people and planet

21
LOOKING AHEAD
In essence, policies are about transforming resources
(the main focus of education monitoring in the past)
into effective processes (rarely monitored), resulting in
measurable outcomes (the focus of the SDG agenda).
Determining which systems and policies are effective
relies considerably on the nature of the evidence
collected and analysed. Linking policies to measurable
results through a system-oriented approach in education
reflects a similar trend in the global health field (WHO,
2009). The focus on systems in education also affects
the research agenda. One example is the Research on
Improving Systems of Education project funded by
the UK Department for International Development and
the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(Hanson, 2015).
A broad range of validated indicators of education
systems and policies is needed to support the
monitoring of the Education 2030 agenda. However,
as this chapter has shown, education system
diagnoses differ widely in their objectives (e.g. referring
to different agendas and targets), scope (e.g. general
vs specific), methodology (e.g. country driven vs
externally imposed or conducted by experts) and use
(e.g. whether they lead to policy changes). Much could
be done to address gaps and reduce overlap among
diagnostic instruments.
to be used in policy-making and be sustained over time,
not least because governments have an interest in
neighbouring countries’ performance.
The key to successfully exchanging information
on education systems between countries is
strong coordination mechanisms from regional
intergovernmental organizations that include
education development among their objectives.
Countries can draw on the experience of the EU, OEI or
OECD to initiate policy dialogue through system-level
indicators that are relevant to their regions as well as
to the Education 2030 agenda. The African Union (with
the Association for the Development of Education
in Africa), the Arab League Educational, Cultural and
Scientific Organization, the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation, the Caribbean Community, the
Commonwealth and the International Organisation of La
Francophonie are examples of potential mechanisms for
peer learning.
Sharing experiences between countries and promoting
policy dialogue, based on broadly comparable qualitative
information on education systems, will facilitate
effective decisionmaking.
While a
global framework for
A regional or subregional
reviewing education
approach is more
systems and policies
feasible than a global might be desirable, in
practice a regional or
framework for reviewing
subregional approach
education systems
is more feasible.
Many regions have
common education
contexts and can structure reviews to better reflect
their shared values, objectives and challenges. Members
of regional entities are more likely to express deeper
political commitment and national ownership for such
an undertaking – critical conditions for creating valid,
up-to-date system-level indicators of education. And
the results of regional monitoring are much more likely
2016 • GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING REPORT 365