Higher Education and Research for Reaching the Education for All Goals

A Project of the International Association of Universities developed with the support of an international Reference Group and partial funding from the Swedish agency SIDA

Introduction• EFA?• MDGs?• United Nations Millennium Declaration, New York, US, 2000

• 8 MDGs: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger; Universal Primary Education; Gender Parity and Empowerment of Women; Reduce Child Mortality; Improve Maternal Health; Combat HIV/AID, Malaria; Ensure Environmental Sustainability; Develop Global Partnerships for Development

• Education First?• Initiative of the United Nations Secretary –General, 2012

• 3 priority areas: Put every child in school; Improve the quality of learning; Foster global citizenship

• Post-2015 Development Agenda?

What has changed?• Many programmes/projects/activities have taken and are taking

place• Progress has been registered in primary schooling and gender equity• Higher education was included in Ministers’ Statement (GEM, 2012)

BUT

• The United Nations’ Education For All (EFA) initiative is coming to an end in 2015

• But, according to the latest Global Monitoring Report (GMR), the 6 set objectives will not be met by 2015

• In some places, progress is receiding• Education is not as high on the global agenda as it used to be

(reason for the Education First Initiative)

Why higher education?• The higher education sector as a sector and in all its missions

has not systematically been involved in EFA until now• This does not include teachers’ training and individual

consultancies• To reach the EFA goals all the three primary missions

(teaching; research and community service) of higher education institutions can be of help

• The higher education sector is generally not aware of the initiative, issues at stake, and how to proceed to help

• The higher education sector will be or is already, impacted by:• A growing number of secondary-school graduates; • The quality of pre-higher education schooling; • Reforms of teacher education

What are IAU’s objectives?• To raise awareness of EFA within the higher education sector• To increase the level of involvement of the higher education

sector in EFA-related issues and in all three HE missions (not only teachers’ training)

• To improve the visibility of higher education’s role and activities in/for EFA within and outside the higher education sector, locally and internationally

• To create a higher education community for EFA• To help reach EFA• To help the higher education sector deal with the impact of

EFA : enrolment, quality, bogus universities, rankings, employment, brain drain, etc…

• Reflect and share its position on the post-2015 agenda

Visual for IAU ProjectAll age groups are offered and enjoy the possibility of education

What is the project doing?• Community Building• The IAU HEEFA Reference Group is composed of 30 people from

all regions of the world;Neerja Sharma, IndiaValtencir Mendes, Spain

• The HEEFA Portal aims to be the main-entry point for data collection and information on higher education projects, publications (in particular theses) and experts for EFA. www.heefa.net

• Published on a quarterly-basis, the HEEFA Newsletter reaches over 800 subscribers,.

Regions as represented within the Reference GroupVoluntary focus on Africa and all regions represented

+ 2 persons from IAU

AfricaAmericasAsiaEurope

What is the project doing?• Commitment Building• Development of a commonly agreed upon - and regularly

reviewed - project by representatives of the higher education sector from all regions of the world (Maputo Seminar, Paris Conference, and upcoming Ankara Seminar)

Experts’ Seminar, Maputo, Mozambique30 participants

Innovation Conference, Paris, France60 participants

What is the project doing?• Capacity Building• A three-step collaborative workshop was developed :

• to inform both the higher education community of what EFA is and the other EFA stakeholders of what higher education can bring to EFA,

• to subsequently identify local needs and higher education’s possible intervention(s), and

• to end with a commonly agreed upon document for a way forward.

What is the project doing?• IAU’s capacity building approach to involving the higher

education sector in EFA is:• Participant-centred

• Questionnaire/Workshops with IAU intervening only as facilitator• Inclusive

• All EFA stakeholders at the national level are invited• Based on Dialogue

• Mixed groups including every categories of stakeholders + HEIs• Commonly agreed-upon way forward

• Result-focused• All activities leading/aiming at the validation of a way forward

• Embedded in a process• Pre and post-workshop activities

• Local but not closed• With experts from other regions

Cuernavaca, Mexico100 participants, A Declaration, Several Groups of reflexion/action created, An annual

meeting planned and taking place

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso40 participants, Recommendations to Ministers, Follow-up workshop to be organized

Kathmandu, Nepal

Nairobi, Kenya

Main Results to Date• Growing awareness of the need to more systematically involve

higher education institutions at local, regional and international levels• Invitation to IAU to participate in EFA High Level Meeting in Jomtien,

Thailand in 2011.• IAU sits on the Coordination Group of UNESCO Collective Consultation

of NGOs for EFA for two years starting in 2012• IAU’s General Conference (Puerto Rico, November 2012) addressed:

Higher Education and the Global Agenda• UNESCO ‘s post 2015 agenda includes post-basic education (used as a

generic term that includes tertiary education)• Growing community of higher education for EFA• Follow-up of capacity building sessions are taking place• Mexico: Action plan taken up by Mexican governement• Burkina Faso: Considering the possibility of a follow-up session

Main Results to Date• But there is still:• Lack of information: the HEEFA portal is still empty, difficulty to

know who is doing what and where• Need for evidence-based data to evaluate progress to date and

consider possible ways forward• Need for higher education champions and advocates so that a

holistic vision of education that includes higher education be comprised in the post-2015 development agenda

Africa

Kenya: University of Nairobi

• Project: Education in Emergencies Specialization Programme• Keywords: Training Programme; Emergencies; Education• Objectives: • Build capacities of students, faculty, and practitionners to

respond to the educational needs of children and youth affected by crisis in East Africa and beyond

• Document, stock and share practices and policy innovations with the larger education in emergencies community

• Establish the University of Nairobi as a hub of expertise in East Africa in the field

Americas

Mexico: Universidad Pedagogica Nacional

• Project: Intercultural Bilingual Urban School• Keywords: Bilingual education; Culturally-sensitive education;

Urban schools; Indigenous populations• Objectives: • Preserve and make the most of local indigenous cultures;• Ensure quality education to children from indigenous populations• Ensure access for and improve success of children from

indigenous populations• Serve as a practicum school for research projects

Working with Indigenous CommunitiesUniversidad Autonoma del Estado de Cuernavaca

Arab States

Lebanon: Balamand University

• Project: University Students for Literacy• Keywords: Adult Literacy; Health• Objectives:• Provide mothers and young men in rural areas with the

opportunity to acquire reading and writing skills• Break the link between illiteracy, poverty and poor health• Teach students how to become responsible citizens by

participating in the development of their community• Create a bridge between the university and the community;

between urban and rural areas; men and women

Europe

Germany : Universität Hildesheim

• Project: Men in Primary and Pre-Primary Schools (Thesis)• Keywords: Gender; Primary Schools; Early Childhood

Education• Objectives:• Propose solutions to the issue of the lack of male teachers in pre-

primary and primary schools• Research the implications of a totally female-guided pre-primary

and primary school education

Asia

India : Lady Irwin College

• Project: • Keywords:• Objectives:

Expectations• The capacity building model facilitates interactions between

the traditional EFA stakeholders and the HE sector and is widely taken up as such or adapted

• Information on HE projects and research results is made available and accessible to all

• Research on pre and post-2015 issues is developing • Higher education institutions are given the means to better

interact with the other EFA stakeholders• HE institutions’ possible role in EFA is recognised and valued• The community of HE for EFA is expanding• More EFA goals are reached• The HE sector is prepared for EFA knock-on effects

Cuer

nava

ca, M

exic

o - 2

5-26

May

201

0

27

Today’s Workshop

Objective:Envisioning a global initiative (EFA) locally (Delhi)

Previous sessions: Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos,

Cuernavaca, Mexico ; Université de Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoTribhuvan University, NepalUniversity of Nairobi, Kenya

Participants: All local EFA stakeholders (universities; Representatives from the Government; schools; students; NGOs; UNESCO)

Aim: To collectively explore and develop a concrete tool to strengthen higher education participation in EFA at the local level.

Cuer

nava

ca, M

exic

o - 2

5-26

May

201

0

28

Today’s Workshop

First Day (morning session):- Opening- Learn more on the global EFA initiative (UNESCO) and

IAU Project on links between HE and EFA and its capacity building session

First Day (afternoon session)- Different stakeholders’ perspectives on local priorities to reach

EFA- Rotating workshops

Cuer

nava

ca, M

exic

o - 2

5-26

May

201

0

29

Today’s Workshop

Rotating workshops3 groups: the group you should join has been indicated to

you upon registration 3 topics (research; teaching/learning; community service);

1 per group3 rounds: Each group will attend the 3 workshops in turn

Aim: Discuss the results of the questionnaire and come up with a commonly approved set of priorities in EFA

Pre-validated answers: > 50% of total answers (Green). No discussion

Pre-rejected answers: less than 10 answers (Red). No discussion

In between are to be discussed (Yellow)Each group will be informed of and allowed to discuss and

change the choices made by preceding groups.

Cuer

nava

ca, M

exic

o - 2

5-26

May

201

0

30

Today’s Workshop

2nd day

- Presentation of the results of the Workshops- Higher education activities in EFA- Discussion on and drafting of a way forward in groups

- What are the key strategies to be put in place to improve HE’s role in EFA?

- Which principles, products, structures should be put in place to mobilize, develop, utilize, maintain, retain HE involvement in EFA?

- Hands-on session on the HEEFA Portal- Discussion on and drafting of a way forward in plenary

session

The summary of the discussions will be presented at the end of the meeting

IAU• IAU is a Membership organization. It has institutional, organisational, and

affiliates members in 120 countries • IAU Secretariat is located in Paris, France. It has been hosted by UNESCO

since its creation (1950)• IAU serves the higher education community worldwide and defends

academic values• IAU promotes knowledge sharing, collaboration and solidarity through

projects, statements, conferences, reference and scientific publications, and services.

• IAU functions with 15 permanent staff members, an elected Board composed of 22 persons and an Executive Committee composed of 6 persons, both with equitable regional/gender representation, plus all its Members on a voluntary basis

More at: www.iau-aiu.netMy contact: i.turmaine@iau-aiu.net