives piloted the Secretariat’s Professional Standards Framework for Teachers and School Leaders. The framework was subsequently adopted by the Caribbean and Pacific Regions and part of the African Region
Barbados, Ghana, Malaysia, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore began piloting the School Leaders Capability Framework finalised by the Commonwealth Consortium for Education and the Secretariat
In partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning, the Secretariat carried out institutional quality reviews of higher education institutions in Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Kenya, Uganda and Botswana are developing policies based on the Guidelines for Quality Education Provision to Nomadic Communities for Africa and Asia prepared by the Secretariat
Following Secretariat-commissioned research on boys’ underachievement in the Caribbean, Saint Lucia and Jamaica adopted policy recommendations and launched national strategies to tackle the issue. Saint Lucia launched a three-year school mentoring programme for boys in 2014.

Education has long been an area in which the Commonwealth makes a distinct contribution. The Commonwealth Secretariat works to ensure that all Commonwealth learners, regardless of social background, benefit from equitable access to good quality education. The Secretariat supports member countries to strengthen their core education policies and systems. Special measures to improve equity address the specific needs of groups marginalised by education systems.

One of the clear advantages of the Secretariat is its connections with ministers and key policymakers. The Secretariat brings together ministers of Education from diverse countries to learn from each other’s experiences and best practices in systematically delivering education to globally mandated criteria. In June 2015, the Secretariat convened the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in The Bahamas, which developed further the recommendations of the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on the Post-2015 Development Framework for Education, under the theme ‘Quality Education for Equitable Development: Performance, Paths and Productivity – 3 Ps’.

Between 2013 and 2015, the Secretariat contributed to collective Commonwealth efforts to shape the Post-2015 Development Agenda and mapped out the most effective ways of supporting the education of Commonwealth citizens.

Pan-Commonwealth professional standards for teachers and school leaders

In 2013, the Commonwealth Secretariat completed the Pan-Commonwealth Framework on Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders, the outcome of a consultative and participatory process involving member countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The framework pulls regional experiences together into a resource that member countries can use to develop national frameworks for professional standards. Based on the framework, Jamaica, Maldives and Samoa developed national professional standards and are putting them into practice. Education ministers in the Caribbean community developed and adopted a Caribbean Framework on Academic and Professional Standards.

Recognising that in some member countries, school leaders have limited opportunities for professional development, the Secretariat developed the School Leaders Capability Framework. Finalised in 2013 in collaboration with the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management, school leaders in Barbados, Ghana, Malaysia, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore are piloting the framework.

Supporting institutional quality reviews The Commonwealth Secretariat collaborated with the Commonwealth of Learning to conduct institutional quality reviews requested by the Seychelles National Institute of Health and Social Studies, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Pakistan, and the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, to improve management practices, strengthen internal systems and enhance performance. The National Institute of Health and Social Studies, Seychelles, and Fatima Jinnah Women University, Pakistan, are implementing recommendations of the reviews and the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, is preparing a plan to implement recommendations.

Addressing educational needs of marginalised groups

Quality education for all Commonwealth citizens involves improving access to affordable primary, secondary and tertiary education, especially for girls, women and marginalised groups. Although access to primary education was until recently, improving greatly, there are still some communities that do not have access to education with some member countries experiencing setbacks due to difficulties in reaching the most marginalised communities.

Addressing these common challenges, the Commonwealth Secretariat produced Guidelines for Quality Education Provision to Nomadic Communities in Africa. In response, Kenya has set up a National Commission for Nomadic Education. Uganda and Botswana have adopted the guidelines and are implementing policies to provide education to nomadic populations. French-speaking countries have requested a translation of the guidelines.

Addressing underachievement of Caribbean boys

Saint Lucia and Jamaica adopted policy recommendations of a study commissioned by the Commonwealth Secretariat that examined the reasons for underachievement of boys in the Caribbean. In June 2014, Saint Lucia launched a three-year school mentoring programme for boys.

Biennial Report of the Commonwealth Secretary-General 2013/2015

Commonwealth Secretariat Strategic Plan 2013/14 - 2016/17

Faith in the Commonwealth is a global citizenship education (GCED) programme for young Commonwealth citizens of all faiths and none. It began as a partnership with the Khalili Foundation.

Faith is used by some to cause divisions in society. The Commonwealth wants to promote a better understanding of faith and global citizenship, to bring people together to make a fairer and more peaceful world.

How it works

Faith in the Commonwealth delivers its objectives in 2 ways.

We train young leaders to train others in global citizenship
We offer a citizenship education toolkit to universities

Trainers’ workshops

Our Youth Training of Trainers workshops bring together young people aged 15 to 29 from different faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

Over 4 days of exercises and interactive discussions they learn how to bring their communities together around shared values rather than perceived differences.

They:

discuss faith, culture, identity and gender
challenge outdated assumptions
practice listening and negotiating skills
are open to new possibilities for how to live respectfully with others.

They learn how to:

consult with community stakeholders
develop and deliver on plans
evaluate and report results.

Education toolkit

The global citizenship education (GCED) toolkit is a peer-reviewed curriculum for university education.

The curriculum explores contemporary ideas about identity, culture, and society. Students study it as an unaccredited elective subject. It complements their degree programs and enriches their studies.

Commonwealth social policy work

Faith in the Commonwealth is part of the Commonwealth’s social policy work on education, youth development, anti-extremism and promoting peace.

It brings to life the principles of the Commonwealth Charter – tolerance, respect and understanding, human rights, access to health, education, food and shelter and the importance of young people in the Commonwealth – that unite our diverse family of nations.

Learn more about the Khalili Foundation

Education frameworks and toolkits

One of the greatest challenges of the COVID-19 outbreak is its impact on education.

Essential lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the deadly disease has meant the closure of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across the globe. Often without much notice, schools, colleges and universities have had to adjust to new ways of delivering lessons and connecting with their students.

As many countries begin a strategic exit from confinement, institutions, officials and those who decide policies are evaluating the full impact of the outbreak on learning. They are also exploring strategies to get back on the pathway to delivering their sustainable development education goals.

Supporting member countries

The Commonwealth is committed to supporting its members with this process.

In particular, initiatives such as the Commonwealth Education Policy Framework (CEPF), developed to help countries to better align their national education policies to global development goals and Commonwealth values, are key resources in helping education systems remain sustainable and resilient in the face of emerging global challenges.

At the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19 CCEM) held in June 2015 in Nassau, The Bahamas, Ministers highlighted the centrality of education for building resilience and preparing the next generation of Commonwealth citizens to contribute positively to their communities.

Based on agreements made at 19 CCEM, the CEPF was developed through extensive Pan-Commonwealth consultation.

Commonwealth Education Framework

Crucially, the Commonwealth Secretariat developed the CEPF, in consultation with policy officials from member countries, to incorporate four cornerstones which help define what constitutes a good education system. So, across our nations it is agreed that a successful system is one that provides equitable access to good quality, relevant and sustainable learning.

Since its publication in 2017, the CEPF has been supporting countries in the Pacific, such as Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu; and in Africa - Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and Tanzania - to strengthen their education systems.

Its benefits include:

Providing a comprehensive policy toolkit which can be adapted and linked to other existing resources to develop, review and measure policies, governance structures and learning delivery modes.
Helping countries identify key policy gaps and create specific measures to ensure equal access to quality and relevant learning.
Supporting lifelong learning by strengthening the entire education cycle, including early childhood care and education, primary and secondary education, technical and vocational training, tertiary education, and adult education and learning.
Enabling the integration of new approaches and technologies into education systems, and the creation of flexible curricula and teaching methods that are suitable to different modes and patterns of learning.

National education policies

These are all key considerations as governments and institutions consider a ‘new normal’ for learning and education during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The CEPF is an asset to those planning national education policies, delivery, management, stakeholder engagement, and funding; because it is founded on the principle that innovation must be nurtured in order for systems to be sustainable and resilient.

Commonwealth Education Policy Framework (PDF 3 MB)

One of the most devastating impacts of COVID-19 pandemic is the sharp rise in unemployment.

The International Labour Organization estimates an increase in unemployment, globally, of between 5.3 and 24.7 million. And according to the United Nations, young people, who are already three times more likely to be unemployed than adults, will be severely affected.

One factor is that the pandemic has particularly impacted zero-hours contracts and the informal sector, which accounts for 77 per cent of the types of employment held by young people.

Technical and vocational education training

As governments work together to reboot their economies and job sectors, important considerations will include measures to ensure a well-functioning Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. This can play an essential role in reducing barriers to work and equipping young people with skills they need to access employment.

TVET toolkit

TVET has been a priority agenda item for Commonwealth education ministers at their summits. At their request, the Commonwealth Secretariat developed its own TVET Self-Assessment Toolkit to assist member countries to strengthen their TVET systems.

This resource is particularly effective in identifying gaps in policies and is already supporting governments and institutions in Botswana and Sri Lanka in addressing them to deliver strong programmes through the most effective methods.

Created through extensive consultations with education departments and institutions across the Commonwealth, the toolkit will assist countries to boost TVET systems by focusing on six key features:

governance;
employer engagement;
occupational standards;
qualifications framework;
quality institutions; and
delivery and assessment.

By assigning five levels of development and a scoring system to each of these features, the Commonwealth toolkit helps countries to assess the strength and effectiveness of their TVET programmes.

Response strategies

This self-assessment is done through a workshop of vocational training providers, employers and those who make policy decisions, participants also examine the results and agree on action plans to fill identified gaps.

The Commonwealth is committed to ensuring countries have access to essential resources such as the TVET Self-Assessment Toolkit, as they design response strategies to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training Self-Assessment (PDF 2.5 MB)

Investment in early learning lays the foundation for lifelong learning and impacts wider social and economic outcomes.

According to UNICEF’s 2019 Global Report ‘A World Ready to Learn’, only half of the world’s children receive the benefits of early childhood education. Nearly 175 million children do not have access to pre-primary education; and emerging issues, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are creating additional challenges.

According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 outbreak school closures has put approximately 1.5 billion children and youth out of school. They point out that young children are especially vulnerable because Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) supports critical holistic childhood development.

The Commonwealth Early Childhood Care and Education Toolkit is designed to support countries with these existing and emerging challenges.

Developed through extensive consultation with experts and international partners, the toolkit provides policy recommendations, advice and resources to strengthen early childhood education programmes. It is particularly useful because it focuses on equal access to quality early education, ensuring that the poorest, most remote and marginalised are not left out.

In line with the approaches of other international organisations such as UNICEF, UNESCO and the GPE, this Commonwealth toolkit advocates for a multi-sectoral approach to ECCE. It is built on the premise that education, health, nutrition, child and social protection are all sectors that should be involved in the planning and provision of accessible and quality early childhood care and education.

As governments plan a return to school strategies, the toolkit can support a holistic, effective and coordinated multi-sectoral approach to ECCE delivery for children aged 0 - 8.

Education

Our education programme