education

Education

Education and knowledge are fundamental prerequisites for development. They alone can provide people with the skills they need to shape their world. The right to education is a inalienable human right and much more. It is also a central means of enforcing human rights at all. Education and knowledge enable people to take action on their own issues and on behalf of the rights of others.

The 2008 UNESCO "Education for All" (EFA) global monitoring report confirms that considerable improvements have been observed in some areas of education. Strides have been made toward fulfilling the central goal of "primary education for all children" in particular. The report also points to an increase in the number of girls entering school worldwide, and improvements in international dedication to education. But there is still a lot to be done by 2015, the international EFA initiative’s target year. The "Education for All Development Index" (EDI) shows the successes and tasks facing international cooperation for education worldwide. According to the index, education for all has been achieved in almost all European and North American countries, but in only eight (of the 26 looked at) countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and only in one country in sub-Saharan Africa. 25 of the 129 countries observed are still a long way from achieving their goals – even if some have made significant progress over the past few years.

Considerable progress can be made in the areas of education if the international community works together. Inwent is doing its part to help fulfil the ideal of "education for all" via programmes both in and outside of schools. We support our partners in structural reforms that improve the long-term quality of education and sector management in their countries. This particularly applies to the areas of educational quality, budget management, HIV/Aids, and peace education. To best be able to improve the quality of teaching over the widest possible spectrum, we train those who educate teachers in the use of innovative (teaching) methods. Inwent encourages cooperation and a culture of peace. Lecturers at teacher training institutions and educators from non-governmental organisations develop conflict resolution strategies in our programmes. Respect and recognition of differences are the foundations of quality in the classroom and constructive cooperation within society. These can be taught in schools.

Solid, well-founded teacher education is also decisive in the fight against HIV/Aids. Teachers can provide important information and influence pupils` actions. They can turn schools into safe havens and contribute to the care of Aids orphans. Our dialogue and blended learning programme on the topic of education and HIV/Aids provides the teachers of tomorrow with an opportunity to prepare themselves to meet these challenges today.

Increasing education in developing and transition countries costs money. The Education for All – Fast Track Initiative (FTI) supported by the international community seeks to make additional funds available to national education budgets. This new approach can only enjoy success however if ministers of education in the countries involved have the skills to plan and manage realistic budgets.
Inwent has developed a number of programmes in cooperation with the International Institute for Educational Planning (UNESCO-IIEP), the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. They are aimed at providing employees at the ministries of education and finance in various countries with the know-how they need to create cost plans for education and properly plan and coordinate the educational sector from the central right down to the local level. Our “Managing Education Budgets in SADC Countries” programme for example teaches internationally tested methods of budget management to ministry of education and finance employees in Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.

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