A Global Compact on Learning - Brookings Institution

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MAKING LEARNING FOR ALL A REALITY
Prior to discussing the three main education priorities
proposed in the <strong>Global</strong> <strong>Compact</strong> on Learning, it
is important to answer two questions in detail: Why
focus on learning for all? What is needed to ensure
learning for all?
Why Focus on Learning for All?
Driven by the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) and supported by the global compact on
education, more children than ever before have enrolled
in primary school in increasingly equal numbers
of girls and boys. <strong>Global</strong>ly, of all the MDGs,
those focused on education are the closest to being
met, prompting some leaders to focus urgent attention
elsewhere. 31 Providing quality education to all,
however, is an unfinished global agenda and such
gains should not mask the magnitude of the challenge
ahead. New action is required to ensure all
children, particularly the most marginalized, access
quality learning opportunities. Nothing short of a
paradigm shift is needed to put quality learning at
the center of the global education agenda.
The access and gender parity agenda—driven by the
MDGs—has resulted in substantial education progress.
The number of children of primary school-age
not in school has fallen by 39 million since 1999. 32
Even the poorest countries have increased their primary
school net enrollment ratios, from an average
of less than 60 percent in 1990 to more than 80 percent
in 2008, and their primary completion rates,
from 44 percent in 1990 to 63 percent in 2008. 33
Gender disparities in primary school enrollment are
narrowing, while the share of girls making up the
out-of-school population dropped from 57 percent
in 1999 to 53 percent in 2008. 34 More children are
making the transition from primary to secondary
school than ever before. 35
Progress in enrollment, however, has been highly
uneven. National averages often disguise large and
even growing disparities within some countries—
particularly disparities related to wealth, location,
ethnicity, language, disability, age, and gender. The
chances of the poorest children being enrolled relative
to the richest have generally not improved significantly
and in some cases have deteriorated. 36 In
most countries, out-of-school girls are far more likely
than out-of-school boys to never go to school. 37
Along with gender, a child’s household wealth and
location reinforce exclusion—poor girls living in rural
areas are sixteen times less likely to be in school
than boys from the wealthiest households living in
urban areas (see figure 1.1). 38 Disabilities serve as
another significant obstacle in going to school. In
Malawi and Tanzania, having a disability doubles
the probability of a child never attending school;
and in Burkina Faso, it increases the risk of children
being out of school by two and a half times. 39
Attendance is often erratic, and too many children drop
out before completing primary school or transitioning
to lower secondary school. For those enrolled in
school, attendance is often irregular due to a variety
of factors, including poor health, high rates of teacher
absenteeism, and the opportunity costs of attending
school. In India, only a quarter of students in Bihar
and less than half in Uttar Pradesh attend school
regularly. 40 Poor attendance is usually a precursor to
dropping out. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 28 million primary
school students drop out each year. 41 Both girls
A <strong>Global</strong> Compa c t on Learning: Taking Action on Educat i o n in Developing Countries
C e n t e r for Universal Educat i o n at Brookings
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