Improve the Quality of Education To improve the
quality of education calls for improvement in the quality of education in all
its aspects, aiming for a situation where people can achieve excellence.
Everyone should be able to achieve learning outcomes that are recognized and can
be measured, particularly with regard to literacy, numeracy(数字) and other skills
essential for life. Why this goal’
Education must help learners live their lives with greater competence and
greater confidence. It will only do this if it is of good quality--where the
learning process is positive and helpful, and where real learning takes place.
For children, it is not merely a matter of attending school, but of learning in
ways that make sense, and learning things that are relevant and useful. Today’s
world is complex and knowledge is growing at a fast pace--learning must go on
throughout life. Both children and adults need to know how to cope with change,
with many different relationships, with lots of information, and with diversity
and difference. So teaching and learning must give learners the
tools for life--education must lead to outcomes that are meaningful where
learners feel confident in using the knowledge and skills they .have acquired.
Education is also about developing behavior based on positive
values--understanding and respect for other people of all kinds, for their
rights, for the past and the future. This is education of high quality--only
education of this kind will lead to the many social and economic benefits which
countries and individuals hope for. Importance of quality
education in learning Learners--whether children or
adults--quickly react to the quality of education. Where the quality of
schooling is high, for example, parents are motivated not only to send their
children to school, but also to keep them there. Adult learners soon lose
interest in educational opportunities if they do not result in relevant and
useful knowledge. The quality of education is therefore a factor in ensuring
that education is accessible and meaningful to everyone. What
happens in the learning environment is also important. When the school is a safe
environment and is well-equipped, when teachers are well-trained and highly
motivated, learners are more likely to be able to achieve learning goals and
successfully complete schooling. An education of high quality
also means that individuals will develop their potential--education will make a
difference to the chances they have in life. In society as a whole, quality
education supports positive social change. It will enable people to progress
through effective learning outcomes--gaining the knowledge, competencies, skills
and behaviors which are essential for development. Current
challenges Measuring quality: this is a key challenge, so
that we can say with more certainty where and how the quality of education is
improving. We need better indicators and more of them, so that the different
aspects of quality can be assessed. Increasing the relevance of
education: irrelevant education means little to the learner and does not lead to
new opportunities in life. Education must be made relevant to the circumstances
of the learner--for example, exploring the local culture and way of life and
using local languages. It must also be made relevant to the opportunities that
are available--knowledge that can lead to further learning and to productive
work, whether locally, in the capital city or elsewhere. Quality
for everyone: this will mean special approaches for disadvantaged children and
adults, such as those in conflict zones and emergency situations, those with
disabilities, those in remote areas, orphans, abandoned children, and those
affected by HIV and AIDS. Many of these will not be able to receive a quality
education without special measures and attention to address their
needs. Reforming the education system: improving quality means
doing things differently, since current education systems in many places do not
provide quality learning. We must try every means to improve the quality of
teachers, reform teaching methods and create better school
environments. What governments should do
Increase the relevance of education by adjusting learning processes,
curriculum content and school management to take account of the context of
learning; Stress democratic citizenship, respect and human
rights as the most important values of education and take measures so that they
are developed at the school level and in other learning environments;
Emphasize sustainable development as the most important social outcome of
education, and link this to curriculum development and teacher
training; Take special measures to reach vulnerable groups; this
may include school feeding programs, itinerant (巡回的) teachers, health support,
materials and instruction in minority languages, measures for the
disabled; Improve the school environment with special attention
to the needs of girls in respect of safety, sanitation and the attitudes of
teachers; Strengthen the training, status and payment of
teachers in order to improve teacher performance and motivation;
Invest in books, materials and equipment to provide a stimulating learning
environment--at the very least, every child in school should have access to a
book which they can read for themselves; Develop accountable
management systems, particularly at school level, under a clear legal framework
and with appropriate capacity-building so that local information can feed into
decisions and planning; Continue research into measuring
quality, developing appropriate indicators and building local capacity to
collect and interpret local data. What funding agencies
should do Support research for a better understanding and
measurement of quality, in the diverse national and sub-national contexts,
through research studies and capacity-building; Support the
initial and in-service training of teachers as key guarantees of quality and
support studies into what quality means for vulnerable groups;
Act as a catalyst for dialogue at local and national levels, and between
them, on developing accountable management systems; Facilitate
exchange and lesson-learning between different countries and regions of the
world, for teachers, school administrators and other education
practitioners. What UNESCO is doing
UNESCO supports the promotion of quality education by emphasizing the
values that support it. It does this through: The Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development, which aims to make sure that education
presents ideas and values about building a sustainable future--one in which
individuals and communities can develop in full respect of each other, of the
world we live in and of future generations. The Associated
Schools Project Network, which gives schoolchildren the chance to learn about
the wider world and how the United Nations works. It also gives them the chance
to be in touch with others in different parts of the world. This builds respect
for diversity and difference and teaches teamwork and communication
skills. Education for human rights and peace, with materials and
events to make sure that quality education is a force for solidarity and
non-violence in today’s world. The cultural and linguistic
diversity program, which shows the importance of respecting diversity and of
building education on the richness of different cultures and languages; it also
promotes the use of local languages as the best vehicles of learning when
children start school and adults learn literacy for the first time: To acquire quality education, increasing the relevance of education is the most important thing that governments should do.