people and planet

21
Diagnostic tools for monitoring education systems..............................................361
Looking ahead...........................................................................................................................365
This report has reviewed a wide range of proposed
and potential indicators that are aimed at
supporting efforts – by countries, regions and other
stakeholders – to monitor progress towards all
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets that
explicitly include education.
To inform and guide education decision-making,
and to understand whether and why progress is being
made, it is necessary to analyse factors at the
level of national education systems, such as major
legislation; policies on teachers, curriculum and
assessment; finance and governance practices; nonformal
education programmes; and recent reforms.
Certain aspects of systems and policies can be
represented with straightforward quantitative indicators.
For example, information on the existence and duration
of free and compulsory education can be gleaned
from official documents. In other instances – for
example, in relation to the indicators above – measures
are more complex and qualitative. They require both
an examination of pertinent sources and the use of
expertise and proper judgement.
Take national learning assessments: for an indicator
of them to be relevant, it is necessary to determine
whether they are nationally representative and
sufficiently robust in design to provide valid and
reliable data that can be compared over time. Such
information cannot be self-reported. In another
example, the indicator on financing to promote
equity is meant to determine, in part, how education
policies address the needs of disadvantaged and
marginalized groups. And the indicator on country
efforts to mainstream sustainable development
and global citizenship topics in curricula or teacher
education requires careful judgement related to the
contents of education.
Several concepts in the SDG 4 targets, such as gender
equality and education quality, merit monitoring but are
not covered by any of the proposed thematic indicators.
Yet, systematic information related to such concepts
can be compiled
from various sources
using a more
Several concepts in
qualitative approach.
the education targets,
such as gender equality,
This chapter looks at
selected approaches
merit monitoring but
to monitoring
are not covered by
aspects of education
any of the proposed
systems and
policies. Many
thematic indicators
organizations
provide descriptive
information and
conduct diagnostic assessments of education systems
and policies. The assessments vary in scope, purpose,
frequency, methodology and use, depending on
organizations’ priorities. This can result in duplication
of effort and gaps in country coverage. Improved
coordination is needed, therefore, to strengthen the
evidence base for monitoring at the regional and
global levels.
Note that monitoring education systems does not in
any way suggest that governments should be held to
account for their policies and institutional arrangements.
Rather, it is necessary to help explain why progress
toward different aspects of the SDG agenda is, or is not,
being achieved.
The chapter also discusses circumstances in which
countries more willingly share information on their
education systems and policies. This is especially
important at the regional level, where countries that
may share traditions based on history, tradition and
culture can build useful frameworks for comparisons
and learn from each other.
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CHAPTER 21 | EDUCATION SYSTEMS