A Global Compact on Learning - Brookings Institution

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INTRODUCTION
We had to leave behind all of our possessions. The only thing we could bring with us is what
we have in our heads, what we have been taught—our education. Education is the only thing
that cannot be taken from us.
—Woman who fled from Darfur to Chad, 2004 (Women’s Refugee Commission)
Education Is Essential for Development
The case for education, as expressed in the quotation
above from a Sudanese woman in Breijing refugee
camp in eastern Chad, is simple. First and foremost,
education is a fundamental human right and
the birthright of every child. It is also the springboard
for human development, creating the conditions
for progress in health and gender equity 1 and
it plays a key role in helping to tackle some of the
world’s other pressing challenges such as climate
change, food security, and peace building. Economic
growth and poverty reduction depend on
an educated and skilled workforce. In developing
countries, one additional year of education adds
about 10 percent to a person’s earnings. 2 For a woman
farmer in Ethiopia, this can mean being able to
provide adequate nutrition, health care, and education
for her children. There are more young people
on the planet than ever before with 1.3 billion of the
world’s twelve to twenty-four year olds living in developing
countries. 3 Investing in their knowledge,
skills, and competencies has been called the “education
growth premium” and no developing country
has sustained high rates of growth without investing
heavily in educating its young people. 4 Improving
even the most basic educational outcomes can help.
For example, if all children in low-income countries
left school knowing how to read, something which
currently does not happen, then 171 million people
could move out of poverty. 5 There is broad agreement—and
significant evidence—that education
enhances people’s ability to lead happier, healthier,
and more productive lives. 6
Education Is at a Crossroads
A fundamental shift in social norms has catapulted
education, and every child’s right to one, into public
discourse. In the mid-1900s, schools in developing
countries were expected to only serve a small number
of elites. Today, however, rarely are the merits of
educating all children questioned; parents demand
it, community leaders advocate for it, and national
leaders proclaim universal schooling as one of the
main mechanisms for ushering their countries into
the modern era. 7 During the past decade, remarkable
progress has been made in getting more children
into school. There has been a surge in primary
school enrollments, more children are progressing
through to secondary school, and gender gaps are
narrowing. This progress has been driven by mutual
commitments, which has sometimes been referred
to as a global compact on education, made in 2000
between developing country governments and aid
donors. The poorest countries of the world agreed to
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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