Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education ...

PROCEEDINGS OF THE

Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME) Technical

Working Group Meeting

London, Marlborough House 8–9 June 2016

2 \ Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME) Technical Working Group Meeting

© Commonwealth Secretariat 2016

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Contents \ 3

ContentsAcronyms 5

Structure of the meeting 7

Wednesday 8 June 2016: Technical Working Group and selected partner organisations 8

Session 1: CADME objectives 8

Session 2: Implementing the Nassau Declaration Action Plan: progressing towards the

SDGs 13

Session 3: Implementing the Nassau Declaration Action Plan: progressing towards the

SDGS 19

Session 4: Strengthening collaborative working 24

Summary 28

Day 2, Thursday 9 June: Technical Working Group only 30

Session 5: Policy frameworks 30

Session 6: The relevance of education to the 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development 34

Session 7: Strategic priorities for the Commonwealth and the role of CADME:

taking the Nassau Declaration Action Plan forward 39

Session 8: Development of the CADME action plan 42

Session 9: Development of the CADME action plan 45

Appendicies 51

Appendix I - Participant List 51

Appendix 2 53

Appendix 3 56

Appendix 4 65

Appendix 5 67

Appendix 6 70

Appendix 7 71

Appendix 8 76

Appendix 9 78

Appendix 10 82


Appendix 11 84

Appendix 12 90

Appendix 13 92

Appendix 14 95

Appendix 15 99

Acronyms \ 5

Acronyms

ACU Association of Commonwealth Universities

CACH Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Health

CADME Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education

CARICOM Caribbean Community

CCEM Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers

CCF Commonwealth Curriculum Framework

CCfE Commonwealth Consortium for Education

CEC Council for Education in the Commonwealth

CHOGM Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

COL Commonwealth of Learning

CSFP Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan

CSO Civil Society organisation

CTEF Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility

DFID Department for International Development

DSG Deputy Secretary-General

EI Education International

EMAG Education Ministers Action Group

GPE Global Partnership for Education

HEU Health and Education Unit

ICT Information and Communication Technology

IEFG International Education Funders Group

MDG Millennium Development Goal

ODA Official Development Assistance

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

OECS Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States

PISA Professional International Student Assessment

SDG Sustainable Development Goal

TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training

TWG Technical Working Group

UNESCO United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

VSO Voluntary Service Overseas


Structure of the meeting \ 7

Structure of the meeting• Wednesday 8 June 2016: Technical Working Group and selected

partner organisations

• Thursday 9 June 2016: Technical Working Group only


Wednesday 8 June 2016: Technical Working Group and selected partner organisationsSession 1: CADME objectives

Welcome, introduction and context

The Chair, Mr Marcellus Taylor, Government of The Bahamas, welcomed

Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME)

Technical Working Group (TWG) members and partners, noting the important

presence of Mr Iowane Tiko, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Fiji

Islands, as the host of the 20th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers

(20CCEM). A round of introductions followed. The list of participants is attached in

Appendix 1.

Dr Joanna Nurse, Head of Health and Education Unit (HEU), Commonwealth

Secretariat, offered her welcome. She noted that the group has been established at

a significant time in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the

2030 agenda, and with the Commonwealth Secretariat adopting a more coherent

and proactive approach towards the global agenda. CADME’s work needed to be

framed in relation to the wider SDG agenda, as education has a role in relation to all

17 SDGs. We need to think strategically about how education can contribute across

the board.

Dr Nurse explained that the Education Ministers Action Group (EMAG) was

established from the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers

(19CCEM), held in June 2015 in The Bahamas. EMAG provides the HEU with strategic

direction in its education work and ensures momentum between CCEMs. CADME

reports to EMAG, and is tasked with taking forward the actions set out in the 19CCEM

Nassau Declaration. EMAG and CADME are structures that allow work to be taken

forward during the three-year intervals between CCEMs. The focus of CADME should

be on action and taking forwards areas of work to contribute towards ministerial

deliberations at 20CCEM.

Dr Nurse informed the meeting that the strategy and operations of the

Commonwealth Secretariat are currently being re-aligned in the light of the arrival

of HE Baroness Scotland QC as Secretary-General in April 2016 and the global

agreement of the SDGs. There will be an increased focus on working in partnership,

and a shift towards more strategic work such as the development of policy toolkits.

The Commonwealth Secretariat is modernising its ways of working, introducing

Wednesday 8 June 2016: Technical Working Group and selected partner organisations \ 9

innovations such as the Commonwealth Education Hub. Dr Nurse encouraged all CADME

members and partners to sign up to the Commonwealth Education Hub to maintain a

virtual group for ongoing discussions.

The Commonwealth Secretariat’s strategic plan is agreed by Heads of Government

and its governing board. Within this plan, education and health are instrumental to the

Commonwealth’s work towards social development outcomes. The HEU is responsible

for strengthening national policy frameworks to improve health and educational

outcomes, and for supporting capacity building for social development in member

countries, including through the health and education hubs. The Commonwealth

Secretariat can also support countries by long-term placement of experts on request.

The HEU has undertaken a review of the needs and demands of member countries, and

of the existing available tools. It is refining its work in the light of this review to minimise

duplication of effort. Ministerial demands on HEU are articulated through the Nassau

Declaration, authored by ministers at 19CCEM, which provides a mandate for action.

HEU’s approach is to pilot initiatives at national level and then to share them at the

international level, using the education hub to facilitate dissemination and collaboration.

Dr Nurse reminded the meeting that the HEU is small in terms of staffing and resources

but is capable of exerting high-level influence. For example, the Commonwealth can

play a powerful advocacy role in relation to the G7, G20 and United Nations forums.

The HEU is looking to CADME to inform and advise on how best to make use of this

strategic influence.

Dr Nurse noted that there is an equivalent group to CADME in relation to health: the

Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Health (CACH), which meets twice a year

to inform and add value to the annual health ministers meeting. CADME is looking

to improve on that model and HEU hope that CADME members will add to strategic

thinking and also agree to take forwards specific areas of work. HEU’s mapping of national

education policy coverage indicates that many member countries’ policies will lapse by

the end of 2017, so CADME’s discussions are timely. HEU is seeking to support policy

development across the cycle, from advocacy, through assessment and development, to

implementation. Policy toolkits are being developed with the intent of providing a flexible,

comprehensive policy framework to help governments develop and implement policy.

Dr Nurse’s presentation is attached in Appendix 2 and EMAG’s terms of reference in

Appendix 3.

The Chair thanked Dr Nurse and welcomed the strategic focus on policy, noting that

this is an area where many small states require support. The Chair urged all countries,

large and small, to support these efforts. Hosting 19CCEM was based on The Bahamas’

decision that it was time to contribute – to improve conversations, create linkages and

broaden ministerial engagement. We do not know if CADME will succeed but it is an

attempt to ensure that substantive action results from the Nassau Declaration. Success

will be determined by the actions of CADME, and all members and partners must commit

to this process. The Chair asked that the 10 countries involved do their best to ensure

consistency of representation on CADME and undertake sufficient preparation work for

future meetings to ensure progress and continuity.


CADME objectives

Mr Nasir Kazmi, Education Adviser, Commonwealth Secretariat, presented an

overview of the background to CADME’s establishment and its objectives.

Mr Kazmi explained that CADME was born from a consultation with Commonwealth

countries on the fringe of the UNESCO World Education Forum in Korea in 2015.

The meeting had agreed that a mechanism for Commonwealth engagement

between the triennial CCEMs was required. A proposal had been put to ministers at

the 19CCEM in the Bahamas in June 2015, and the plans for EMAG and CADME had

been endorsed.

CADME’s objectives were established as:

• to assist with SDG implementation (particularly that of SDG4);

• to assist and support EMAG; and

• to inform sustainable development in education by identifying appropriate interventions, strategies and sources of technical support.

EMAG met for the first time in January 2016 and further directed CADME to focus on

three key areas:

• advise on identifying and mobilising resources;

• develop partnerships and learning;

• assist the development of effective policy frameworks.

EMAG also agreed that in the first instance CADME should meet for two days, with partners invited to the first day. Country members would meet in camera on day 2 in order to agree on next steps.

Mr Kazmi extended his thanks to all the partners present for attending, especially the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the Department for International Development (DFID), Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Comic Relief, the British Council, Education International (EI), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the ‘Commonwealth family’: the Commonwealth Consortium for Education (CCfE), the Council for Education in the Commonwealth (CEC), the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility (CTEF) and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). He also thanked Professor Simon McGrath, School of Education, University of Nottingham, for his help in facilitating the process.

Mr Kazmi further set out factors for consideration in relation to CADME’s work, which include:

• an unfinished Commonwealth agenda in relation to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education for All (EFA)goals;

• the diversity of the Commonwealth’s membership;

• the potential for learning from one another within the Commonwealth, facilitated by commonalities in language and political structures; this extends to South–South, South–North and North–South learning;

• the breadth of SDG4, which covers the full spectrum of education;


• the financing target adopted in the Incheon Declaration of the 2015 World Education Forum and contained in the Nassau Declaration.

In addition, CADME should consider the following cross-cutting thematic areas,

which are informed by the overarching priorities of the Commonwealth Secretariat:

• health;

• gender-based violence;

• climate change;

• governance and trade;

• youth.

Mr Kazmi informed members that the intended outcomes for this first session

of CADME would be to arrive at well-defined next steps in relation to CADME’s

objectives, namely:

• partnerships and learning from each other;

• resource mobilisation;

• Commonwealth policy frameworks.

The Chair added that these outputs had been agreed by EMAG, which had requested

that CADME develop realistic and measurable approaches for resource mobilisation

and sustainable partnerships through:

• resource mobilisation at pan-Commonwealth and regional levels;

• recommendations of South–South and North–South partnerships;

• development of overarching policy frameworks;

• ensuring the wider relevance of education outcomes in order to support the delivery of all 17 SDGs.

Mr Kazmi’s presentation is attached in Appendix 4.

Responses and discussion

The Chair invited comment, encouraging partners in particular to contribute, as they

had been invited to offer their insights and provide robust dialogue.

UNESCO asked how the Commonwealth Secretariat planned to track the regional

and national (often cross-sectoral) SDG consultations taking place. UNESCO is

finding this a challenge. With regards to the issue of resource mobilisation, the

International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity (chaired by

Gordon Brown and often referred to as the ‘Brown Commission’) will be presenting its

report to the outgoing United Nations Secretary-General in September 2016. This

will be a significant process and ought to be tracked by CADME.

The chair agreed that it was important that CADME report to ministers on how we are

linking with existing processes.


Dr Nurse outlined that HEU is actively working to align its activities with other

processes and that Professor McGrath has already undertaken some mapping. She

hoped that the breadth of CADME’s membership and partners would help to identify

and, where appropriate, link with other processes. CADME might also consider

inviting specific contributions to future meetings from representatives of other

organisations or processes, should it be thought valuable.

St Lucia recommended that the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) be

considered as a partner. It has established strong working structures and a link would

help to extend CADME’s influence.

The Chair concurred and added that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and

the Caribbean Development Bank should also be considered. He encouraged all

members to think of suitable regional partners.

Professor Rebecca Hughes, British Council, observed that these outputs were a good

starting point but should be refined over time, not least because SDG4 is so broad.

The balance of efforts should perhaps be towards the contribution of education to

the wider SDGs. There is considerable complexity in harmonising thinking with the

various global responses to the SDGs. An explicit output for CADME might therefore

be to co-ordinate and advocate around these various outputs.

Ms Teresa Sguazzin, Comic Relief, drew the meeting’s attention to the International

Education Funders Group (IEFG) steering committee. The IEFG covers a wide variety

of private and charitable funders with differing viewpoints, but all are united in support

of SDG4. She also urged CADME to consider engaging with civil society organisations

(CSOs) at national, regional and international levels.

Ms Sguazzin also highlighted the importance and influence of the Global Partnership

for Education (GPE). Its timetables, plans and structures are very influential at

national level for those countries (including many Commonwealth countries) in

receipt of its support.

Mr Purna Shrestha, VSO, expressed its thanks to CADME for being invited to

participate and suggested that identifying and establishing CSO–government

partnerships be a stated output for CADME. There are many significant CSO–

government partnerships active in the Commonwealth, such as VSO’s partnership

with Tanzania. These should also be mapped. Young people are also major

stakeholders in education and should also be considered.

Professor Sirat, CTEF, pointed out that, in higher education, Malaysia hosts

campuses of UK and Australian universities, which helps to improve both access to

higher education and research output, with a shared research fund in place. This kind

of model should be captured in the resource mobilisation work.

Mr Dennis Sinyolo, EI, offered thanks for being invited to engage and was encouraged

that education was receiving due attention from the Commonwealth Secretariat.

This should be sustained. With regard to CADME’s outputs, resource mobilisation

efforts should focus on domestic resources, as overseas development assistance

(ODA) is a small percentage of education budgets.


EI also urged caution in developing a ‘Commonwealth Curriculum’ for the SDGs.

While education should indeed facilitate wider social, economic and environmental

progress, many countries suffer from curriculum overload.

In addition, EI argued that, while we need to demonstrate education’s contribution

to all 17 SDGs (not just SDG4, which is explicitly about education), we should also

articulate how the other 16 SDGs affect on education, for example those goals

relating to peace, infrastructure, sustainable cities, etc. We need a reciprocal process.

Dr Nurse responded that suggestions of regional partners would be welcomed and

the Commonwealth Secretariat is keen to support and build regional capacity. For

example, the CACH already works with regional partners. Members were invited to

submit suggestions by email. At the same time we should be careful not to expand

the size of CADME too greatly. We could consider inviting partners to specific

sessions in order to extend CADME’s reach while maintaining an effective size for

the group.

Dr Nurse clarified that CADME is the operational technical group tasked with

developing options for the EMAG to take forwards through advocacy at a strategic

level. The Commonwealth Secretariat and EMAG have acknowledged the importance

of sustainable development financing. Dr Nurse invited feedback from members and

partners on the financing policy brief produced by the Commonwealth Secretariat,

and for suggestions of the key messages to be articulated on financing. There is

a possibility that this will be presented to the Commonwealth Finance Ministers

Meeting by the Minister of Education, Government of The Bahamas, or by the

Commonwealth Secretariat.

Dr Nurse added that the Commonwealth Secretariat supports engagement with

CSOs, and noted a role for the Commonwealth Education Hub in facilitating and

developing partnerships. Youth engagement should be explored. A Commonwealth

Youth Health network has been established and an education network is

being considered.

In developing its work on ‘policy frameworks’, the Commonwealth Secretariat has

undertaken a review into current ‘gaps’ at national level. One such gap relates to how

countries synthesise and co-ordinate the range of different recommendations they

receive. Therefore, the aim is to help develop a high-level national policy framework

and a ‘Commonwealth Curriculum’ as a tool for countries to gauge national progress

and identify gaps in national policies. These are intended not to be mandatory

or prescriptive but rather to help inform national choices and signpost people to

other resources.

Session 2: Implementing the Nassau Declaration Action Plan: progressing towards the SDGs

Options for CADME: resource mobilisation and building partnerships

Professor McGrath presented on the options for CADME to consider in relation to

resource mobilisation and building partnerships.


Resource mobilisation

Professor McGrath stated that the financing world is changing rapidly in the light of

the SDGs and it is too early to chart clearly how processes will settle down.

At Nassau and Incheon there was a re-affirmation of national commitments to

financing (though these are not always being met). It should be noted that domestic

financing is not just provided by governments; we should include private sector

and civil society contributions. Aid to education is declining. From 2010 to 2016 it

has fallen by US$106 billion, of which $255 million has come from the budget for

the basic education sector. This is mainly accounted for by falls in bilateral aid. Sub-

Saharan Africa has seen the largest fall, with Tanzania and Uganda experiencing the

sharpest declines.

GPE has emerged as a major player, with 80 per cent of its funding directed to low-

income countries, of which half goes to fragile and conflict-affected states.

Private donors such as IEFG are an increasing presence and 80 per cent of private

donor support is directed to sub-Saharan Africa.

Some emerging priorities for education financing in the SDG era can be identified:

• Early childhood: this is a focus for the GPE and many private donors. It is interesting in that it mixes health and education.

• Education in emergencies and protracted crises: the Education Cannot Wait fund is to be launched in May 2017, with the ambition of raising US$3.85 billion by 2020 ($87 million has been committed, including $30 million from the United Kingdom). Humanitarian aid to higher education is also on the rise from actors such as the DFID/British Council and the Open Society Foundations Higher Education Support Programme.

• Secondary education: the SDGs, in giving equal weight to both primary and secondary education, have signalled a relative shift towards secondary education, which has been picked up by funders such as the World Bank, GPE and the DFID.

• Teachers and learning: teacher training and professional development is a priority for many private funders but there is limited collaboration in this area. The Brown Commission also has a strong focus on teachers. Teacher unions play an active, but contested, role in this area and it often provides a terrain for ideological debates.

• Learning assessment: the assessment of learning outcomes has come to be seen as a crucial means to measure progress and there has been a rise of national models, often led by civil society, such as ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) and Uwezo. The Learning Metrics Task Force was active in influencing the SDG process and a ‘Professional International Student Assessment (PISA) for development’ is being developed. This is in addition to the existing international collaborative models such as PISA and the Southern African Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ). Learning assessments are important to GPE’s strategy and are likely to feature in the Brown Commission’s findings. Having faded briefly, the learning assessment agenda seems to be resurgent.


• Post-school education: the SDGs stress higher education and post-school education, reflecting the considerable growth in education and training in recent years. This is an area where countries are leading and the donors are lagging behind. Donor neglect means that private donors (such as the MasterCard Foundation) have filled the gap to some extent. The DFID’s Education Division has now become the Youth and Education Division, however, which may signal the beginning of a shift. The African Development Bank has also invested in technical and vocational education and training.

The challenge for CADME is to try to understand this world and use Commonwealth

influence to nudge the system. For example, Malawi sits on the Brown Commission.

CADME might wish to consider where gaps in these processes might exist and where

the direction of travel might be supported.

Partnerships

CADME should consider whether we can support the values of partnership (not just

the technical exercise), and how we can support a complex web of partnerships.

CADME should also consider the different areas for partnerships as we move

forwards: knowledge, research, staff exchange, pedagogy, intervention, sectors (e.g.

oil and gas) and regions (which might be entirely or mainly within the Commonwealth).

The Chair thanked Professor McGrath and suggested that the emphasis should be

first on domestic partnerships and then on international partnerships.

Professor McGrath’s presentation is attached in Appendix 5.

Innovative approaches to mobilising resources

The Chair invited Mr Rob Whitby, Deputy Head, Education Policy Team, DFID, United

Kingdom, to present.

Mr Whitby clarified that the DFID has a partial view of the issues and that this

presentation does not put forward official recommendations.

Mr Whitby set out the financing issues we currently face. SDG4 represents a welcome

but massive extension of the education goal. The implications for financing the SDGs

over the MDGs include rapid population growth, the higher cost of raising learning

outcomes, the higher cost of reaching the most marginalised and the higher cost as

cohorts progress through the education system.

A number of global benchmarks for education financing have been articulated

through the SDGs, the EFA and Incheon declarations and the 2030 Framework

for Action.

The role of ODA is declining and will continue to decline, and post-secondary

education still receives the greatest share of ODA despite the needs of

basic education.

Possible solutions to the financing challenges include:


• Domestic financing: this should be the overriding priority. It will require a broadening of the tax base in many countries and the targeting of resource allocation towards social sectors including education. A focus on efficiencies such as eliminating corruption and improving governance will also be critical.

• International ODA: the volume of ODA may be an issue but so is the correct targeting of ODA depending on country needs and a focus on effectiveness.

– Non-traditional donors (private sector/philanthropic/foundations): we need to engage with this sector while also paying attention to issues surrounding tax, targeting, regulation and transparency. Governments and donors need to enable private flow but also to regulate and create norms and processes for engagement.

– Highly contested developments: controversial developments include the introduction of user fees (e.g. low-fee private schools, university fees) and the use of low-cost technologies. There have been missteps but they may hold significant potential.

In any situation it will be important to find the right mix of these solutions.

At a global level the Brown Commission is a key process with the potential to shape

the debate. It will report to the UN General Assembly in September and holds its next

meeting on 4 July. CADME could seek to influence this process.

Discussion points for CADME might include the following:

• Where are the financing pressure points?

• What innovative financing approaches are you using?

• How can the Commonwealth Secretariat and other international partners help?

Mr Whitby’s presentation is attached in Appendix 6.


Mr Peter Williams, CCfE, thanked the presenters for informative presentations that

shed light on wider global processes. He remarked that we must be careful not

to duplicate existing processes. The Commonwealth can play an important role,

however, in influencing international processes, as it did successfully in relation to the

negotiations around SDG4. We need to consider the Commonwealth’s comparative

advantage. The diversity of membership means that a Commonwealth perspective

can be useful and influential. Developing a Commonwealth position on the Brown

Commission and basing advocacy on that could be valuable.

Another area to explore could be the shift from basic to post-basic education.

The Commonwealth network in this field is strong, with ACU, COL, CTEF, the

Commonwealth Education Trust etc. enjoying more staffing or resources than

the Commonwealth Secretariat. The Commonwealth constituency needs to be

mobilised behind the Nassau Declaration. Care should be taken to avoid duplication

of efforts and to recognise the areas where the Commonwealth has traditionally been

strong, such as teacher education, teacher professionalism and mobility. It should


also be remembered that the donor landscape is changing, with countries such as

Kenya, India and Malaysia developing technical assistance programmes. We should

consider how these and similar players might figure in our plans.

Mr Dennis Sinyolo, EI, concurred that the Commonwealth had a real influence on the

development of SDG4 through its ministerial recommendations on the subject. It

was a very useful tool which EI (among others) used in engaging with governments.

This was enabled by pro-active Commonwealth action. Learning this lesson, we

should look for an intervention that will make a difference and be clearly identified

with the Commonwealth.

Potential areas for intervention include taking a lead on the scholarship target in

SDG4. This is a problematic target, as it is not equity focused and risks diverting

ODA away from urgent needs in basic education. However, the Commonwealth has

much good practice to offer in this area through the Commonwealth Scholarship

and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) and could help ensure a more progressive and effective

approach. The Commonwealth might also consider a focus on the abolition of

user fees for basic education, in line with the SDG commitment to free primary

and secondary education. Fee abolition has led to significant progress in access

to education in recent years, and EI and others are concerned about the equity

implications of the rise of low-fee private education.

The Commonwealth should also be aware of the next GPE replenishment round,

which is likely to take place in early 2018. We should be realistic about the prospects

of influencing the Education Financing Commission.

Mr Jordan Naidoo, UNESCO, agreed that the financing ‘pressure points’ identified in

the DFID presentation are critical and noted that a significant increase in financing,

chiefly from national governments, will be required to achieve the SDGs. UNESCO

has noted a worrying trend in pitting the differing sectors of education against one

another in the fight for resources (e.g. re-allocation of higher education budgets

to basic education). This must be guarded against. Financing is not a ‘zero sum’

calculation, and a holistic, rational approach must be adopted, with resources related

to coherent national policy frameworks.

Dr Belio Kipsang, Kenya, remarked that many countries are making significant

domestic commitments but that efficiency remains a serious challenge. Issues such

as high levels of teacher absenteeism mean that the returns on investment are not

being seen. It is important, therefore, that discussion of resource mobilisation focus

on questions of governance and efficiency in addition to the level of resourcing.

The Chair raised the issue of the responsibility of families towards resourcing

education. While in every country there will be some unable to bear the costs, should

we consider what some families can contribute? Small states suffer from high levels

of outward migration, having invested in individuals’ education. In The Bahamas,

around 60 per cent do not return from an overseas higher education.

Deodat Maharaj, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General (DSG), joined the

meeting. He offered apologies for not being able to join earlier. He had been

discussing the financing of the SDGs in a parallel meeting that offered an important


context for CADME’s discussions. He noted that an estimated US$1 trillion is lost to

corruption each year. ODA flows amount to roughly $150 billion annually, yet there

is a $3 trillion bill for the SDGs. The Commonwealth supports domestic resource

mobilisation but 31 of its members are small states, with a narrow tax base, and

an outflow of skilled labour. Over 50 per cent of Fijians with a higher education

are overseas. There was a passionate debate at 19CCEM in 2015 about private

finance and the right to education. Growth in the developing world has also been

accompanied by growing inequality.

As a result, there is a wider Commonwealth focus on innovative financing. We also

need to think of Commonwealth resources not in terms of the Commonwealth

Secretariat budget, but in terms of the resources of the whole Commonwealth family.

We can achieve progress but we need to think differently. We need to develop our

human capital to advance development, so we need to work smartly with partners.

For example, the Commonwealth Secretariat is pleased to work with the COL, an

effective member of the Commonwealth family. We are also pleased that 19CCEM

has produced EMAG and CADME as a way of maintaining our progress in education.

EI thanked DSG Maharaj for his remarks and especially the comments on corruption.

If the Commonwealth could support Commonwealth member states willing to tackle

corruption and tax regulation to increase domestic resource mobilisation, it could be

a great model for the entire SDG agenda

DSG Maharaj replied that 18 African anticorruption bodies met last week, with

Commonwealth support, and a similar initiative is under way in the Caribbean.

The CCfE noted EI’s suggestion regarding a Commonwealth lead on the scholarships

SDG target and suggested it be put to the CSFP Task Force.

Mr Nasir Kazmi, Commonwealth Secretariat, replied that the CSFP Task Force first

met in January 2016 with support from the ACU. The next meeting will be held in

Ghana in July 2016, with a final meeting in October 2016 to give recommendations to

EMAG. The EMAG chair has written to seven governments asking for their support to

the CSFP.

The CCfE also noted that efficiency relates not only to corruption. It is largely

about teaching group size and teacher load. Countries should focus on teaching

economically sized groups and make good use of specialised teachers. In addition,

while private money is a valid source of investment in education systems, the

Commonwealth could explore best practices about encouraging investment

but controlling the profit motive. Attention might also be given to regulating the

emerging rise of international education chains and the implications for controlling

national education systems.

Mr Iowane Tiko, Fiji, mentioned that Commonwealth scholarships have traditionally

been a valuable resource for governments in the Pacific region to develop human

capital. This has declined recently, leading to local debate, so it is encouraging to

hear the news that the CSFP is in good health. Fiji would also like to acknowledge

assistance received from Malaysia and others round the table towards Fiji’s human

capital development. Fiji would also like to express thanks for support received


from Australia, New Zealand and across the Commonwealth in recovering from

the devastating impact of Tropical Cyclone Winston and to highlight the ongoing

opportunity to adopt a school in Fiji (http://www.adoptaschool.gov.fj) to

support reconstruction.

Session 3: Implementing the Nassau Declaration Action Plan: progressing towards the SDGS

Building partnerships

OECD

Mr Andreas Schleicher, Director, Directorate of Education and Skills, OECD, presented

by video link.

Mr Schleicher said that he was proud that the SDGs put education front and centre.

There has also been a shift of focus from access to quality. Measuring SDGs will

therefore require the global measurement of learning outcomes. A large part of

the world is already involved in comparative measurement, which gives us a strong

starting point.

PISA currently covers 65–80 countries and is expanding to cover 120 in the next

cycle, including some developing countries. PISA assesses the learning outcomes of

half a million students every three years and focuses not on what they can reproduce

or what they do in school, but on how their knowledge and skills can be applied. PISA

is also currently developing an assessment for out-of-school children. The aim is to

measure both the learning outcomes and the long-term outcomes and economic

costs, with the ultimate aim of aiding evidence-based policy.

PISA attempts to provide answers about how we can look to improve education.

What are the policy levers that matter and how feasible are they politically

and financially?

High-performing systems share some common traits:

• Commitment to universal achievement: the message that all can do well regardless of the socio-economic position. It is good that equity has been strongly reflected in SDG4.

• Capacity at point of delivery: for example the recruitment and retention of teachers.

• Allocation of resources where they yield most return.

• Strong and well-balanced incentive structures and accountability measures.

The OECD has studied how PISA data have been used in countries. In Brazil the data

have been used to help drive rapid improvements in the system.

Mr Schleicher shared the OECD experience in developing successful partnerships.

The OECD has established several key principles:

• crowdsourcing and collaboration;

• achieving cross-national relevance: this is difficult but essential, especially with regard to literacy, which is a culturally bound concept;


• Incorporating and integrating different stakeholder viewpoints.

The OECD itself is a member of international partnerships and structures such as the

UNESCO Education 2030 steering committee and working groups, which will develop

and implement global and thematic indicators for education.

In developing ‘PISA for development’ the OECD has also helped forge partnerships

between countries such as Cambodia and the Republic of Korea, where Korea was

better placed to offer technical assistance than the OECD itself.

Mr Schleicher’s presentation is attached in Appendix 7.


The Chair thanked Mr Schleicher for his interesting presentation and urged CADME

to reflect on the lessons for successful partnerships.

The CCfE asked if the OECD has a manual to advise countries on signing up for PISA

that describes the costs and benefits and the process.

The OECD replied that advice was given through information packages and seminars.

The lesson is that you need to develop very tailored packages for each context and

invite countries to take a long time to evaluate the benefits and how results would be

used to inform policy and practice.

The British Council asked the OECD for reflections on what helps facilitate cross-

border working and what creates barriers.

The OECD explained that it is best to begin with strong shared professional interests,

such as common struggles with maths and science education. It is harder to develop

at a policy level, as it is mainly a domestic concern, but after 15 years the OECD can

now effectively bring together ministers and teachers unions to share and learn.

In the OECD’s experience, countries are enormously generous in sharing learning

and resources.

Datin Seri Dr Siti Hamisah Binti Tapsir, Malaysia, asked if there was a correlation

between the provision of early childhood care and education and improved

learning outcomes.

The OECD replied that intensity makes an impact, but the bad news is that it tends

to exacerbate rather than close the gap in social equity, as the better off tend to reap

the most gains.

Nasir Kazmi, Commonwealth Secretariat, asked OECD to elaborate on the Korea–

Cambodia partnership as a model for potential Commonwealth partnerships.

The OECD replied that Cambodia wanted to join PISA, but the OECD lacked the

capacity to advise on the local context. Korea was happy to help, as it understood the

culture and context. Korea then invested in Cambodia’s capacity to undertake and

make use of PISA. The OECD would be delighted to work with the Commonwealth

to provide instrumentation and advice on partnership models. Where partners

understand the local culture and context, they will be much better placed to be

effective than external advisors from the OECD or elsewhere.


EI asked OECD about the contextual factors, alongside teachers and resources, that

have an impact on quality.

The OECD replied that you cannot transplant policy but can try and identify the

ingredients that make a difference, such as the status of the teaching profession.

This varies and is only to a small extent related to pay. Teachers’ involvement in

formulating policy is also crucial.

EI also enquired about the unintended consequences of PISA data.

The OECD replied that all data have risks in that you value what you see in the data.

This tends to downplay social and emotional qualities. It is important to work with the

media to give a nuanced picture. Things have improved but there is still more work

to do.

The Chair thanked Mr Schleicher for his presentation and asked Mr Jordan Naidoo,

Director of Division for Education 2030 Support and Coordination, UNESCO, to

address the group on UNESCO’s learning in regard to building partnerships.

UNESCO

Mr Naidoo, UNESCO, reflected that a key principle in developing the SDGs had been

consultation and partnership. At one stage there was a danger that there might not

have been a standalone goal for education. The achievement of securing SDG4

demonstrates the success of the education sector working in partnership. The

commonality of purpose articulated in the Incheon Declaration, the SDGs and the

Commonwealth position provides a good basis for partnerships. The SDGs differ

from the MDGs by their emphasis on national action. The UNESCO Framework

for Action is not separate from SDG4 but advises on how to action SDG4. The

2030 agenda is comprehensive, holistic, aspirational and universal. It speaks to

‘life-wide’ education and will need to factor in the non-formal sector. The SDGs are

universal and are relevant to the diversity of the Commonwealth. A question for

the Commonwealth is how to look at the continuum of experience and progress.

Partnerships must be focused on equity, on leaving no one behind. It is also important

that we retain a focus on the overall goal of SDG4 and not be diverted by its many

targets and indicators.

Education may well be disrupted by technology both in the classroom and elsewhere

in the education system. This will require new partnerships to be developed.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is developing a separate

subregional framework to monitor SDG4. The Commonwealth should remember

the importance of subregional partnerships for the SDGs. Partnerships must also go

beyond governments and include CSOs and other actors. The education community

must also beware lest the many new initiatives develop in silos. How do we break

these silos down to create linkages with other sectors? How do we target policy

support on cross-sectoral initiatives?

In evaluating our partnerships we must consider not only the outcomes achieved but

the value-added of the partnership itself. It is also important to make sure that global

partnerships engage at country level, as the GPE does in a way its predecessor, the

Fast Track Initiative (FTI), failed to do.


UNESCO, like the Commonwealth, is being careful to prioritise and not duplicate

effort in this new landscape. UNESCO is focusing on gaps identified in areas such as

technical and vocational education and training (TVET), skills and higher education. It

will not abandon other areas but will rather engage selectively where it can add value.

It is also important for UNESCO to link its global work with the ground consultations.

UNESCO is also convening the expert group on education indicators and has formed

a new Education 2030 steering committee, which includes regional bodies. The

Commonwealth Secretariat should consider engaging as an observer.

Mr Naidoo’s presentation is attached as Appendix 8.


The Chair asked Professor McGrath to help frame discussions.

Professor McGrath identified two key changes brought about by the advent of

the SDGs:

SDGs are a ‘step change’ from the MDGs: the SDGs are not business as usual in scale

or ownership. They imply a complex ecology of partnership. National governments

have the first responsibility for implementation, donors and international agencies

less so.

Leaving no one behind: the challenge has grown and been expanded. Education as

a human right means education for everyone and we must expand our notion of

quality, looking to lifelong learning.

Professor McGrath noted that lots of international initiatives are under way. As the

Commonwealth, we should ask:

• What is the point of the Commonwealth doing something? We need a map. What is happening? What should we be aligning to?

• There is a global consensus on the agenda, so there is room for a Commonwealth contribution. The Commonwealth can subscribe to everything, but chose to do something focused within that.

• Why would the Commonwealth try to mobilise resources? To what end?

Paul West, Commonwealth Secretariat, suggested that the SDGs require a massive

increase in access, not incremental change. The use of open educational resources

could be a key mechanism for increasing access and reducing costs. Purna Shrestha,

VSO, noted that the SDGs are cross-cutting and this means we have to broaden

partnerships beyond ministries of education to include ministries of health etc.

Ms Teresa Sguazzin, Comic Relief, urged that we do not become fixated on private

sector funds. They are part of the funding ecosystem but are a relatively small part of

it and will not replace public sector funds. All countries and agencies have signed up to

human rights treaties and to the progressive realisation of rights, implying free access

to education. The question is: what is the unique angle the Commonwealth can

bring? Does it lie in the range of experience? For example, lessons might be drawn

from positive deviance; for example, Kenya spends less per child in education than

South Africa yet has better outcomes. The first-line partnerships should look to the

available skills in CSOs and academic institutions internationally and within countries.


EI asserted that the universal nature of the SDGs is important for the

Commonwealth. This is no longer a developing country agenda. It is now also a

domestic issue for developed countries and the Commonwealth should hold all

members to account on progress. This would include developed Commonwealth

members sending education ministers rather than international development

officials to the relevant meetings.

The Commonwealth can also learn from the success of universal primary education

policies during the MDG era. Technology has an important part to play but it should

not replace teacher–student interaction. It is a tool rather than an end in itself.

Electrification is as big an issue as internet access for many; both must be seen as a

package. A report on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in

education and rights is to be released shortly and should be of interest to CADME.

Sonny Leong, CEC, added that there had been no discussion of the importance of

learning materials, both in English and in indigenous languages. The Commonwealth

could have a role in encouraging local publishing as opposed to importing expensive

textbooks. This should be put forward to education ministers.

Peter Williams, CCfE, asked that, in developing options for cooperation and

partnerships, CADME should bear in mind who the potential partners are and the

type of assistance or partnerships that would be appropriate. For example, this

might be co-ownership of projects, the commissioning or subcontracting of reports,

platforming or advocacy. It would be useful for partners and members to have a clear

picture of the planned activities of the Commonwealth Secretariat, COL and others

in order to help identify opportunities for collaboration.

Professor Rebecca Hughes, British Council, offered its thanks for being involved in

CADME and said that it has developed toolkits for its schools’ work, which incorporate

SDG4, and that it would be happy to share them with others, and to offer support to

CADME in general.

Jordan Naidoo, UNESCO, added that we should be aware that many PISA

assessments were financially based. UNESCO also enquired how the Commonwealth

Education Hub might be used to facilitate South–South partnerships.

VSO endorsed this idea and noted that knowledge sharing works best when

facilitated. VSO would be happy to help the Commonwealth Secretariat with

facilitation of knowledge sharing or exchanges of personnel as appropriate.

Mrs Mayadevi Soonarane, Mauritius, reminded the meeting that it is important not

to ignore country experience. Peer learning can be very powerful. CADME can also

synthesise existing research findings. This can be very valuable to countries for

understanding how to influence their policy.

Mr Iowane Tiko, Fiji, related that a persistent challenge has been in applying a rigorous

monitoring framework, and that this has contributed to the gaps in achieving EFA. Fiji

urged the Commonwealth Secretariat to consider support to the Pacific islands to

monitor and improve policy implementation.


Dr Alfred Van Kent, Namibia, observed that the analysis of different investment

decisions would be extremely valuable to inform policy choices and increase

efficiency. In TVET, Namibia has successfully mobilised resources for specific

subsectors through partnerships with the private sector. It would be useful to learn

from an analysis of what has worked in other countries.

The Chair summarised the session with a call for members to think broadly about

partnerships beyond the traditional North–South model. He offered the example of

a recent Commonwealth meeting in Kenya in which The Bahamas was able to share

good practice on vetting teachers and also to learn from the broadcasting centre and

the Kenyan curriculum development centre. As Commonwealth countries, we share

a common language and similar systems and institutions. This means that research

is likely to be more useful across the Commonwealth, as will the chance of navigating

the macro-political system.

Session 4: Strengthening collaborative working

Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility

The Chair invited Professor Dato Morshidi Sirat, Director, CTEF, to present on the

experience of the CTEF.

The CTEF is a means of sharing best practice. Its key functions are:

• data collection, research and policy papers on higher education that would be of interest to all member countries;

• institutional, country or regional projects that may be funded by a client or the CTEF itself;

• contract advisory and consultancy projects fully funded by a donor, a government or a university client: CURRENT clients are the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for work in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region.

The CTEF’s core business is collection and dissemination of information, collation of

best practices, providing advice to governments, and collating, analysing and sharing

the latest global developments with the higher education community through

its website.

The CTEF is based on a network model. Network partners are the ACU, COL and the

University of the West Indies.

The CTEF was established with a five-year business plan, after which it aims to

become self-sustaining. The facility is largely funded by the Malaysian government

and also earns income through consultancy work. It has been disappointing to note

that consultancy clients so far have been non-Commonwealth; Commonwealth

governments have yet to contract in the CTEF’s services.

Professor Sirat’s presentation is attached as Appendix 9.

The Chair thanked Professor Sirat and asked Dennis Sinyolo, Senior Coordinator:

Education and Employment, EI, to address the group.


Education International

Mr Sinyolo expressed his intention to focus his presentation on the potential for

Commonwealth partnerships with teachers.

In the Education 2030 framework, governments committed to social dialogue with

teachers’ organisations in the development of education policy. This is a critical

measure and points the way to how governments and teachers can unite to work

towards the SDGs. EI, representing 30 million education employees worldwide, is

inviting partnership with governments:

• Work together to raise awareness of the SDGs: many teachers were completely unaware of EFA/MDGs after 15 years (according to EI’s survey of 15,000 teachers). This is basic but important. EI has been running regional seminars to disseminate information and encourage teachers to engage in national advocacy around the SDGs.

• Involve teacher organisations in mainstreaming SDGs into the curriculum.

• Involve teacher organisations in monitoring and reporting: EI has established an SDG observatory and is working to support teachers and school stakeholders as whistle-blowers to report bad practice or abuse.

• Provide institutionalised mechanisms for policy dialogue with teacher organisations: is this something that the Commonwealth could champion?

• Involve teachers in the development of national indicators to:

– ensure that they are broad and relevant to the country context;

– cover both qualitative and quantitative indicators;

– address concerns over the narrowing of the SDGs’ intent through indicator choice, as has happened with the global indicator for target 4.1.1. Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.

EI also invites partnerships at regional and global levels to:

• collaborate on the development of appropriate regional indicators;

• ensure the participation of teachers and civil society in monitoring and review processes;

• facilitate dialogue, such as through the International Summit on the Teaching Profession in conjunction with the OECD and ministers of education.

EI also has recommendations for strengthening its collaborative work with

the Commonwealth:

• Include the Commonwealth Teachers Group in the ministerial segment of CCEMs. The current Teachers Forum and statement to ministers are welcome but not sufficient or equal to the dialogue enjoyed elsewhere (such as the International Summit on the Teaching Profession).

• Revisit the Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol (CTRP). This is an area where the Commonwealth had a lead. The CTRP was used as model for engagement with the International Labour Organization. It is a shame that it is not being followed up.


• Hold joint side meetings at major SDG events such as the High Level Political Forum in 2019 that will review SDG4, or the Global Education Meeting in 2018.

• Share strategies, key messages and tactics.

• Support and validate EI’s work on teacher professionalism: there is potential to develop a single Commonwealth or global framework.

Mr Sinyolo closed his presentation by voicing EI’s appreciation of the long-standing

collaboration it has enjoyed with the Commonwealth Secretariat and the hope that it

will be strengthened in the future.

Mr Sinyolo’s presentation is attached as Appendix 10.

The Chair endorsed the value of engagement with teachers, sharing recent

experience in The Bahamas of working together on an industrial agreement from

the outset. This meant a slower process but led to a smoother passage when

implemented and less antagonism in the long run.

Commonwealth of Learning

The Chair then invited Dr Godson Gatcha, Higher Education Specialist, COL, to

address the meeting by video conference.

Dr Gatcha thanked the meeting for the opportunity to present. He complimented

the CTEF on its impressive programmes. The shortage and questionable quality

of PhDs in developing countries is a major obstacle to expansion that needs to be

addressed. He expressed disappointment that greater and more varied funding

is not available to the CTEF and called for Commonwealth advocacy to broaden

its funding base, including support from the Commonwealth Secretariat and

Commonwealth associations.

Responding to EI’s presentation, Dr Gatcha praised EI’s efforts to educate teachers

about the SDGs. We need to agree collectively whose role is it to ensure that the

primary agents of change are aware of SDGs. How much has changed from the

MDG period? We need to consider what can be done to infuse the SDGs into the

curriculum. Teachers will be driving the SDGs on the ground; we need to motivate

them to take a lead. We need to equip learners with 21st-century ‘soft’ skills for

sustainable development. As a Commonwealth we have moved from development

to learning for sustainable development, leading to improved livelihoods. Education

must be transformative if it is to be helpful.

COL thrives through its partnerships. Its work could not happen without partnerships

with ministries of education, agriculture and health. COL has a limited budget,

which means leveraging partners to achieve more. It develops memorandums of

understanding and works on a project basis with partner(s) on identified common

outcomes. COL works to build and leverage communities of practice. For example,

COL’s work on mobility and transnational qualification frameworks means bringing

together quality standards bodies at a national, regional and global levels to produce

recognition of standards.


COL has had a successful partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat

to undertake interventions in universities in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and works

closely with UNESCO. Can CADME come up with a framework for outcomes-

based partnerships?


Mr Kazmi, Commonwealth Secretariat, stated that the Commonwealth Secretariat

has had a successful collaboration with COL on quality review and improvement

of four universities in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Guyana and Seychelles. He thanked the

Malaysian government for its support of CTEF as a demonstration of successfully

taking forward a mandate from CCEM. He also thanked Universiti Sains Malaysia and

Professor Morshidi for their contribution and leadership.

In response to EI, Mr Kazmi recognised Mr Sinyolo’s long association with the

Commonwealth Secretariat. The Commonwealth Secretariat is open to revisiting

the work on the Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol, and has also worked

recently on the issue of teachers in conflict and post-conflict situations. EI raised an

important issue about the lack of awareness of the SDGs at school level.

Dr Amina Osman, Commonwealth Secretariat, informed the meeting that the

Commonwealth Secretariat is developing a Commonwealth curriculum framework

as an auditing tool for national governments. A series of modules for teachers on

the SDGs is being developed as a response to a request from Fiji. Fiji will also pilot the

initiative, training officials as well as teachers. Dr Osman also suggested that, when

considering migration from small states, research should also explore the benefits of

remittances as part of the equation.

The Chair added that considerable research exists regarding remittances, and that a

review of the existing research may be more appropriate.

Ms Sguazzin, Comic Relief, suggested that the funding organisations within the

IEFG with a focus on Commonwealth countries may be interested in supporting

Commonwealth initiatives. The IEFG is a disparate group and does not broker

funding agreements, but Comic Relief would be happy to share news of CADME with

the group.

Mr Peter Williams, CCfE, thanked the Commonwealth Secretariat for the inclusion

of partners and asked that any plans that emerge from the meeting also be shared

with partners so that they can react and engage. It might also be useful to solicit

information from partners on their own activities with which the Commonwealth

Secretariat or others might engage. The CCfE suggested that Commonwealth

organisations would be glad to help if given clear opportunities.

The Chair suggested that CADME needs to move towards more permanently

integrating partners into our work given the evident strength of their contribution and

the potential for collaboration.

Ms Madhu Sethi, India, agreed with the need to integrate our international partners

and requested that partners document any offers and proposals for partnerships for

CADME to consider.


The Chair invited the ACU to provide an update on the CSFP.

Dr John Kirkland, ACU, explained that scholarships are ideal for five reasons:

1. They have the active support of ministers from 19CCEM.

2. There is a specific target to be met by 2020.

3. They affect specific and real people. For example, there are 31 Commonwealth Scholars from the Solomon Islands, of whom our delegate from Solomon islands, at the table, knows 12. The CSFP has benefited 35,000 scholars to date and contributed to national development efforts.

4. They are an area where the Commonwealth has an established reputation.

5. They happen in the name of the Commonwealth but the Commonwealth Secretariat does not have to pay for them.

The United Kingdom, New Zealand, India and Brunei all support the CSFP. Kenya and

Malaysia also contributed to the £7 million 50th anniversary endowment fund. It is

funding PhDs even in developing countries.

A CSFP Task Force has been established to expand the CSFP’s impact and will

produce a report to EMAG in October 2016. The forthcoming 20CCEM and

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), both in 2018, and the

approaching 60th anniversary represent an opportunity to expand the CSFP and put

funding support on a more permanent footing. One objective might be to expand the

number of joint awards.

SummaryThe Chair invited Professor McGrath to sum up the day’s proceedings.

Professor McGrath summarised the key points of discussion as follows:

The final session of the day clearly demonstrates that the Commonwealth

does practical things well, including in partnerships such as those with EI. The

Commonwealth has a track record on teacher and health worker migration. This

might be an area of comparative advantage. The Commonwealth has a long history

of scholarships and has had an impact on both scholars and host institutions. The

commitment of Malaysia to doctoral education will be increasingly important with the

expansion of higher education.

Professor McGrath asked what we can do as CAMDE, noting that:

• All present are part of multiple networks.

• National governments and civil society have primary responsibility for carrying action forwards. The Commonwealth Secretariat will only ever have a secondary role.

• We need to consider the fundamental question of what the Commonwealth angle on the global or regional issues is.

• Recognising that the Commonwealth does a lot already, we need to decide whether to build on these or to concentrate limited resources on fewer things.


Given that the Commonwealth Secretariat is secondary, and that resources for the

education and the SDG agenda are already being mobilised by others, it is important

to map the existing processes, as both the Commonwealth Secretariat and countries

need to be well informed.

There is a process challenge for CADME to decide who is in the conversation and

who is out. It has been valuable today to have a conversation massively enriched by

partners. We have also discussed how responsibility and change lie with a broad range

of actors. CADME should seek advice from EMAG about who should be in the room

in future.

CADME needs to decide on what practical things it makes sense for the

Commonwealth to do. Is it something no one else is doing? Or is it something that

the Commonwealth can do better than others?

The challenge is to identify, by the end of tomorrow, what we can do in a

Commonwealth space to advance progress to SDG4.

The Chair closed the meeting expressing hope that CADME could at least come

up with a formula for how we can work to good effect rather than working without

impact. The Chair offered warm thanks to all partners for attending the first day of

the CADME TWG meeting and expressed the hope that we would welcome them

again soon.


Day 2, Thursday 9 June: Technical Working Group onlySession 5: Policy frameworks

The Chair opened the second day of meetings by welcoming the United Kingdom Department for Education (DfE), whose representative had been unable to attend the previous day.

Ms Lorna Bertrand, DfE, apologised for her absence yesterday, having been called away at short notice. Ms Bertrand explained that, as Assistant Director of International Education at the DfE, she works closely on international issues with both the British Council and DFID, which were represented yesterday. She is also chair of the UK PISA governing board.

The Chair set out the aim of making progress on Day 2 in a smaller and more intimate group, without partners present.

Commonwealth Education Policy Framework

Mr Nasir Kazmi, Commonwealth Secretariat, presented the progress on the

Commonwealth Education Policy Framework, noting that three colleagues from the

recent pan-Commonwealth consultation held in Kenya were present.

Item 18 of the Nassau Declaration from 19CCEM provides a mandate for the

Commonwealth Secretariat to develop a policy framework. This was done taking

into consideration the desk research undertaken on education policies in the

Commonwealth and the global policy framework agreed in the SDGs and Education

2030 Framework for Action.

The intention is to produce a high-level framework for countries to use as a reference

or benchmark. A draft framework was developed by the Commonwealth Secretariat

and reviewed at a pan-Commonwealth consultation meeting held in Kenya, 3–6 May

2016. Feedback from this meeting was fed into the draft shared with CADME. It will

be refined again after this meeting and with further feedback from senior officials

from 13 countries who participated in the Kenya consultation. The revised draft will

be presented to the next CADME in October 2016 and then the final version will be

presented to EMAG in January 2017.

The Kenya consultation was useful in refining the draft framework and defining:

• the cornerstones: access and equity, quality, relevance, sustainability;

• the enablers: governance, knowledge, advocacy, capacity;

• the life course elements: early childhood care and education, primary education, secondary education, technical and vocational education, training and skills, tertiary education, and adult education and learning.

Day 2, Thursday 9 June: Technical Working Group only \ 31

The Commonwealth Secretariat is also auditing what UNESCO, bilateral agencies, development banks and others are doing, to avoid duplication. Among the life course elements, it is important to give TVET the significance it deserves, considering the number of Commonwealth citizens who are under 30 years of age, the high dropout rate from basic education and the level of adult illiteracy.

The four enablers have been further unpacked:

• governance: requires political will, legislation, policy and regulation, strategic planning, financing and organisation;

• knowledge: requires research and development, innovation, monitoring and evaluation, and dissemination and uptake;

• advocacy: requires leadership and ethics, social mobilisation and community engagement, and communication.

• capacity: requires standards and accreditation, educational professional development, curriculum, infrastructure and technology;

The aim is to produce a framework for sustainable development for all, to equip

learners for:

• innovation, growth, social cohesion, migration and new technologies (quality learning outcomes);

• globalisation and knowledge economies (learn skills for the jobs of today and the future).

This should be underpinned by evaluation and assessment (a coherent framework

with the capacity to conduct and interpret evaluations).

The following considerations will be taken into account when developing the next

draft of the framework:

• assessment of challenges on a national and regional basis;

• analysis of international good practices in challenging environments;

• analysis of policy frameworks prepared by other international organisations and/or donors;

• relevance to SDGs;

• relevance to the four Commonwealth priorities of gender-based violence, youth, governance and trade, and climate change;

• issues of enabling education delivery.

Mr Kazmi’s presentation is attached as Appendix 11.

Roundtable on Commonwealth Quality Standards

Datin Siti, Malaysia, Chair of the Roundtable on Commonwealth Quality Standards

held on 6 June, reported on the outcomes of the roundtable meeting and

e-discussion:


The meeting set out to look at an overarching policy rather than specific

mechanisms. There was some discussion of whether the meeting should address

‘standards’, ‘principles’, ‘values’ or a ‘framework’. The work of the roundtable is

intended to support the development of the Commonwealth Policy Framework.

There is more work to be done on definitions. There is no global or Commonwealth

consensus on what is meant by quality education. Some in the roundtable meeting

questioned whether this was needed, as most countries have their own standards

and quality assurance mechanisms. The Roundtable, however, has been asked

by EMAG to develop Commonwealth standards for quality and it was agreed to

be valuable to share best practice and combine key standards across system

components and from cradle to grave.

The roundtable identified common attributes of quality:

• aspiration (for students, of the system);

• equitable (inclusiveness);

• empowering;

• appropriate (to the needs of the nation and for the learner; this is a real challenge given variation within and between Commonwealth countries);

• effective (outcome based);

• wellbeing and safety (both physical and emotional);

• sustainable (curricula addressing climate change, sustainable funding models).

At a system level, quality relates to the enablers identified in the Commonwealth

Education Policy Framework:

• governance: e.g. enabling the private sector while ensuring suitable regulation;

• knowledge;

• advocacy;

• capacity: teachers, infrastructure etc.;

• life course: boys’ low participation in higher education is a common theme; it is also important to explore flexibility in provision of education and in the transition between TVET and secondary/tertiary stages.

The next steps for the work of the Quality Roundtable will be to deliberate further on

this week’s discussion and any feedback from this meeting. The next draft will then be

presented to the next CADME in October 2016 and to EMAG in January 2017. From

there, we hope to take the work forwards with partners.

Datin Siti’s presentation is attached as Appendix 12.


The Chair thanked the presenters. He added that indicators of quality related to the

absorption rate into economy (possibly looking at employer-led definition of skills

required to be ready for employment) are problematic, as many countries, including


small states, do not have economies able to absorb labour even if learners are ready.

There needs to be a greater emphasis on the impact of society on education. Forces

external to the education sector can often have a large impact.

The Chair invited further discussion of the quality issues raised in the presentation,

asking members to reflect on where CADME should stand on the choice of quality

‘standards’ versus ‘principles’ or ‘guidelines’, considering how different actors might

respond to these different terms.

Mr Tiko, Fiji, responded that in a multicultural community there is a danger that

‘principles’ might be perceived as open to interpretation by different cultural or

religious groups in different ways. ‘Standards’ implies they apply to all and are

nationally or internationally agreed.

Mrs Soonarane, Mauritius, recognised that this is a challenging topic, as ‘quality’ is

abstract and holds different meanings for different people. We should note how

international discussions of quality have moved from inputs, to process, to results. In

a competitive, results-based world, learning outcomes matter. Learning outcomes

should cover the knowledge, skills, attitude and values needed to function in society

and economy and with a concern for the environment. They are therefore not limited

just to cognitive outcomes. No single measure can capture quality. Literacy and

numeracy measures can distort teaching and learning towards narrow objectives.

The challenge is to maintain holistic education while focusing on quality. Quality is a

moving target; what we mean and how we measure it can shift. Teachers have been

mentioned, but school leadership is a critical factor and has not been sufficiently

addressed. On balance, Malaysia would support the use of the term ‘standards’.

Mr Khodra, St Lucia, also favoured the term ‘standards’, noting that ‘standards’ are

all-encompassing, including principles and guidelines.

The Chair concluded that the group is in favour of ‘standards’, as it is more definitive,

whereas there is concern that use of the term ‘principles’ or ‘guidelines’ may

create uncertainty.

Dr Nurse, HEU, Commonwealth Secretariat, discussed the ‘attributes’ of quality

education that emerged from the roundtable meeting. CADME has been asked to

arrive at six attributes. There is not time in this meeting to describe each component

now, but this will need to be done. The intent is to produce a two-page proposal for

presentation to ministers at 20CCEM that will be supported by other documents.

A long list of attributes was translated into a top six by the Quality Roundtable.

CADME members are invited to comment on these six and whether anything should

be added. Advice is appreciated on the precise wording and the development of

high-level definitions for each attribute. We then need to ensure coherence between

these definitions and the policy framework.

A key piece of future work is to develop a 6- to 12-page paper to support each area

and description and translate the meaning of the attributes across the system.

Volunteers or nominations for potential contributors are invited. The attributes also

need to be mapped onto the SDGs and their associated indicators.


The Chair suggested that CADME have time to reflect on the above and send

comments to the Commonwealth Secretariat by email.

Malaysia volunteered to assist in developing these documents, with the

CTEF’s assistance.

Session 6: The relevance of education to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Education and the wider SDGs

Professor Simon McGrath presented to the meeting on the relationship between

education and the SDGs as a whole, noting that the first Global Education Monitoring

Report, due in September, will explore this issue in detail.

The EFA/MDG era focused on primary education’s contribution to development

and downplayed the contribution of other sectors. While there is a clear correlation

between education indicators and some development indicators, this does not mean

causation or capture the complexity of the impact of wider social factors. There is a

danger that too great an emphasis on the role of education in tackling poverty can

ignore wider structural issues. Education can be set up to tackle inequality and be

blamed when it fails.

The SDGs, however, invite us to think about the wider linkages between education

and other areas of development:

SDG1, No poverty: there is a huge literature on education and poverty. It is

accepted that education builds human capacity and capabilities and has a beneficial

intergenerational effect.

SDG2, Hunger: there is controversial evidence around education’s impact on

agricultural productivity, as well as its links to better eating decisions and health

practices related to food. Target 2a makes mention of agricultural extension. Should

this sit with the ministry of education or of agriculture?

SDG3, Health: there is strong evidence on positive correlations between education

and health as well as the contribution of higher education to medical research

and training.

SDG5, Gender: again there is strong evidence of education’s correlation with

increased economic participation and less discrimination in the labour market, as well

as contributing to empowerment and raised aspirations.

For the remaining goals the evidence is less well developed:

SDG6, Water: there is a correlation between education and better practices in relation

to hygiene and water usage.

SDG7, Energy: education provides (re)training in alternative energy sources and

technology, and community education in sustainable energy use.


SDG8, Decent work and economic growth: education contributes to growth,

productivity, competitiveness and the skills for paid work and for the negotiation of

better work conditions. NB: target 8.6 is about reducing the numbers of young people

not in employment, education or training – an education target at least in part.

SDG9, Industry, innovation, infrastructure: education underpins innovation and builds

skills to encourage investment and to deliver infrastructure. Targets 9.5 and 9.6 are

related to higher education in that they address scientific research capacity.

SDG10, Inequality: education can reduce inequality within and between countries,

make inequality fall by raising incomes, increase the ability to mobilise politically to

reduce poverty, and bring about a reduction in individual and community behaviours

that produce inequality.

SDG11, Sustainable cities: education facilitates community action, thus increasing

the likelihood of sustainable community activities, drives local economic

development and encourages citizen action on pollution and the problems of urban

life such as crime.

SDG12, Responsible consumption and production: education promotes more

sustainable consumption patterns, facilitates sustainable production practices and

supports transitions towards carbon-neutral communities. Target 12.8 addresses the

need for information to build awareness and change practices and target 12a is about

building scientific capacity.

SDG13, Climate action: education increases environmental awareness and supports

more sustainable management of ecosystems. It promotes engagement in climate

activism, helps communities in building resilience to environmental and climate

shocks, and assists in the adoption of new livelihood practices that respond to

climate change (target 13.3 stresses the role of education in this).

The benefits listed above for SDG13 also apply to SDG14, Life below water, and

SDG15, Life on land.

SDG16, Peace/justice: education promotes human rights and strengthens inclusive

and participatory decision-making. It supports tolerance of diversity, helps avoid

conflict, promotes post-conflict healing and reconciliation, restrains corruption and

promotes effective justice systems.

SDG17, Partnerships: education builds the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are

essential to effective partnerships at all levels. Education builds public awareness of

the SDGs and increases the likelihood of politicians and officials being held to account

for SDG delivery. Target 17.6 addresses research capacity needs.

It is also essential to recognise that education is not just about schooling:

• Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is a vital underpinning for sustainable human development.

• All goals include elements that require adult learning/awareness raising.

• Vocational education and training provides skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for all goals.


• Higher education contributes to research and the production of pro-sustainable development professionals across the goals.

The question for CADME to return to is: so what? What should ministries of

education do? How much is their territory, and how much support should be offered

to other ministries?

Education is of cross-sectoral importance and this needs to be communicated clearly

in national development strategies and in interministerial working. Schooling needs

to be aware of key national priorities and deliver cross-SDG messages. Ministries

of education need to communicate insights about adult, vocational and higher

education to ministries responsible for other SDGs.

Professor McGrath’s presentation is attached at Appendix 14.


The Chair thanked Professor McGrath for a thought-provoking presentation, adding

that he had not yet given much time to thinking through how education ministries

need to support other SDGs. The Chair noted that non-formal and informal

education had been a recurring theme, and was not extensively covered by most

international organisations. CADME was invited to think how the Commonwealth can

support thinking in this area to support the SDGs.

Ms Constance Nasi, Solomon Islands, responded that the presentation reiterates

the centrality of education to the entire SDG agenda. This demands integration and

coherence of effort, and education ministries must play a role in leading this.

Commonwealth Curriculum Framework for the SDGS

Dr Amina Osman, Commonwealth Secretariat, set out the rationale for the

development of the Commonwealth Curriculum Framework (CCF). This is based

on the recognition of the importance of education for sustainable development by

ministers at 19CCEM and the universal, integrated, transformational and ambitious

nature of the SDGs.

The CCF’s purpose is to:

• promote qualitative improvement in the human condition;

• support countries to address all 17 SDGs through education;

• develop successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens;

• build resilience and promote Commonwealth values;

• assist stakeholders involved in planning and delivering learning across all sectors and settings.

Education is central and essential to sustainable development, and the SDGs

demand greater synergies between education and other sectors. Education

is a driver of progress at the individual, societal and economic levels and a key

determinant of social and economic transformation. Education can also equip

learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills and values needed to be a global citizen.


For education to be of good quality it must be relevant. We need to define what this

relevance is. It should cover both cognitive and non-cognitive skills. The relevance of

learning begins, but does not end, with the curriculum.

The curriculum includes the core knowledge, skills and competencies for learners of

all ages. The ‘ASK’ model emphasises attitudes, skills and knowledge, and implies a

broader approach than focusing on measurable learning outcomes.

Competencies, understood to cover knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, can be

classified as:

• subject competencies: knowledge, facts, definitions, concepts, systems;

• methodological competencies: skills, fact-finding, analysis, problem-solving;

• social competencies: communicating, working interactively, citizenship;

• personal competencies: attitudes, values, ethics.

The CCF adopts a life course approach to assist learners to develop the skills they

need for learning, life and work in an evolving world with ever-emerging challenges.

Dr Osman outlined how the CCF would look, by giving an introduction covering the

rationale, relevant international policy frameworks and purpose of the framework.

The CCF itself will provide a two-page framework for each SDG.

The CCF is designed to be a flexible, non-prescriptive tool to guide countries on

defining the basic requirements related to knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that

must be demonstrated or acquired in order to achieve the objectives of the SDGs

through education and within the current or evolving policy contexts. It is a basis for

the adaption, review and reform of existing curricula.

Dr Osman then set out the process and next steps to deliver the CCF:

• It will be demand driven, with continuous feedback from countries.

• A piloting and validation exercise will be undertaken with Fiji.

• It is an evolving process that includes flexibility to address emerging issues.

• Tools will be developed according to demand by countries e.g. cross sector initiatives health-education/climate change-education/radicalisation etc.

• There will be an assessment of learning outcomes on climate change (Fiji).

• A module addressing radicalisation will be developed through the curriculum (Kenya).

• There will be training on the SDGs (Fiji, Tuvalu).

• It will have effective learning environments.

• Guidelines on using the curriculum framework will be developed.

• A technical meeting (end June 2016) will look at the content and identify priority/key areas for development.


Ms Osman’s presentation is attached in Appendix 14.


Dr Nurse, Commonwealth Secretariat, added that this is a conceptually ambitious

project. It aims to translate the 17 SDGs into the classroom to help create citizens

and a workforce able to take them forward. At a recent meeting David Nabarro,

UN special advisor on 2030, called this a unique contribution and a potentially

transformational tool. The idea is that it will help countries to identify what they want

to take forward as a high-level tool for planning and prioritisation. This may then lead

to the development of a more in-depth tool. This will begin with the assessment of

learning outcomes based on the modules already developed and the development of

new modules on issues such as radicalisation.

Paul West, Commonwealth Secretariat, urged that as materials are developed they

should be released on an Open Educational Resource/Creative Commons licence.

This would allow the free uptake and adaptation of the materials, in turn leading to

better quality. Using Creative Commons means that materials can be downloaded

and adapted. Attribution will be given to the original developer and the adapted

materials can be shared with the wider world. The Commonwealth Secretariat can

provide information on which licence to use. These materials are developed with

public money, and this system means that we are not paying many times over for

adaptations to the materials. The Commonwealth Secretariat will share information

and examples of good policy in this area via the Commonwealth Education Hub.

The Chair, with the agreement of members, requested that an output of the meeting

be a short paper about the benefits of Creative Commons licensing and Open

Educational Resources, and how to take forward work in this area.

Ms Nasi, Solomon Islands, requested that assessment also be featured in the work

on a Commonwealth Curriculum, including the linkages between stages. National

challenges with implementation and guidance on how implementation can be staged

should also be considered.

Dr Osman, Commonwealth Secretariat, replied that the curriculum has to be

contextualised and is a guideline against which to audit national curricula to identify

gaps and priorities for future work.

Ms Bertrand, United Kingdom, commended the progress of the Commonwealth

Curriculum but cautioned that this should be a demand-driven exercise, as

curriculum reform is often a difficult and much negotiated process. The United

Kingdom was also interested to hear that the Commonwealth is the only forum doing

work in this area. The OECD works extensively on assessment, including PISA for

development, and the Commonwealth is recommended to explore linkages with

existing multicountry assessment tools such as PISA, the Progress in International

Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and the Trends in International Mathematics and

Science Study (TIMSS).

Ms Osman noted this recommendation and replied that linkages will be explored as

the focus moves towards the assessment stage.


Professor McGrath suggested that the Commonwealth might extend its ambitions

on assessment in the future, looking to behavioural science assessments of changes

in attitudes.

Dr Kipsang, Kenya, voiced support for the Commonwealth Curriculum and stated

that Kenya is exploring how to socialise children to understand and act on the SDGs.

Mrs Soonarane, Mauritius, also commended the Commonwealth Secretariat on

this initiative, noting its value to governments. The Commonwealth Secretariat

is requested to complete the table on page 7 of the document, with the learning

outcomes expected at each level. This would be useful to inform the development of

curricula at a national level.

Session 7: Strategic priorities for the Commonwealth and the role of CADME: taking the Nassau Declaration Action Plan forwardThe Chair urged the meeting to focus now on developing an action plan to carry

forward the Nassau declaration.

Simon McGrath suggested that members remind themselves of what they want to

achieve and how they will address that over the time available

Progress against the Nassau Declaration Action Plan

(The full Nassau Declaration Action Plan is attached as Appendix 15.)

Ministers are expecting us to address:

1. Spirit of sharing

1.1 Sharing good practice

The Chair asked whether CADME members are happy that the Commonwealth Education Hub is the only mechanism or we want something else.

Ms Bertrand, United Kingdom, suggested that the group could help facilitate policy exchange. The United Kingdom would be happy to accept approaches from ministries to facilitate study visits to ministries, schools etc. if we could look at various countries hosting or through the use of ICT options. We could consider a thematic focus for part of each meeting to discuss. A network like this has possibilities, keeping the touch light.

Dr Nurse observed that CADME and EMAG are likely to be the only mechanisms that continue between CCEMs, but that their purpose may be further refined at 20CCEM.

Mr Kazmi related that learning opportunities between countries were evident at the recent workshop in Kenya. CADME might consider agreeing priority thematic areas for policy exchange.

Partnerships and resources

CADME needs to decide what it might want to do further on partnerships.

On resource mobilisation, does CADME want to engage with the Brown Commission through Malawi’s membership or by some other means?

Request contributions from partners to enable delivery of Nassau actions


Mr Kazmi suggested that EMAG technical officers would be viewed as having a regional role. For example, The Bahamas and St Lucia could take forward an approach to OECS and CARICOM.

CADME needs to decide on the mechanism for representation of regional organisations.

2. Cross-Commonwealth education developments

2.1 Facilitating collaborations

CADME needs to develop a stakeholder engagement plan. This should developed by the end of July or middle of August. This might also benefit from the consultations being undertaken by COL with a range of stakeholders over this period.

Commonwealth mobility

Messages are to be developed regarding the CSFP for the Secretary General’s input to the ACU Conference of University Leaders in July. The CSFP Task Force will present to the next CADME in October 2016.

3. Policy frameworks

The process for refining the policy framework prior to its presentation to the next CADME in October has been discussed. Feedback was invited from this now or later by email. More time for discussion of this item will be allocated at the next meeting to allow its finalisation and presentation to EMAG in January 2017.

Mr Kazmi noted that one Idea from the Kenya consultation was to develop monitoring or regional and national workshops to get some reaction and feedback (over July–August) from three or four champions among those who participated in the consultation. CARICOM has expressed an interest. This should allow a stronger draft document to be presented to CADME in October.

There is a parallel process for the Commonwealth Curriculum Framework. Countries are invited to support pilot initiatives to continue to develop the curriculum framework.

4. Scholarships

The CSFP Task Force will meet in Ghana in July and again in October before reporting to the next CADME Meeting. As for 2.2 (mobility), messages are to be developed regarding the CSFP for the Secretary General’s input to the ACU Conference of University Leaders in July.

5. Research collaboration

India has initiated a process to support research collaboration, including a proposed Chair for Cross-border Education at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, and is currently undertaking consultations on the best way forward. Responses are requested before the end of August so that ACU can assist in developing suitable terms of reference. India will advise on what CADME can do to support.

The Chair asked if CTEF can be used in some way to help support collaborative research. What mechanism could be put in place to make people more aware of opportunities and to facilitate collaboration? Might the ACU conference in July be an opportunity for dissemination?


6. ICT and teachers

• 6.1 CTEF

• Professor Sirat summarised that the CTEF’s limited resources needed to be carefully focused. Currently the focus is towards the Pacific and Africa (where there is a shared concern over the number and quality of PhDs). Working with other regions is proving more difficult. The Caribbean is a struggle, while India has the domestic resources and expertise. The Government of Malaysia is providing resources, but the CTEF is also having to take on consultancy work in line with its business plan. These currently cover non-Commonwealth countries.

• 6.2 Innovations in ICT

• More substantial session on the Education Hub will be planned for the next CADME meeting. The Commonwealth Secretariat is working well with COL; this will be reported on at the next CADME.

• 6.3 Distance learning (overlap with above)

• India is providing e-learning platforms to host courseware from COL. The development of online learning platforms and massive online open courses (MOOCs) has been initiated. The posting of learning materials in the national digital library is also planned; this is to be coordinated by COL. India requested that these initiatives be shared widely, including via the Commonwealth Education Hub.

7. Looking to the future

ACU Conference of University Leaders, Accra, Ghana, 27–29 July: Recommendations

from CADME about the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s inputs have

been requested. Ministers from Ghana, Kenya, Namibia and Botswana will also

be attending.

8–13

Teacher standards: the Commonwealth Secretariat can draw on prior work on teacher standards. What should CAMDE do next? There is a July meeting of the UNESCO Teacher Taskforce, which might help inform the decision. EI mentioned that it is developing global minimum guidelines; could and should the Commonwealth align with these?

Policy briefs: the Commonwealth Secretariat is overseeing the ongoing production of policy briefs and related hub discussion groups. CADME is invited to provide input to and peer review of these papers, especially those covering financing and cost-effective approaches. CADME input is also invited for the background papers on the attributes of quality identified by the roundtable meeting on quality. The Commonwealth Secretariat is seeking tangible collaboration on this initiative.

14. 20CCEM

CADME will need to produce a report of its activities and recommendations

for 20CCEM.

15. Advocacy

CADME needs to decide on its role in advocacy, including how this relates to EMAG.


Dr Nurse suggested that the main action is around advocacy on financing for health

and education and producing a summary of ‘asks’ for finance ministers. There is the

potential that this may be presented by the Minister for Education, The Bahamas,

or the Commonwealth Secretary-General to finance ministers in September. The

Commonwealth Secretariat is inviting feedback from CADME on the key messages.

Dr Nurse also enquired if CTEF might provide review the existing policy briefs. She

also encouraged feedback from each region to strengthen and add a Commonwealth

flavour to the briefs, in particular those on financing and effectiveness and on

climate change.

Professor McGrath concluded that there was still a need to concretise actions around

the two key issues, partnerships and resource mobilisation, and that these should be

addressed in the next session. There is also a process issue to resolve around the role

of CADME and its membership in relation to non-governmental partners.


Mauritius requested that a database or survey of partner initiatives be created to

allow members to judge the value of potential partnerships and whether these should

be with the Commonwealth Secretariat or CADME. A similar approach might also be

useful to document country-level good practices.

Nasir Kazmi, Commonwealth Secretariat, noted that the meeting had also called for

the mapping of relevant national, regional and international processes, and requested

the assistance of CADME members about the national and regional processes.

Session 8: Development of the CADME action plan

Partnerships

The Chair opened the final session, which addressed partnerships, with a call to think

of partnerships broadly. This might include partnerships between countries as well as

those with the Commonwealth Secretariat and external partners. CADME also needs

to consider which partners should be part of future meetings.

Dr Kipsang, Kenya, encouraged the development of regional partnerships, and the

promotion of scholarships and especially professional fellowships, including those

between ministries.

Ms Sethi, India, suggested that CADME consider inviting other member countries to

the next meeting as observers in order to broaden engagement.

The Chair reminded members that CADME was tasked by EMAG with identifying and

recommending South–South and South–North partnerships.

Dr Van Kent, Namibia, suggested a good starting point would be to identify valuable

existing partnerships in our regions, and to suggest which might be potential partners

for CADME.


Dr Nurse, Commonwealth Secretariat, suggested the Commonwealth Education

Hub might be used to facilitate partner visits, whether virtual or actual. The United

Kingdom has offered to explore the possibility of hosting a school visit, or a discussion

with relevant officials, around a thematic session of the next CADME meeting.

The Kenyan representative asked if CADME might develop a ‘Commonwealth

package’ of assistance so that member countries are aware of cost-effective

assistance that might be available.

The Chair suggested that it would be useful to develop a schematic to help CADME

with the different ways in which it might think about different partners and how it

might want to work with them. CADME needs to consider the different levels, types

and depths of partnerships.

Dr Nurse asked Alex Wright, independent consultant and member of the CEC,

to outline the work already under way to map partners and Commonwealth

organisations and consult with them.

Mr Wright explained that the Commonwealth Secretariat had held a consultation

meeting with Commonwealth associations interested in education and that a follow-

up process was under way, co-ordinated by CEC, the CCfE and the Commonwealth

Secretariat. This should help identify Commonwealth associations interested

in partnering with CADME and able to do so. Mr Wright also said that he was

currently taking forward an assignment for the COL to assess the feasibility of an

Education Forum meeting in connection with the 2018 CHOGM in line with Heads of

Governments’ wishes as set out in the previous CHOGM communiqué. This process

will include consulting with Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth partners on

emerging trends and priorities to ensure that the proposed forum adds to the global

conversation on education and does not duplicate existing efforts. The results of this

work will be shared at a consultation meeting in London in late September 2016

Mr Tiko, Fiji, urged that CADME and its partners consider how it can support

the workforce on the ground, including both ministry officials and teachers, to

deliver results.

Professor McGrath suggested that we might think in terms of different levels of

CADME engagement. Issues for CADME to decide on include which partners to

invite and how; encouraging and identifying partnerships; supporting or brokering

processes without taking them over; and country-level support, which might then

need some resource.

Mrs Soonarane, Mauritius, shared the example of successful Francophonie

collaboration on regulating private sector actors. It started with studies, which then

developed into a multi-lateral agreement with six countries, coordinated by La

Francophonie. This offers a potential model through which CADME might address an

issue that concerns a subgrouping of countries.

India highlighted its offer of 75 scholarship/fellowship places through the

Commonwealth under the Indian Technical and Cooperation (ITEC) programme as an

example of country-to-country partnership, although it has had a low uptake.


Datin Siti, Malaysia, also highlighted its international student scholarships programme

(not specifically Commonwealth) and science programmes. There is also an

accreditation programme as well as instructional design and curriculum design.

The Chair suggested that we link these programmes with the CSFP to

improve dissemination.

Dr Nurse drew members’ attention to the forthcoming ACU Conference of University

Leaders in Ghana in July. The Commonwealth Secretary-General will be attending, as

will university leaders from across the Commonwealth. CADME has an opportunity

to think through and inform the message the Commonwealth Secretary-General

should convey at the conference, for example around expanding scholarships.

The Chair suggested that the CSFP scheme might be more flexible and consider

looking at undergraduate as well as postgraduate awards. This flexibility would

benefit the smaller countries, both as recipients and as contributors to the CSFP.

There are many advantages to South–South scholarships given the similarities

between Commonwealth countries and significantly lower living costs than in

Northern countries.

Paul West, Commonwealth Secretariat, cautioned that it was also important to

ensure cross-border recognition of qualifications. COL’s work on transnational

qualification frameworks is important here. If we are taking expansion seriously then

we must pay attention to recognition of qualifications.

Ms Nasi, Solomon Islands, stressed the importance to small countries of ensuring

that national qualification frameworks are aligned with international standards.

Kenya’s representative also raised concerns around exploitation in English language

testing and teaching in preparation for higher education, and wondered if the

Commonwealth should help regulate this.

Resource mobilisation

Professor McGrath reminded the group that we have already highlighted the major

global initiatives aimed and mobilising resources for education. CADME needs to

consider what is needed to resource our activities, and what other efforts we need to

be aware of.

The Malaysian representative responded that it is challenging to raise funds and we

therefore need to prioritise. We need to focus on issues such as first-time graduation

and teacher attrition rates. Implementation, political will and capacity building are key.

The Chair observed that teacher standards and protocols may help teacher

attrition by ensuring proper pre-service and in-service education and training

and performance management. Activity in one sphere can have an impact in

other spheres.

The Chair asked members if CADME could respond to the Nassau Declaration on

domestic financing to support the influence of education ministries to secure a

greater share of domestic resources.


Dr Nurse reminded the meeting that this effort might include the presentation of the

education financing policy brief to Commonwealth finance ministers.

The Solomon Islands representative observed that, domestically, education receives

a good share of government funding. However, the budget is also dependent

on donor funding, and the conditionality of donor support and implementation

schedules can create problems.

Professor McGrath asked, when CADME reports to EMAG/CCEM, do we want to

engage with international processes? How do we want to respond to the ‘half-

offers’ from Comic Relief and the IEFG? Should we seek a meeting with a group of

prospective (non-traditional) funders to share with them Commonwealth concerns

that tend to get lost in global priorities?

The Chair also noted that work linking education with the wider SDGs might appeal to

non-traditional donors. For example, on climate change we could explore ideas such

as developing prototypes for low-impact schools that might attract non–traditional,

non-education donors to the sector.

Dr Osman, Commonwealth Secretariat, added that the Commonwealth Secretariat

is looking at some of these areas. There is a stronger case when it is demand driven.

A partner has been identified to develop a policy brief on sustainable infrastructure.

Dr Nurse informed members that the Commonwealth is developing a Climate

Finance Hub based in Mauritius.

The Kenyan representative said that Kenya has undertaken significant work in

developing schools as centres of peace.

The Chair suggested these examples and others could be collated to demonstrate

the many ways school could address the SDGS. Is there potential for a

Commonwealth model for an SDG school?

Session 9: Development of the CADME action planThe Chair urged members to make commitments about what we will do over a

specified time. He also asked members to try to maintain a consistent presence on

CADME and speak to ministries to see if we can avoid undue rotation of personnel.

CADME has already identified a number of activity points to address, leaving aside for

the time being how they might be resourced:

• Share good practice.

• Engage with partners:

a. Commonwealth Secretariat to consider which partners should be involved in next meeting and in what manner.

b. Survey members to map potential and existing partnerships.

c. Integrate CADME’s work with the Commonwealth Education Hub.

• Mobilise resources:

d. How do we support national advocacy for domestic resourcing?


i. Identify means of building domestic capacity, such as through the Harvard University training course for ministers, or guidelines and training at regional level, perhaps in partnership with a development bank.

ii. Explore the availability of The Bahamas Minister of Education to act as advocate at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting.

iii. Produce a template for capacity-building needs.

iv. Identify possible partners to present to the next CADME and/or EMAG meetings, such as the Caribbean Development Bank, International Institute for Educational Planning, Education Financing Commission etc.

e. (How) do we influence existing international processes such as the Finance Commission, Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education replenishment?

v. Do we advocate for a place for the Chair of EMAG in these processes?

vi. Or

vii. First research potential intervention points and timelines for these processes and offer them back to CADME/EMAG for a decision and then

viii. invite the Education Financing Commission and GPE to present to the next CADME meeting?

f. (How) do we want to build relationship with non-traditional funders?

ix. Invite IEFG to present to the next CADME (TBC).

x. Develop proposals targeted at non-traditional funders (TBC).


Mauritius added that CADME should use the Commonwealth Education Hub to share

best practice and also monitor the longer-term benefit of the Hub to ministries of

education. Mapping should also cover countries’ flagship programmes. This could

help identify areas of comparative advantage for the Commonwealth.

The UK representative expressed discomfort with national-level lobbying for

resources. This risks complicating relationships with member governments. CADME

should not go beyond promoting the best evidence and good practice.

Dr Nurse, Commonwealth Secretariat, reminded members that advocating domestic

financing is a request from EMAG based on the Nassau Declaration.

The Chair suggested that advocacy focus on using resources effectively and

supporting the skills and capacities of ministries of education to make the case for

increased sectoral funding, bearing in mind that there is often a high turnover of staff.

Mr Kazmi, Commonwealth Secretariat, stated that the Commonwealth Secretariat

is in contact with Harvard University. Harvard runs a programme supporting health

ministries with skills development and may be expanding this to education. CADME

might consider inviting Harvard to present to CADME/EMAG.


The representative from Mauritius shared an example of domestic good practice:

annual business plan meetings within the Ministry of Education at which budgets are

shared and presented.

The Malaysian representative added that in many countries, including Malaysia,

there is a good domestic allocation of resources and the challenge is to clearly

demonstrate return on investment to maintain this allocation. Support with suitable

mechanisms for demonstrating impact might be considered.

Professor McGrath mentioned that a UNESCO/International Centre for Technical

and Vocational Education and Training (UNEVOC) hub discussion has led to some

good research on return on investment, best practice and application.

The Chair turned the group’s attention to the work on quality standards.

Malaysia’s representative notified CADME that the Ministry of Higher

Education would work with the CTEF to hold workshops on the policy briefs and

Quality Roundtable outcomes. These results would be presented at the next

CADME meeting.

Mauritius offered to explore the possibility of inviting the Commonwealth Climate

Finance Hub, based in Mauritius, to the next CADME.

Professor McGrath highlighted four additional items on which to agree action.

The Commonwealth Policy Framework is under development. It has been

workshopped in Kenya and will undergo further consultation over the coming

months. It will be presented to the next CADME meeting and will then be shared

with EMAG.

Mauritius requested that an implementation framework table be added with specific

outcomes and outputs.

The Chair asked that the Commonwealth Policy Framework be circulated to

CADME before the next meeting in good time for comment before it is presented.

A small group of countries also needs to be identified to develop and test the

implementation framework.

Fiji, The Bahamas and Kenya agreed to be part of this group.

Professor McGrath summarised the process in relation to the Commonwealth

Curriculum Framework. This has been workshopped and will undergo testing in Fiji. A

progress report and draft will be presented to the next CADME meeting. Tuvalu, The

Bahamas, Kenya, Malaysia, Rwanda and South Africa have all expressed interest and

will be attending the next meeting.

Professor McGrath also summarised the process and discussions relating to

scholarships. CADME needs to decide whether or not to engage the CSFP, possibly

through the CSFP Task Force. There will be a follow-up to the letter sent by the

Minister of Education, The Bahamas, urging fellow ministers to support the scheme. It

was also agreed to invite the CSFP to present to the next CADME meeting, with prior

information to be sent in advance to inform the CSFP presentation to EMAG.


Professor McGrath also summarised the decisions in relation to research, with India

to circulate a concept note regarding research collaboration opportunities, clarifying

whether or not this is a pan-Commonwealth initiative.

The Chair added that the intention is to have a draft plan for CADME with goals and

timelines by the end of June.

Mr Khodra, St Lucia, suggested that this should also include a monitoring and

evaluation framework.

The Chair asked that members provide a realistic level of commitment to the actions

described and take responsibility for part of the plan within realistic bounds. Members

will have an opportunity to comment on the draft plan.

20CCEM

Mr Tiko, Fiji, asked the Chair for permission to update members on preparations for

the 20CCEM, to be hosted in Fiji in early 2018. Preparations are under way and the

Prime Minister’s approval is in place. The two likely venues, Nadi and Suva, are being

assessed, and Fiji is in touch with the Commonwealth Secretariat to prepare for the

first planning visit, The theme for the conference is under consideration.

Fiji extends the warmest invitation to all Commonwealth members. It looks

forward to having them in Fiji. Fiji is still recovering from the impact of only the

second ever category 5 tropical cyclone, and the impact will still be visible in 2018.

Fiji acknowledges the assistance provided to reconstruction and adoption of

schools by India, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. The cyclone devastated 495

schools and 195 early childhood centres. Fiji asks the Commonwealth Secretariat

to keep its antennae out to find those who might help adopt a school and

support reconstruction.

Fiji thanked CADME members for the opportunity to share and looks forward to

future meetings.

The Chair replied that The Bahamas is very happy to support Fiji in its preparations

for 20CCEM.

Next meeting

The Chair informed that the next meeting of CADME is scheduled for October 2016,

and will take place at Marlborough House, London. Exact dates are to be confirmed.

Future meetings may take place in other member countries. The next meeting may

be extended to three days, with less general discussion and more concrete proposals

to develop, with an expectation of homework.

The Chair thanked all members for their contributions and urged them to make the

extra sacrifice to ensure that CADME has an impact.


Agreed actions

Commonwealth Quality Standards

The group is in favour of the use of the term quality ‘standards’ rather than ‘principles’ or ‘guidelines’ in

relation to the Commonwealth Secretariat’s development of Commonwealth Quality Standards.

• The Commonwealth Secretariat invited CADME members to comment on the six ‘attributes’ of quality identified by the roundtable. Advice is appreciated on the precise wording and the development of high-level definitions for each attribute.

• Volunteers or nominations are sought to develop a 6- to 12-page paper to support each area and description and to translate the meaning of the attributes across the system.

• CADME members are requested to email comments on the above to the Commonwealth Secretariat.

• Malaysia volunteered to assist in developing these documents utilising the CTEF.

Open Educational Resources

• Commonwealth Secretariat to produce a short paper about the benefits of Creative Commons licensing and Open Educational Resources, and how to take forward work in this area.

Commonwealth Policy Framework

• Commonwealth Policy Framework to be circulated to CADME before the next meeting in good time for comment before it is presented. A small group of countries also needs to be identified to develop and test the implementation framework.

Commonwealth Curriculum Framework

• Mauritius requested that the Commonwealth Secretariat complete the table on page 7 of the document with the learning outcomes expected at each level.

Scholarships

• Commonwealth Secretariat to invite CSFP to present to the next CADME meeting, with information to be sent in advance to inform the CSFP presentation to EMAG.

• CADME members are invited to assist the Commonwealth Secretariat to develop messages regarding the CSFP for the Secretary General’s input to the ACU Conference of University Leaders in July.

Progress towards the Nassau Action Plan

• CADME to develop a stakeholder engagement plan by the end of July/mid-August.

• Countries are invited to support pilot initiatives to continue to develop the Commonwealth Curriculum Framework.

• India requested responses, by the end of August, to a consultation on a proposed Chair for Cross-border Education at Benares University, Varanasi. India will advise on what CADME can do to support it.

• India requested that the Commonwealth Secretariat share widely, via the Commonwealth Education Hub, news of the development of online learning platforms and MOOCs

• CADME input to, and peer review of, Commonwealth Secretariat policy briefs is invited, especially those covering financing and cost-effective approaches.

• Mauritius requested the creation of a database or survey of partner initiatives to allow members to judge the value of potential partnerships.

• The Commonwealth Secretariat to undertake the mapping of relevant national, regional and international processes. CADME members to assist with information on national and regional processes.


Development of CADME action plan

• Engagement with partners: the Commonwealth Secretariat will consider which partners should be involved in next meeting and in what manner; survey members to map potential and existing partnerships; and integrate CADME’s work with the Commonwealth Education Hub.

• Resource mobilisation: the Commonwealth Secretariat will identify means of building domestic capacity to advocate for greater resources; explore the availability of The Bahamas Minister of Education to act as advocate at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting; produce a template for capacity building needs; and identify possible partners to present to the next CADME and/or EMAG meetings.

• Advocacy: the Commonwealth Secretariat will research potential intervention points and timelines for major international processes and offer them back to CADME/EMAG for a decision.

• Advocacy on resourcing should focus on using resources effectively and supporting the skills and capacities of ministries of education to make the case for increased sectoral funding.

• Malaysia will work with the CTEF to hold workshops on the policy briefs and Quality Roundtable outcomes. These results will be presented at the next CADME meeting.

• Mauritius offered to explore the possibility of inviting the Commonwealth Climate Finance Hub, based in Mauritius, to the next CADME meeting.

• India is to circulate a concept note regarding research collaboration opportunities.

Other actions

• The Chair asked that the 10 countries involved do their best to ensure consistency of representation on CADME and undertake sufficient preparation work for future meetings to ensure progress and continuity.

• All members are requested to recommend suitable regional partners for CADME.

• The Commonwealth Secretariat requested feedback from members and partners on the financing policy brief produced by the Commonwealth Secretariat, and asked for suggestions of the key messages to be articulated on financing.

• India requested that partners document any offers and proposals for partnerships for CADME to consider.

•

Appendicies \ 51

AppendiciesAppendix I - Participant List Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME) Technical Working Group Meeting

Ministerial/High Commission representatives (8th and 9th)

Name Country Designation Organisation

Iowane Tiko Fiji Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts

Madhu Sethi India First Secretary High Commission of India to United Kingdom (UK)

Belio Kipsang Kenya Principal Secretary Ministry of Education Science and Technology

Margaret Lesuuda Kenya Education Attaché Kenyan High Commission to the UK

Datin Dr Siti Hamisah Binti Tapsir

Malaysia Deputy Director General Ministry of Higher Education

Mayadevi Soonarane Mauritius Director, Strategic Planning and International Relations

Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research

Nilkanthsing Jagarnath

Mauritius First Secretary Mauritius High Commission to the UK

Alfred Van Kent Namibia Permanent Secretary Ministry of Higher Education

Erastus Hailwa Namibia Second Secretary High Commission of Namibia to the UK

Constance Nasi Solomon Islands

Under-Secretary Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development

Kendall Khodra Saint Lucia Deputy Chief Education Officer (Planning)

Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development and Labour

Marcellus Taylor The Bahamas Deputy Director of Education for Planning and Development/Chair, CADME

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology

Wilfred Adderley II The Bahamas Second Secretary/Vice Consul The High Commission of the Bahamas to the UK

Lorna Bertrand United Kingdom

Assistant Director, International Education

Department for Education


International Partners (8th June only)

Name Designation Organisation

Hugh McLean Program Director, Education Support Program

Open Society Foundations

Andreas Scleicher (via videoconference)

Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Professor Rebecca Hughes Director of Education British Council

Rob Whitby Deputy Head, Education Policy Team

Department for International Development

Jordan Naidoo Director of Division for Education 2030 Support and Coordination

UNESCO

Dennis Sinyolo Senior Coordinator: Education and Employment

Education International

Teresa Sguazzin International Grants Programme Manager - Education

Comic Relief

Purna Shrestha Education Lead at VSO Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)

Commonwealth Family (8th June only)

Name Designation Organisation

Sonny Leong Chair Council for Education in the Commonwealth

Peter Williams Honorary President Commonwealth Consortium for Education

Godson Gatsha (via skype) Education Specialist, Higher Education

Commonwealth of Learning

Prof Dato’ Morshidi bin Sirat (8th & 9th June)

Director Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility

Vijay Krishnarayan Director Commonwealth Foundation

John Kirkland Deputy-Secretary General Association of Commonwealth Universities

Appendicies \ 53

Appendix 2

Health and Education Unit June 2016

Dr Joanna NurseHead of Health and [email protected]

2

The Health and Education Unit – and the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Strategic Plan

Strategic Outcomes:

1. Democracy

2. Public Institutions

3. Social Development: Enhanced positive impact of Social Development

4. Youth

5. Development – Pan Commonwealth

6. Development – Small states and vulnerable states

03/08/2016 Commonwealth Secretariat

3


• Strategic Outcome: Enhanced positive impact of Social Development

Intermediate Outcomes:

• 3.1: Strengthened national frameworks and policies improve health outcomes

• 3.2: Strengthened national policies and frameworks improve educational outcomes

• 3.4: Improved capacity building for social development


A framework for sustainable social development

Know

ledg

e

Social Development

HealthEducation

Advocacy

Governance

Capacity

Content Process

Hubs

Enabling Outcomes: our strategic advantage andthe Commonwealth Secretariat Strategic Plan:


5

Global Advocacy – convening

power

Technical assistance, referrals

& partnerships

CommonwealthProfile

Sustainable Development and the post 2015 SDGs

Policy development: analysis, gaps, formulation & implementation

CollaborationCommunication

Capacity

HEU ‐ Adding Strategic Value to Social Development

Demand

Need

Evidence

Delivery

‐ Sustainable Development Goals‐ Strategic Plan (ComSec)‐ Ministerial Statements‐ Country Requests

‐ Education outcomes‐ Life expectancy‐ Policy status‐ Strategic relevance

‐ Evidence review‐ Policy gaps‐ Cost effectiveness‐ Strategic value

‐ Implementation‐ Evaluation‐ Pilot and scale up‐ Dissemination


19 CCEM Nassau Ministerial Declaration:

Preamble

Early Years

Gender

Technology

The role of Parents and Civil Society

Role of Teachers

Youth

Lifelong Learning

Spirit of Sharing / Spirit of Giving

Cross-Commonwealth Education Developments

Policy Frameworks

Scholarships

Research Collaborations

Looking to the Future

Commonwealth Action Group on Education

20th CCEM Host –Fiji

Commonwealth - Education Policies

9

End-date of Current Policy/Strategy (total and region)

Overview of National Education Policy Coverage

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020+

Asia Caribbean Advanced Economies Pacific Africa

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Asia Caribbean AdvancedEconomies

Pacific Africa

Ending End not known Lapsed Unconfirmed

Status by across regions

• Roughly half coming to an end by 2017• High proportion lapsed in Pacific and Caribbean

An overview of the role of the Health and Education Unit – Commonwealth Secretariat

Strategic Outcome ‐ Social Development: Enhanced positive impact of Social Development‐ Capacity building for health and education policy and frameworks

Implementation Assessment

Development

Advocacy

System strengtheningfor Sustainable Development:

Advisors: tools, capacity , adviceHubs: knowledge, networks

dissemination

Advancing Post 2015 SDGs:• Leadership• Communications• Collaboration• Global influence

Policy assessment: • Baselines and indicators ‐

• Universal coverage • Equity• Outcomes

• Tools and capacity ‐• Countries and regions

Policy Development:• Cross‐sector policy• Evidence and good practice• Economic analysis• Tools and capacity ‐

• Pilot in countries• Scale up in regions

Policy Implementation: • Governance• Evaluation• Quality • Workforce

Protect

Promote

People

Prevent

A policy framework for strengthening health systems

Know

ledg

e Advocacy

Governance

Capacity

A Commonwealth Curriculum for delivering the SDGS

Appendicies \ 55

The Knowledge Hubs – an Overview Communications Strategy - HEU

Overarching Policy Frameworks

Tools Capacity building

Advocacy

BriefingsBriefings

Briefings

Hubs

Education: Equity – Quality – RelevanceHealth: Equity – Security – Sustainability

Workplan HEU 2015-16 – an overview1. HEU Advocacy and partnerships: Ministerial Meetings,

collaborative approaches across ComSec and with partners, international thought leadership

2. Health: Process - Systems strengthening for UHC

3. Health: Content - NCD framework

4. Health: Hub – Collect, Connect, Consult, Collaborate

5. Education: Hub – Collect, Connect, Consult, Collaborate

6. Education: Process - Systems strengthening for Quality and Equity

7. Education: Content – skills for SDGs across the life-course

8. Social Development: Evidence for Social Development - joint HEU activities related to the SDGs

Commonwealth Action Group for Education

CCEM

Objectives: Actions from the CCEM Statement/Declaration

Commonwealth Post‐ 2015 SDG Action Plan‐ CADME

Principles:•Commonwealth

values•Adding Value•Partnerships & Collaboration

Suggested Membership:•2 Ministerial representatives from each region

•Commonwealth Partners – COL, ACU etc•UNESCO

•Youth, Teachers, Stakeholders ‐ Donors

Terms of Reference for the EMAG

First meeting scheduled with Education World Forum: 21-22nd January 2016

Purpose:

• To take forward the actions from CCEM Ministerial Statements

• To provide strategic direction for future CCEMs

• To strengthen collaborative and co-ordinated approaches

• To support resource mobilisation to scale up impact on educational outcomes

• To advocate for educational outcomes according to Commonwealth Principles and Values

• To enable the delivery of the SDGs related to the Commonwealth Countries

Objectives:

19CCEM: Quality Education for Equitable Development, Performance, Paths and Productivity

• Relevance of education for Sustainable Development –SDGs

• Balance Equity with Quality - Gender

• Education across the life-course

• Financing and evidence for policy

• Build resilience for small states

• Quality frameworks - teachers

• A Commonwealth shared curriculum

• Workforce planning across the SDGs

• Role of Countries – India (research collaboration, university chair, and Malaysia – tertiary education)

• Role of partners – COL and fellowships

• ICT for affordable access and TVET for economic growth

• The education hub – and policy strengthening

• Extremism and peace-building - CHOGM


Appendix 3

Education Ministers Action Group (EMAG) Terms of Reference

1. Background

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 member States bound by a set of shared values and principles. One of those principles is that everyone in the Commonwealth has the right and access to affordable and quality education and these are reflected in the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Strategic Plan 2013/14 – 2016/17 under the strategic outcome “enhanced positive impact of social development,” where the focus is on strengthening national policies and frameworks to improve education outcomes. With a view to support member states to effectively realise their national education outcomes, under the current Strategic Plan period, the Secretariat has been focusing its efforts on providing support to strengthening policy and regulatory frameworks, and developing strategies to bridge the gap between policy formulation and implementation.

One of the key aspects of our work in education is the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEMs). These triennial meetings, first held in 1959, enable the Commonwealth education ministers to discuss key education issues in the Commonwealth, and to identify areas of action for the next three years. It also enables ministers to discuss pertinent issues and share knowledge and good practices in the education sector. The 18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (18CCEM), held in Mauritius in 2012, created a Ministerial Working Group (Commonwealth Ministerial Working Group on the Post-2015 Development Framework for Education) to coordinate a contribution to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) process1. Ministers at the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM) asked the Secretariat to establish a Education Ministers Action Group’ (EMAG) to ‘ensure momentum and continued action’ on the points agreed at the meeting and presented as the Nassau Declaration2 (attached at Annex 1). The Ministers also agreed to establish a Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME) to assist with the implementation of the SDGs in Commonwealth. Both EMAG and CADME will maintain networking between ministerial meetings, supporting and supplementing, but not replacing existing international initiatives.

The EMAG will form a useful body with the collective strength of the Commonwealth for ministers to advocate for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within their countries and regions.

1 Recommendations: http://thecommonwealth.org/sites/default/files/news-items/documents/CWERecommendationsSummaryPost2015DevelopmentFrameworkforEducation.pdf

2 Nassau Declaration: http://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/education-ministers-declaration-19-ccem

Appendicies \ 57

2. Purpose

The EMAG will advise the Commonwealth Education Ministers and the Secretariat on the delivery of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with a focus on Goal 4 related to Education, and provide strategic direction, advice and oversight for taking forward actions from ministerial meetings:

• To enable the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relevant to Commonwealth Countries, in particular SDG43 (See Annex 2); and

• To provide advice, and oversight for taking forward actions from CCEM Ministerial Statements.

3. Membership

As per the Nassau Declaration, the EMAG should have regional representation. This will consist of:

3 African

2 Asian

2 Caribbean

1 European

2 Pacific

Total: 10 countries

To maintain continuity, the past, current and future hosts of CCEMs will have the opportunity to be included

in the 10 Countries taking part in the EMAG. The current CCEM host government member will serve as the

EMAG Chair.

4. Role of the Education Ministers Action Group (EMAG)

EMAG is expected:

• To establish a working group to develop the Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME) to assist the Commonwealth in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

• To provide advice on building strategic partnerships and resource mobilization;

• To play a role in the advocacy and promotion of Commonwealth work in education through collaborative and coordinated approaches, for example, through partnerships and joint initiatives and use of the Commonwealth Education Hub; and

• To advocate for educational outcomes according to Commonwealth Principles and Values4 (See Annex 3) and in the context of the Commonwealth Strategic Plan5.

3 SDG4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics)

4 Commonwealth Charter: http://thecommonwealth.org/our-charter5 Commonwealth Strategic Plan: 2013/14-2016/17: http://thecommonwealth.org/sites/default/files/page/documents/

ComSec%20Strategic%20Plan%202013_2017.pdf


5. Terms of Appointment and Limitation of Role and Responsibilities

The normal term of office will be three years, to ensure continuity between the CCEMs. The structure of

membership will be reviewed at each CCEM and it will be open to other Ministers who would wish to join

EMAG, whilst ensuring a regional balance.

The EMAG will have no executive powers, with its primary function to act in an advisory capacity and provide

strategic direction for taking forward the recommendations of the 19CCEM. The appointment is on a

voluntary basis and is, therefore, not remunerated.

6. Meetings

The EMAG as a whole will meet in person in London at least once a year for two days. The Chair will call

additional meetings as necessary, ideally to be held virtually.

Reporting/review: Working groups such as CADME will report to the EMAG, and in turn, a summary report

of the EMAG’s activities will be presented at each CCEM.

Meeting papers: The Secretariat will ensure that any documents required for meetings will be circulated at

least two weeks in advance of the meetings.

Administration: The Health and Education Unit of the Secretariat will perform administrative functions on

behalf of the EMAG. The Commonwealth Secretariat will provide supporting technical expertise from its

own personnel and/or a consultant.

Appendicies \ 59

Annex 1

19th Conference of Commonwealth Education MinistersEducation in the Commonwealth: Quality Education for Equitable Development: Performance, Paths and Productivity (3Ps)

The Nassau Declaration | 22 – 26 June 2015The following document is a Ministerial Declaration outlining the major topics and issues discussed at the 19th CCEM as well as the major remedial initiatives proposed.

1. The 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19th CCEM) was held in Nassau, the Bahamas, from 22 – 26 June 2015. The Conference was opened by the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, Prime Minister of The Bahamas. H. E. Kamalesh Sharma, Commonwealth Secretary-General, addressed the conference at the opening ceremony. The host Minister, Hon. Jerome K Fitzgerald, Minister of Education, Science and Technology, chaired the conference.

2. In discussions, Ministers highlight that the 19th CCEM is taking place at an historic turning point, following the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Commonwealth Secretariat, and the crossroads in the global education agenda as part of the wider transition from MDGs to SDGs. Education for Sustainable Development is recognized as a priority for future planning by Ministers, as well as the role of education at the heart of the process for driving the SDGs.

3. Ministers note that the Commonwealth Ministerial Working Group had significant and valued input to the education component of the SDGs, considered within the national context of each country. Ministers endorse the Incheon Declaration, noting that further input may be made to the process of finalizing the SDGs in New York in September 2015. Ministers highlight the Commonwealth values of equity, access, and development, stressing the key role of Education for Sustainable Development.

4. Ministers recognize the positive role that key partners bring to the CCEM, and welcome the growing voice and engagement of youth, teachers, civil society, and other stakeholders.

5. The 19th CCEM also saw the official inclusion of a specific forum for small states; Ministers celebrate this as a significant and positive step in ensuring that the voice of small states continues to be heard on the world stage, given that 31 of the 53 Commonwealth nations are small states. Likewise, the role of education for building resilience is championed by Ministers as a key factor in combating issues of vulnerability, particularly those faced by small states, such as climate change, migration, mobility, and financing.

6. The Ministers celebrate successes that have been achieved to date in the drive for universal primary education, but note that achievements in relation to access leave much work to be done in the areas of equitable provision and quality. Ministers also acknowledge the wider responsibility of member-states to ensure the continued relevance of education, ensuring that it prepares the next generation of Commonwealth citizens to contribute positively to the social and economic development of their communities.

7. Commonwealth nations recognize the need for evidence based interventions and policy, building on meaningful data is emphasized by ministers in the drive for establishing sustainable models of education, which enable accountability and effective systems of governance. Addressing the Post-2015 Development Goals, Ministers note the importance of continuing to meet the needs of all learners, regardless of gender, race, or religion, or other aspects of marginalization – recognizing continued challenges in relation to provision for boys and girls (both of whom continue to face issues of equitable access in various Commonwealth contexts), as well as pupils with special educational needs.


8. Ministers commit to focus on the core purpose of education, to serve the needs of their diverse populations, furthering international drives for sustainable development, and equitable, high quality provision, while recognizing the continued role of education in supporting efforts for economic growth and poverty eradication, as well as acting as a tool for socialization.

Early Years

9. Ministers recognize the key role that early childhood education plays as the foundation for all lifelong learning, and wider social and economic outcomes, and the need for continued and appropriate investment in this stage.

Ministers are also mindful of the need, by committing to the strengthening of public institutions, to retain effective, positive, and accountable partnerships with the private sector, and civil society, as part of wider efforts to improve quality and access. Ministers commit to strengthening engagement with these parties to support the development of education systems that serve the needs of their communities.

Gender

10. Ministers will continue to build on good practice in promoting sensitive gender mainstreaming for gender equity, including reducing barriers to girls education, and addressing specific concerns over the under-achievement of either boys or girls in Commonwealth contexts in which either faces specific challenges.

Technology

11. Ministers commit to making effective use of technology and innovation in ICT to ensure that education systems continue to meet the needs of quality, equity, and access. The significance of online learning as a universal tool for lifelong learning is recognized by Ministers, and the key role of the Commonwealth of Learning in driving innovation in this field is recognized.

To support the Commonwealth of Learning initiative achieving their Strategic Plan. Malaysia has committed a contribution of USD 200,000, and has also committed to support the sustainability of Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility (CTEF) by sponsoring RM 200,000 towards the establishment, and RM 500,000 annually (2014 – 2018) towards its administration. India has offered to provide its e-learning platform, SWAYAM, to host e-courseware developed by the Commonwealth of Learning, and has also volunteered to post digitized learning material of Commonwealth Countries on its anticipated National E-Library, with links to the Commonwealth Education Hub.

Ministers note the continuing need for effective ICT infrastructure to facilitate learning in several member-states, and commit to support development in order to address this requirement. Ministers welcome the role of the Commonwealth of Learning, and the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth in supporting affordable access to all learners.

The role of Parents and Civil Society

12. Ministers acknowledge the key role of parents, and wider civil society, in education, without compromize to equity and quality. Ministers commit to strengthening engagement with these parties to support the development of education systems that serve the needs of their communities, while recognizing the key role of families in shaping culture.

Role of Teachers

13. Acknowledging the central role of teachers in quality education, Ministers commit to raising the status of teaching as a profession. This will be achieved by enhancing pre-service and continuing professional development, and conditions of service, ensuring that teachers are motivated and supported in the classroom.

Ministers reaffirm the importance of effective governance of teaching to promote accountability and transparency.

Appendicies \ 61

India has offered to set up a Malaviya Commonwealth Chair, for teacher education which will singularly focus on issues pertaining to curriculum development, pedagogy, students’ assessment, pre-service and continuing professional training, and capacity development.

Youth

14. Ministers recognize the potential of learners and youth to act as agents of social change and peacebuilding, and will continue to support policies and programmes in schools that actively engage pupils in building conflict resolution skills, tolerance, respect, and social inclusion, as a way of preventing school-based violence and extremism. They support Commonwealth action, including in partnership with UNESCO, in keeping with the report on Civil Paths to Peace by the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding.

Ministers reaffirm the key role that entrepreneurship education plays in promoting unique and valuable life skills, as well as career pathways. Ministers are committed to the enhancement of curricula at all levels of education to strengthen entrepreneurship programmes and skills development.

Ministers acknowledge the important role that can be played by appropriate cooperation and collaborative national student associations, and commit to supporting and partnering with such bodies to ensure a student voice in education policy, and fit-for-purpose education. Ministers also endorse a name change for the CCEM Youth Forum to the Commonwealth Students Forum, and commit to supporting young student delegates to attend.

Spirit of Sharing / Spirit of Giving

15. Ministers celebrate the positive atmosphere of mutual lesson-learning within the Commonwealth, as exemplified by the CCEM, as well as the importance of retaining the positive momentum of the event. To this end, the development of a shared platform for the effective dissemination of ideas, pooling of resources, mutual support, and sharing good practices, is recognized as a clear need by Ministers. It is the belief of Ministers that the Commonwealth Education Hub can serve this purpose.

Ministers reaffirm, in accordance with local context, their commitment to appropriate domestic financing of education, to the level of 4-6% of GDP / 15-20% of total public expenditure, as well as the wider targets established for official development assistance (ODA), including targets of 0.7% of gross national product (GNP) for ODA to developing countries.

Ministers will, through the strengthening of their public institutions, continue to recognize the need for appropriate and effective partnerships with the private sector and civil society to address wider financing issues, ensuring accountability and equity, quality, and access are not compromized, and while recognising the importance of education as a public interest, and a public good Ministers also recognize the responsibility of Commonwealth members to support each other when in need, by sharing resources, funding, and expertize, while ensuring efficiency in the use of existing resources.

Cross-Commonwealth Education Developments

16. The role of the Commonwealth in continuing to support development of effective education initiatives is recognized by Ministers, as is the need for greater coordination of quality assurance in education by Commonwealth institutions, where requested by member states, as well as the potential for shared curricula and quality frameworks where this is something member states wish to explore. The positive role of mobility is celebrated by Ministers, who recognize the role that a globalized economy can play in supporting the economies and education systems of member states. Ministers also recognize the emergence of additional Commonwealth states as education destinations for Commonwealth members.

Lifelong Learning

17. Ministers commit to supporting the continued development of the continuum of lifelong learning, and recognize the key role this plays in the economic and social development of Commonwealth countries. Ministers call for continued efforts to ensure that those who have not completed school, or not had access to basic education, or wish to continue their professional development, are given lifelong access


to support in numeracy, literacy, and skills for employment. Ministers are also committed to developing lifelong, distance, and technical vocational education and training, linked to local, regional, and international, labour markets.

Policy Frameworks

18. Ministers recognize that all countries must not compromize on equity and quality, learning from good-practice, and the lessons of countries that have made significant progress in these areas. Therefore, in line with the core values of the Commonwealth Charter, the Commonwealth Secretariat will be developing effective policy frameworks to support efforts in this area, to be adopted by member states that wish to do so.

Scholarships

19. Ministers call for continued and expanding support for Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships, a flagship of Commonwealth cooperation, recognizing the positive role of cross-border mobility, partnership building, and leadership development. Ministers are mindful of the continued importance of ensuring that scholarships are awarded to the most able, but meet the needs of the most deserving.

Research Collaborations

20. Ministers call for the establishment of effective and meaningful research collaborations. To this end India has offered to establish a Commonwealth Consortium, for need-based-research throughout the Commonwealth. It is anticipated that the newly launched Commonwealth Education Hub will play a role here, in facilitating Research Collaborations, supported by efforts, led by India, and the new consortium.

Building on the success of the Commonwealth Science Conference in Bangalore 2014, India also offered to support cross-border efforts to drive research in areas of priority to member states.

Looking to the Future

21. Ministers look to a fruitful, rich, and collaborative future for the Commonwealth, and welcome the opportunity offered by the upcoming meeting of the executive heads of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, focusing on University, Society, and Employment, to be held in Accra, Ghana 2016.

Ministers welcome the development of Commonwealth Connects and the Commonwealth Education Hub, and recognize their potential to act as a transformative resource for the entire education community of the Commonwealth and applaud the vision to create ‘one-stop non-stop shops’ to serve the community.

Commonwealth Action Group on Education

22. Ministers agree to establish a Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME) to assist with the implementation of the SDGs in Commonwealth countries. On taking forward recommendations of the 19th CCEM Commonwealth Secretariat assist in establishing a Commonwealth Education Ministers Action Group – CEMAG – to have regional representation, as well as that of Youth, Teachers, Stakeholders, Multilaterals, and other partners, with regular online networking and meetings where appropriate, to ensure momentum and continued action on the points recorded herein. Both CEMAG and CADME will maintain networking between ministerial meetings, supporting and supplementing, and not replacing existing international initiatives, such as the framework agreed at Incheon in 2015.

23. Ministers express their thanks and appreciation to the Government and the People of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas for their hospitality in hosting the 19th CCEM and the Commonwealth Secretariat for the organization of the event.

24. Ministers welcome the offer by the Government of Fiji to host the 20th CCEM in 2018, and the Government of Kenya’s interest in hosting the 21st CCEM in 2021 was acknowledged.

25. The 19th CCEM was declared closed.

Appendicies \ 63

Annex 2

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The specific goal concerning education within the SDG framework is Goal 4 which is to ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ (see Box 1). However, education is relevant to all 17 goals of the SDGs as a driver for economic growth and poverty eradication, and tool for socialisation.

The 53 member states of the Commonwealth form a significant proportion of the membership of the United Nations (UN), so their achievements in meeting international targets for development are significant for overall global success of the SDGs.

Box 1SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 4

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

TARGETS

4.1 – By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes

4.2 – By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education

4.3 – By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.4 – By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

4.5 – By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

4.6 – By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

4.7 – By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

4.a – Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

4.b – By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries

4.c – By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States


Annex 3

Principles and values of the Commonwealth

Our work in taking forward social development within the Health and Education Unit (HEU) aims to promote, support and advance core Commonwealth values, including consensus and common action, mutual respect, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, legitimacy and responsiveness and the following principles, as outlined in the Commonwealth Charter:

1. Democracy

2. Human Rights

3. International peace and security

4. Tolerance, respect and understanding

5. Freedom of expression

6. Separation of powers

7. Rule of law

8. Good governance

9. Sustainable development

10. Protecting the environment

11. Access to health, education, food and shelter (see Box 2)

12. Gender equality

13. Importance of young people in the Commonwealth

14. Recognition of the needs of small states

15. Recognition of the needs of vulnerable states

16. The role of civil society

Revised January 2016

Appendicies \ 65

Appendix 4

Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME) Technical Working Group meeting

8-9 June 2016

Nasir KazmiEducation AdviserHealth and Education Unit

CADME Technical Working Group

Background

Objectives

Anticipated outcomes from first CADME TWG meeting

Background

Post‐MDGs richer countries were close to UPE but only one third of children reached UPE in poorer countries

17 million primary‐aged children out of school

Similar pattern for lower secondary enrolment – 16 million youth out of school

Boys underrepresented and underperforming especially at secondary level

Girls access has improved but there are still locations with challenges

Education spending range: (0.60% to 26%) of total public expenditure

Background

• Consultation – need for developing a mechanism (Bangladesh, Kiribati, Lesotho, Namibia, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Swaziland, Tuvalu and Zambia)

World Education Forum Korea (May 2015)

• CADME concept endorsed ‐ Nassau Declaration paragraph 22: Ministers agree to establish a Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME) to assist with the implementation of the SDGs in the Commonwealth countries.

19CCEM, The Bahamas (June 2015)

Objectives

• To assist with the implementation of SDGs in Commonwealth countries and assist Education Ministers Action Group (EMAG) in achieving one of its purposes “to enable the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG4”

Purpose

• Support Commonwealth countries to strengthen, develop and implement national frameworks to meet their relevant national goals and targets in line with SDG4

• Inform sustainable development in education by identifying appropriate interventions, strategies and sources of technical support

Objectives

Objectives

• Advise on identifying and mobilizing resources• Advise on developing partnerships and learning from each other• Effective Policy Frameworks (item 18 Nassau Declaration)

Three key areas


CADME TWG

• A Commonwealth with unfinished agendas• Small States, advance and emerging economies• Learning from each other – South‐South and South‐North collaboration

• SDG4 covering the full spectrum of education• 4‐6% of Gross Domestic Product and/or 15‐20% of total public expenditure

Considering factors:

Objectives

• Health• Domestic violence• Climate change• Governance and trade• Youth

Cross‐cutting thematic areas:

Objectives

• Progress towards well-defined next steps to achieving CADME objectives:• Partnerships and learning from each other• Resource mobilisation• Commonwealth Frameworks

Anticipated outcomes: Development of CADME Action Plan

Appendicies \ 67

Appendix 5

Options for CADME: Resource mobilisationand building partnerships

Professor Simon McGrath

IntroductionResources Renewed commitments to national expenditure – Nassau and Incheon But, overall decline in aid to education from traditional bilateral/multilateral donors Other education financing partnerships hold some promise but raise questions: Global Partnership for Education Private donors, foundations and donor‐advised funds International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity Education Cannot Wait Fund

New funding for new priorities: going beyond primary schoolingPartnerships

Reaffirmation of commitments to official expenditure on education at Nassau and Incheon and to mobilising other national resourcesNassau Declaration para 15:Ministers reaffirm, in accordance with local context, their commitment to appropriate domestic financing of education, to the level of 4‐6% of GDP / 15‐20% of total public expenditure, as well as the wider targets established for official development assistance (ODA), including targets of 0.7% of gross national product (GNP) for ODA to developing countries.

Ministers will, through the strengthening of their public institutions, continue to recognise the need for appropriate and effective partnerships with the private sector and civil society to address wider financing issues, ensuring accountability and equity, quality, and access are not compromised, and while recognising the importance of education as a public interest, and a public good.

Aid to education has been declining since 2010

02468

10121416

Total aid to post‐secondaryeducation (in US$ 2014 billions)Total aid to secondary education(in US$ 2014 billions)Total aid to basic education (inUS$ 2014 billions)

Source: Global Education Monitoring Report team analysis based on OECD Creditor Reporting System (2016).

Aid to education does not prioritise those most in need

40%

60%

Education aid ‐ destination

Low incomecountries

MiddleIncomecountries

Sub‐Saharan Africa has seen the largest overall decline in education aid

The two countries that have experienced the sharpest decline in education aid in the past decade are both Commonwealth countries: Tanzania and Uganda (GEMR, 2016).

Contrast: Other education funders prioritise differently

The Global Partnership for Education channels more than 80% of their funds to LICs, and about 50% of funds fragile/conflict‐affected countries GPE includes many Commonwealth country partners: Bangladesh; Cameroon;

Dominica; Ghana; Grenada; Guyana; Kenya; Lesotho; Malawi; Mozambique; Nigeria; Pakistan; Papua New Guinea; Rwanda; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Sierra Leone; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia

Private donors overwhelmingly prioritise low‐income countries. The International Education Funders Group estimates that 80% of its members fund in Sub‐Saharan Africa, many exclusively so


Emerging Priorities: Early Childhood Development Early childhood development (ECD) is a growing global priority: SDG 4.2: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood

development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education” Nassau Declaration “Ministers recognize the key role that early childhood education plays as the

foundation for all lifelong learning, and wider social and economic outcomes…”The GPE is prioritising ECD in its new five year strategy (2016‐2020) It is expected that GPE will be increasing both funding and capacity development for ECD across

many of their developing country partners, with a focus on fragile statesECD has emerged as a major focal area for private donors Transnational donor collaborative has emerged centered on ECD International Education Funders Group estimates members contribute $120 million/year to ECD

Emerging Priorities: Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises

Education Cannot Wait Fund launched last month aims to increase access to education in emergencies to 18% of crisis‐affected children by

2020 and to 100% of crisis‐affected children by 2030 fundraising ambition of $3.85 billion by 2020 $87.5 million committed to date ‐ including £30 million from UK

Humanitarian aid to education focuses overwhelmingly on primary and secondary level education, but signs of new initiatives:DFID SPHEIR; Open Society Foundation Higher Education Support Program; Jesuit Refugee Service looking at HE and refugees

Emerging Priorities: Secondary EducationSecondary education is given the same priority as primary education in the

SDG agenda: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and

secondary education leading to relevant and Goal‐4 effective learning outcome”Education aid going to secondary education has increased from 12% in 2005 to

21% in 2014. The UK and World Bank are leading this trend ‐ together they account for $1 billion in aid to

secondary education. GPE funds only at lower‐secondary level

The Partnership to Strengthen Innovation and Practice in Secondary Education (PSIPSE) is a private donor collaborative supports more than 40 projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and India.

Emerging Priorities: Teachers and LearningSDGs and Nassau Declaration stress role of the teacher in quality learning:

SDG 4.10 “By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states”

Teacher training/professional development is a funding priority for many private donors, but collaboration has been minimal to date

Global consultations for the International Education Commission have had a strong focus on teachers: ROI for teacher training, salaries and motivation Concern over corruption and lack of accountability – e.g. “ghost” teachers

Role of teachers’ unions – crucial but contested

Emerging Priorities: Learning Assessment SystemsLearning assessments are seen as crucial means to measure SDG progress at school, national and global levels

Rise of national, often civil society models, and plans for “PISA for development”The GPE’s new strategy has a strong focus on funding and capacity development for learning assessment systems at country‐level

Important focus of global consultations for the International Education Commission

Emerging Priorities: Post School Education and TrainingSDG4 puts more emphasis on adult education, VET and HEPSET has particular resonance in meeting other SDGsMassive growth in PSET due to successes of EFA‐ Indian commitment to provide skills to 500 million people; more than 10‐fold increase in HE numbers since 2000 in e.g., Ghana, Tanzania

Return in some donor’s interest to VET/HE, e.g., UK funding of SOGA (VET) and SPHEIR (HE) programmes and new youth focus

Interest of some private funders in youth and skills – e.g., Mastercard, as well as long tradition of NGOs ‐ e.g., Don Bosco, Lutheran World Fellowship, YMCA –and regional development banks – e.g., major AfDB investments in VET in Africa

Appendicies \ 69

Building Partnerships“Spirit of Sharing, Spirit of Giving”‐ importance of respect, reciprocity and shared ownership

Need to support a complex network of partnerships – public and private; government and civil society; North and South; South and South; Commonwealth‐wide; etc.

SDG 17: “Build Partnerships”

Areas for PartnershipsKnowledge partnerships – e.g., Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility, MalaysiaResearch partnerships – e.g., the Commonwealth Consortium for need‐based‐

research, India Staff exchange partnerships – e.g., Commonwealth Scholarships / Professional

FellowshipsPedagogic partnerships – e.g., CoL, VUSSC Intervention partnerships – e.g., SPHEIR (UK) Sectoral partnerships – e.g., skills for oil and gas and possibilities for S‐S collaboration

between Commonwealth regionsRegional partnerships – e.g., working with existing regional structures that have

strong Commonwealth presence such as SADC, SPC

Professor Simon McGrathSchool of Education

Email: [email protected]: @mcgrath_simon


Appendix 6

Mobilising Resources for Education

8 June 2016Rob Whitby (DFID)

What is the financing issue?

Do we have globally agreed benchmarks?

• Third International Conference on Financing for Development July 2015

• SDG 17 (Partnerships)– 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of

ODA/GNI to least developed countries

• UNESCO 2030 Framework For Action November 2015– allocating at least 4% to 6% of gross domestic product (GDP) to education

and/or – allocating at least 15% to 20% of public expenditure to education

What is the role of ODA?

Possible Financing Solutions

• Domestic Financing (tax, targeting & efficiencies)• International Financing (volume, targeting, effectiveness)

• “non-traditional” Private Sector/Philanthropic/Foundations (tax, targeting, regulation, transparency)

• User fees• Low cost technologies

What Next

• High-Level Commission on the Financing of Global Education Opportunities

Discussion Points

• Where are the financing pressure points? • What innovative financing approaches are you using?• How can ComSec/other international partners help you?

Appendicies \ 71

Appendix 7

COMMONWEALTH ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM FOR EDUCATION(CADME) TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP MEETING

8-9 June 2016Andreas Schleicher, Director, Education and Skills, OECD

• Progress towards the SDGs• Evidence-based interventions and policy• Meaningful data• The OECD experience• Building partnerships

Outline of today’s presentation

PROGRESS TOWARDS THE SDGS

The SDGs – a universal agenda

SDG 4 Education – higher level of ambition than MDGs

A shift from access to quality, with a focus on equity –ensuring that all children and young people achieve at least minimum levels of proficiency in reading and mathematics

Massive gains in economic and social development if the target is achieved by 2030

To measure progress towards SDG will require global measurement of learning outcomes


7 PISA 2012 in brief

• Over half a million students…– representing 28 million 15‐year‐olds in 65 countries/economies

… took an internationally agreed 2‐hour test…– Goes beyond testing whether students can

reproduce what they were taught…… to assess students’ capacity to extrapolate from what they know

and creatively apply their knowledge in novel situations– Mathematics, reading, science, problem‐solving, financial literacy– Total of 390 minutes of assessment material

… and responded to questions on…– their personal background, their schools

and their engagement with learning and school• Parents, principals and system leaders provided data on…

– school policies, practices, resources and institutional factors that help explain performance differences .

Singapore

Hong Kong-ChinaChinese TaipeiKorea

Macao-ChinaJapan LiechtensteinSwitzerland

NetherlandsEstonia FinlandCanadaPolandBelgiumGermany Viet Nam

Austria AustraliaIrelandSloveniaDenmarkNew Zealand

Czech Republic France United KingdomIcelandLatviaLuxembourg Norway

Portugal ItalySpainRussian Fed.Slovak Republic United States LithuaniaSwedenHungaryCroatia

Israel

GreeceSerbiaTurkey

RomaniaBulgariaU.A.E.KazakhstanThailand

Chile MalaysiaMexico

410

420

430

440

450

460

470

480

490

500

510

520

530

540

550

560

570

580Mean score

High mathematics performance

Low mathematics performance

… Shanghai‐China performs above this line (613)Average performance

of 15-year-olds in Mathematics (PISA)

Fig I.2.13

Below PISA Level 2

At this level, students can answer questions involving familiar contexts where all relevant information is

present and the questions are clearly defined. They are able to identify information and to carry out routine procedures according to direct instructions in explicit situations. They can perform actions that are almost always obvious and follow immediately from

the given stimuli.

Low mathematics performanceIran*Costa RicaUruguayMontenegro Bahrain*Georgia*Brazil JordanArgentina Albania

Tunisia MacedoniaSaudi Arabia* Colombia

QatarIndonesia Botswana*Peru Oman*

Morocco*

Honduras*

South Africa*

Ghana*

250

260

270

280

290

300

310

320

330

340

350

360

370

380

390

400

410

420

* Substituted from TIMSS

Low mathematics performanceIran*Costa RicaUruguayMontenegro Bahrain*Georgia*Brazil JordanArgentina Albania

Tunisia MacedoniaSaudi Arabia* Colombia

QatarIndonesia Botswana*Peru Oman*

Morocco*

Honduras*

South Africa*

Ghana*

250

260

270

280

290

300

310

320

330

340

350

360

370

380

390

400

410

420

* Substituted from TIMSS

3880% GDP4,526 bn$

1427% GDP2,459 bn$

751% GDP23,841 bn$

Singapore







Israel

GreeceSerbiaTurkey





86% GDP402 bn$

153% GDP27,929 bn$

551% GDP12,448 bn$

375% GDP2,415 bn$

126% GDP445 bn$

304% GDP1,667 bn$

38% GDP209 bn$

Singapore







Israel

GreeceSerbiaTurkey





86% GDP402 bn$

153% GDP27,929 bn$

551% GDP12,448 bn$

375% GDP2,415 bn$

143% GDP3,650 bn$

304% GDP1,667 bn$

38% GDP209 bn$

Appendicies \ 73

EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY

1414

Less

ons

from

hig

h pe

rform

ers

Catching up with the top‐performers

Low impact on outcomes

High impact on outcomes

Low feasibility High feasibility

Money pits

Must haves

Low hanging fruits

Quick wins

1515

Less

ons

from

hig

h pe

rform

ers

Low impact on outcomes

High impact on outcomes

Low feasibility High feasibility

Money pits

Must haves

Low hanging fruits

Quick wins

Commitment to universal achievement

Gateways, instructional systems

Capacity at point of delivery

Incentive structures and accountability

Resources where they yield most

A learning systemCoherence

Impact on policies

MEANINGFUL DATA

• Giving every student the chance to succeed means raising and levelling the learning bar

• PISA 2012 finds that the highest-performing school systems are those that allocate educational resources more equitably among advantaged and disadvantaged schools and that grant more autonomy over curricula and assessments to individual schools

18 PISA 2012 results – excellence through equity


Student's Socioeconomic Status

Studen

t's

Perf

orm

ance

Raising and Levelling the Learning Bar

Students from all backgrounds improve their performance, while those

from less advantaged backgrounds show the largest improvement.

Correlation: Spending per student from the age of 6 to 15 and mathematics performance in PISA 2012

Slovak Republic

Czech RepublicEstonia

Israel

Poland

Korea

Portugal

New Zealand

CanadaGermany

Spain

France

Italy

Singapore

Finland

Japan

Slovenia IrelandIceland

Netherlands

Sweden

Belgium

UK

AustraliaDenmark

United States

Austria

Norway

Switzerland

Luxembourg

Viet Nam

Jordan

Peru

ThailandMalaysia

Uruguay

Turkey

Colombia

Tunisia

MexicoMontenegro

Brazil

Bulgaria

Chile

CroatiaLithuania

Latvia

Hungary

Shanghai-China

R² = 0.01

R² = 0.37300

350

400

450

500

550

600

650

0 20 000 40 000 60 000 80 000 100 000 120 000 140 000 160 000 180 000 200 000

Mat

hem

atic

s pe

rfor

man

ce (s

core

poi

nts)

Average spending per student from the age of 6 to 15 (USD, PPPs)

Cumulative expenditure per student less than USD 50 000

Cumulative expenditure per student USD 50 000 or more PISA 2012. Figure IV.1.8

THE OECD EXPERIENCE

PISA design

• Launched in 1997 by OECD• Target population: 15-year-old students• Assessments conducted every three years since

2000• Reading, Mathematics, Science (and Problem

Solving)• Major/minor domains• Booklet rotation

22

2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015

Read Read Read Read Read Read

Math Math Math Math Math Math

Science Science Science Science Science Science

Prb Slv Prb Slv Collab.Prb. Slv

PISA participants

• Around 510,000 students from 65 countries and economies participated in PISA 2012 (Link)

• Over 70 countries and economies are participating in PISA 2015

• Background questionnaires:– Students– School principals– Parents (option)– Teachers (option)

23

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS

Appendicies \ 75

25 PISA 2012 in brief

• Key principles– ‘Crowd sourcing’ and collaboration

• PISA draws together leading expertise and institutions from participating countries to develop instruments and methodologies…

… guided by governments on the basis of shared policy interests– Cross‐national relevance and transferability of policy experiences

• Emphasis on validity across cultures, languages and systems• Frameworks built on well‐structured conceptual understanding

of academic disciplines and contextual factors

– Triangulation across different stakeholder perspectives• Systematic integration of insights from students, parents,

school principals and system‐leaders– Advanced methods with different grain sizes

• A range of methods to adequately measure constructs with different grain sizes to serve different decision‐making needs

• Productive feedback to fuel improvement at every level of the system .

• OECD a member of the SDG Education 2030 Steering Committee and working groups convened by UNESCO

• OECD supporting the development and implementation of global and thematicindicators to measure progress towards SDG achievement

• PISA for Development making PISA more accessible and relevant for a wider range of countries; similar work planned for PIAAC and TALIS

OECD and its partners

PISA for Development: peer-to-peer learning – Cambodia and KoreaPISA for Development: peer-to-peer learning – Cambodia and Korea

Korea’s Aid for Cambodia

NationalLevel

InternationalLevel

SchoolLevel

PISA-D

National AssessmentNational Examination

School EvaluationClassroom Assessment

Learning Outcomes

Assessment System

In Cambodia

*Source: KOICA Statistics

3rd meeting of the International Advisory GroupPISA for Development

Education SDG 2015 ‐ 2030

PISA Cycle No. of Participating Countries

2018 (&PISAD) 902021 100‐1102024 110‐1202027 120‐1302030 130‐140

28

Post‐project – use of PISA‐D instruments in main PISA from 2021 onwards

THANK YOU!


Appendix 8

Partnership and SDG‐Education 2030(CADME) Technical Working Group Meeting

Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London

8 June 2016

Jordan Naidoo, UNESCODirector, Education 2030 Support and Coordination

SDG Process

• Multi‐layered consultation process from 2012 ‐ 2015– Global and national thematic consultations

– Regional ministerial conferences, Muscat, Oman GEM

• World Education Forum and Incheon Declaration (May 2015)

• Transforming our World ‐ Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Developmentadopted UNGA (September 2015)

– Adoption of the Education 2030 Framework for Action (Nov 2015)

– Report on indicators by Inter‐Agency and Expert Group (IAEG‐SDG)

Vision and Rationale

3

A single agenda: Education 2030 = SDG 4

Comprehensive, holistic, ambitious, aspirational and universal

Transformative, leaving no one behind

Addressing unfinished business of EFA and MDGs and current and future challenges

SDG 4

4

Goal : ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’

Key Features:• Access• Equity and inclusion• Gender Equality• Quality• Lifelong Learning

Effective Implementation

5

Heart of implementation lies at the country level. Governments have the primary responsibility to deliver Education 2030

Principles of inclusiveness, participation, transparency and mutual accountability

Regional and sub‐regional efforts for implementation to be in line with regional strategies and frameworks

Technical support from convening agencies, regional and intergovernmental organisations and other partners

Effective Partnering for Supporting SDGs

6

• Partnering should be driven by results

• Partnerships should be based on comparative advantages

• Ensure necessary monitoring and evaluation of partnerships

• Take cognizance of implications global programme partnerships on country‐level processes and outcomes

Appendicies \ 77

UNESCO Support for SDG4 Education2030 implementation

7

UNESCO mandated role to lead and coordinate SDG4‐Education 2030 including through: Advocacy for political commitment and resource

mobilization Capacity development Policy dialogue and advice, knowledge‐sharing,

standard‐setting Facilitating South‐South and triangular cooperation Convening global, regional and national stakeholders Monitoring progress through work of UIS and Global

Education Monitoring (GEM) Report

SDG4 Education 2030 Steering Committee

Composition: Mandate:

8

3 Member State representatives for each of the six regional groups

1 representative of the E‐9 countries

UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank and one representative of theother convening agencies (ILO, UNDP, UNHCR, UNFPA, UN Women)

1 representative of the GPE

1 representative of the OECD

1 representative of teachers organization

2 representatives of NGOs

1 representative from regional organizations for each of the sixregions

Support MemberStates and partners inachieving Education2030

Going Forward

The success of the SDGs for people, the planet, peace and prosperity depends on collaboration and networks of partnerships working together transcending silos that divide sectors and governments, philanthropies, private enterprises and communities.

Thank You

10


Appendix 9

Emerging Priorities: Early Childhood Development Early childhood development (ECD) is a growing global priority: SDG 4.2: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood

development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education” Nassau Declaration “Ministers recognize the key role that early childhood education plays as the

foundation for all lifelong learning, and wider social and economic outcomes…”The GPE is prioritising ECD in its new five year strategy (2016‐2020) It is expected that GPE will be increasing both funding and capacity development for ECD across

many of their developing country partners, with a focus on fragile statesECD has emerged as a major focal area for private donors Transnational donor collaborative has emerged centered on ECD International Education Funders Group estimates members contribute $120 million/year to ECD

Emerging Priorities: Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises

Education Cannot Wait Fund launched last month aims to increase access to education in emergencies to 18% of crisis‐affected children by

2020 and to 100% of crisis‐affected children by 2030 fundraising ambition of $3.85 billion by 2020 $87.5 million committed to date ‐ including £30 million from UK

Humanitarian aid to education focuses overwhelmingly on primary and secondary level education, but signs of new initiatives:DFID SPHEIR; Open Society Foundation Higher Education Support Program; Jesuit Refugee Service looking at HE and refugees

Emerging Priorities: Secondary EducationSecondary education is given the same priority as primary education in the

SDG agenda: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and

secondary education leading to relevant and Goal‐4 effective learning outcome”Education aid going to secondary education has increased from 12% in 2005 to

21% in 2014. The UK and World Bank are leading this trend ‐ together they account for $1 billion in aid to

secondary education. GPE funds only at lower‐secondary level

The Partnership to Strengthen Innovation and Practice in Secondary Education (PSIPSE) is a private donor collaborative supports more than 40 projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and India.

Emerging Priorities: Teachers and LearningSDGs and Nassau Declaration stress role of the teacher in quality learning:

SDG 4.10 “By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states”

Teacher training/professional development is a funding priority for many private donors, but collaboration has been minimal to date

Global consultations for the International Education Commission have had a strong focus on teachers: ROI for teacher training, salaries and motivation Concern over corruption and lack of accountability – e.g. “ghost” teachers

Role of teachers’ unions – crucial but contested

Emerging Priorities: Learning Assessment SystemsLearning assessments are seen as crucial means to measure SDG progress at school, national and global levels

Rise of national, often civil society models, and plans for “PISA for development”The GPE’s new strategy has a strong focus on funding and capacity development for learning assessment systems at country‐level

Important focus of global consultations for the International Education Commission

Emerging Priorities: Post School Education and TrainingSDG4 puts more emphasis on adult education, VET and HEPSET has particular resonance in meeting other SDGsMassive growth in PSET due to successes of EFA‐ Indian commitment to provide skills to 500 million people; more than 10‐fold increase in HE numbers since 2000 in e.g., Ghana, Tanzania

Return in some donor’s interest to VET/HE, e.g., UK funding of SOGA (VET) and SPHEIR (HE) programmes and new youth focus

Interest of some private funders in youth and skills – e.g., Mastercard, as well as long tradition of NGOs ‐ e.g., Don Bosco, Lutheran World Fellowship, YMCA –and regional development banks – e.g., major AfDB investments in VET in Africa

Appendicies \ 79

CADME TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP MEETING:

Strengthening Collaborative Working

Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London 8-9 June 2016

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CTEF OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW (cont’d) OVERVIEW (cont’d)


CTEF RESEARCH PROGRAMMES (2016)

• Doctoral Education in Commonwealth Africa (DECA) • Financing Tertiary Education (FTE): Policy Options for the

Commonwealth Pacific

• Undertaken in the context of SDG (“Quality Education” and “Partnerships for the Goals”)

OBJECTIVES

DECA FTE

• Discuss and reflect on the current status of doctoral education in Commonwealth Africa

• Garner example of good practices from partners, agencies

and other stakeholders from within and outside of Commonwealth Africa

• Prepare an issues paper and multiple country reports on

doctoral education for Commonwealth Africa

• Analyse the current funding and financing, access and equity landscape of the participating countries

• Discuss current issues and challenges with regards to

tertiary education funding and financing of the Commonwealth countries of the Pacific

• Determine the best practices of financing and funding

strategies of PICs and to benchmark against other countries’ best practices

• Provide suggestions and recommendations that will

serve as guidelines for policy considerations

DELIVERABLES

DECA FTE

• An issues paper and multiple country reports on doctoral

education for Commonwealth Africa

• A collection of good practices among Commonwealth member countries and beyond concerning doctoral education will be documented

• An issues paper and country reports focusing on the current

financial status of the higher education in Commonwealth Pacific countries

• Recommendations and policies to be considered by the

Commonwealth Pacific countries education ministers upon the presentation at the 20CCEM in 2018 at Fiji

PROJECT/RESEARCH PARTNERS

DECA FTE

Issues Paper • Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) • International Association of Universities (IAU) • RMIT University Research Workshop • Commonwealth of Learning (COL) • Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT)

Focus Group Discussion • Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC) Country Reports • Stakeholders throughout Commonwealth Pacific countries

PROGRESS - Doctoral Education in Commonwealth Africa (DECA)

•Organised a DECA Stakeholders’ Meeting – Towards a Policy Report •12-13 February 2015 (Kuala Lumpur) •A policy brief was discussed and produced

PHASE 1 (Policy Brief)

•The policy brief was presented at the 19CCEM in The Bahamas and received endorsement by the education ministers

•Followed by a DECA workshop on 26-27 November 2015 (Cape Town) •Deliberation of the workshop focuses on the strategic direction needed in

producing an issues paper for the 20CCEM in 2018

PHASE 2 (Issues Paper)

•This research workshop will discuss doctoral education in the respective Commonwealth African countries

•It is aimed at exchanging views and improving various papers to be presented •A country report will be produced

PHASE 3 (Research

Workshop)

COMPLETED

NEXT STAGE

NEXT STAGE

PROGRESS (cont’d) - Doctoral Education in Commonwealth Africa (DECA)

Issues Paper (Phase 2) • Making Doctoral Education Relevant

• Enhancing Doctoral Programmes

• Improving the Education and Training

• Strengthening the Supervision Processes

Research Workshop (Phase 3) • Current situation of doctoral education in the represented

countries – Quality, numbers, infrastructure, funding, etc.

• Strengths and challenges of doctoral education

• How policy can address some of the challenges

COMPONENTS

Appendicies \ 81

PROGRESS - Financing Tertiary Education (FTE)

* Inaugural Workshop – Higher Education Funding and Access Issues In Selected Commonwealth Countries

* Policy brief on Financing Higher Education: Policy Options for the Commonwealth Countries * Presented at the 19CCEM in Bahamas

* Focus Group Discussion held in Fiji with the Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC) and stakeholders from other South Pacific Commonwealth countries – a Country Report write up

* Round Table Discussion held in Malaysia to further discuss the country reports and to formulate an issues paper

* Country Reports * Research Workshop * Issues Paper

TIMELINES

STAGES DECA FTE

PLANNING AND PREPARATION January – March 2016 February – April 2016

IMPLEMENTATION April – September 2016 May – July 2016

REVIEW AND AMENDMENTS October – November 2016 August – November 2016

FINAL REPORT December 2016 December 2016

COLLABORATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS, CONSULTANCIES

• African Network for Internationalisation of Education (ANIE) • International Network for Higher Education in Africa (Higher Education Forum for

Africa, Asia and Latin America)

• UNESCO APEID Bangkok on Tertiary Education in Commonwealth Pacific

• The World Bank, ADB

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS


Appendix 10

09/08/2016

1

StrengtheningCollaborative Work Dr Dennis SinyoloSenior CoordinatorEducation International

Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CAMDE) Technical Working Group Meeting, 8 June 2016

2030 AgendaFor Sustainable Development

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals

SDGsGoal 1. End poverty in all its forms

everywhere

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalisethe Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

GOAL 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

The Education 2030 Framework for Action emphasises partnerships with teachers and civil society. Governments committed to “set up or strengthen mechanisms for institutionalised social dialogue with teachers and their representative organisations, ensuring their full participation in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of education policy”.

The 10 education targets include special commitments on:

• Free primary and secondary education• Qualified teachers• Gender equality and inclusion• Safe learning environments • Literacy and numeracy skills• Skills for sustainable development• ECD, pre-primary, TVET and higher education

For Education 2030 to be realised, Education International calls on governments to:

1. Demonstrate political will and commitment to ensure implementation of the SDGs and quality education for all through concrete actions – policies, plans and legislative measures

3. Ensure adequate public financing of educationEducation must be free and publicly-funded.

(Adherence to recommended domestic financing benchmark of at least 6% of GDP, greater tax justice, progressive taxation systems, the closure of tax loopholes, and ending tax evasion essential)

2. Work with teachers and education support personnel

GOAL 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

How can governments and teachers unite for quality education and SDGs?

At national and local level:1. Work together to raise awareness about the SDGs –

EI has been organising regional and sub-regional workshops on SDGs for teachers and union leaders

2. Involve teacher organisations in the process of mainstreaming/integrating the SDGs into education sector plans, programmes and curricula

3. Involve teachers and teacher organisations in monitoring and reporting – SDG observatory, whistle blowing etc.

4. Provide institutionalised mechanisms for policy dialogue with teacher organisations

5. Involve teachers in the development of national indicators

Appendicies \ 8309/08/2016

2

• Ensure that the indicators are broad and relevant to your country context

• Include both qualitative and quantitative indicators

• EI is concerned about the narrowing of the SDG - Education 2030 agenda through the indicator development process

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be

At regional and global level 1. Colloborate in the development of regional

indicators2. Ensure the participation of teachers and civil

society in regional and global monitoring and review processes

3. Engage in policy dialogue, knowlewdge, information and good practice exchange

Example: The International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) - organised annually by the OECD, various host gorvenments and Education International

;

Recommendations for strentherning partnership between the Commonwealth and teachers/EI:1. Include representatives of the teaching profession (CTG) at

the CCEM (Ministerial meeting), in addition to their participation in the Teachers and Stakeholders fora etc.

2. Strengthern collaboration on migration and refugee-related issues, including implementation of the CTRP

3. Organise joint side meetings at major SDG/Education 2030 events e.g. GEM (2018) and the HLPF (2019)

4. Share strategies, key messages and tactics 5. Support, validate and endorse EI’s work on the teaching

profession and teacher professionalism – global guidelines on minimum professional teaching standards; framework on quality terms of employment; professional network of teachers

Education2030Unions driving Education 2030forward


Appendix 11

Commonwealth Education Policy Framework

Nasir KazmiHealth and Education UnitCommonwealth Secretariat

Commonwealth Education Policy Framework A framework for sustainable education for all

Background and Purpose

• MDGs and EFA

• 19CCEM

• Desk research on Education Policies

• Approval of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

• Spending target 4-6% of GDP or 15-20% of total public expenditure (Commonwealth figure .06-26%)

• SDG4 “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”

Context and Rationale

Point 18: Nassau Declaration

“Ministers recognise that all countries must not compromise on equity and quality, learning from good-practice, and the lessons of countries that have made significant progress in these areas. Therefore, in line with the core values of the Commonwealth Charter, the Commonwealth Secretariat will be developing effective policy frameworks to support efforts in this area, to be adopted by member states that wish to do so”

Commonwealth Education Policy FrameworkA framework for sustainable education for all

Development Stages:

• Initial draft developed in-house

• Review and feedback at a Pan-Commonwealth Consultation from 3-6 May in Kenya

• Further development after Pan-Commonwealth Consultation

• Sharing the Framework with Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME) Technical Working Group in June 2016

• Post-CADME TWG refinement for a final presentation at CADME TWG second meeting in October 2016

• Presentation at EMAG in January 2017

Pan-Commonwealth Consultation on the Commonwealth Education Policy Framework.

3 – 6 May 2016, Nairobi, Kenya

• The objectives of the Consultation were:

• To refine the draft Commonwealth Education Policy Framework;

• To obtain feedback from member states on their respective education policies so as to identify policy gaps and ensure that education policies are targeted towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;

• To allow participants the opportunity to network and gain insights into member states’ respective education policy initiatives;

• To gain a first-hand perspective of education initiatives being undertaken in Kenya.

Pan-Commonwealth Consultation on the Commonwealth Education Policy Framework.

3 – 6 May 2016, Nairobi, Kenya

Appendicies \ 85

Governance

Capacity

Advocacy

Know

ledg

eKn

owledg

e

Pre‐School

Primary

Secondary

Adult

Commonwealth Education Policy Framework (CEPF)A framework for sustainable education for all

Cornerstones

Access & EquityQuality

RelevanceSustainability

Enablers

GovernanceKnowledgeAdvocacyCapacity

Commonwealth Education Policy Framework (CEPF)A framework for sustainable education for all

8

2

7

6

3

8

5

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Ending 2015 Ending 2016 Ending 2017 Ending 2018 Ending 2019 Ending 2020+ End-dateunconfirmed

Existing National Policies, end dates by year, as of November 2015

Summary of Global Education Challenges and anticipated results for 2030

Overarching elements of the SDG

PRE‐SCHOOL

TERTIARY EDUCATION

SECONDARY EDUCATION

PRIMARY EDUCATION

ADULT LEARNING

TVET

Towards the World of Work (Decent work and better society)

Equitable an

d effic

ient allo

catio

n of re

sources

Quality – Equity – Relevance ‐ SustainabilitySustainable and cost‐effective education system



Objectives of the Policy Framework

• To assist Commonwealth member states in the strengthening of their respective education systems

• To enable Commonwealth member states to progress towards SDGs and achieve sustainable education and development for all

• To support wider economic growth

• To develop an overarching framework and tools that can be applied to different countries and settings to strengthen education systems covering all its aspects

• To strengthen leadership and governance, scale up teacher development, school/education leadership development, quality in education, efficiency of delivery, and alignment to global outcomes whilst matching with national and regional priorities


Approaches

• high level of political commitment in ensuring sustainable education for all;

• along with addressing wider determinants of education;

• including good nutrition, clean water, sanitation and safety;

• addressing quality and equity whilst ensuring relevance; and

• scaling up attendance and retention in education for both boys and girls.

• Additionally, strengthening the role of teachers, parents and society to effective results.

UNESCO- Policy Framework Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

16%

29%

24%

12%

9%

10%

Quality and EqutiyPreparing students for the future


Pre-School “encourage the provision of at least one year of free and compulsory quality pre-primary education and that all children have access to quality early childhood development, care and education” (Education 2030 Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action, 2015).• Behavioural development and

preparation for Primary• Identification of issues and early

interventions to address them.


Primary School

• The Commonwealth - too many children primary-aged (approx. 17 million) are out of school

• By 2030 ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary education leading to relevant and effective outcomes

• Globally- need for quality and well-trained teachers (financial and human resources)

• Interventions to prepare global citizens including civic education

Appendicies \ 87


Secondary Education

• increased primary school enrolment has led to rising demand for secondary schooling

• heightened demand for secondary education is accompanied by the need to respond to the twin challenges of “increasing access to” and “improving quality and relevance of” secondary education (World Bank)

• By 2030 ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality secondary education leading to relevant and effective outcomes

• Social rights and responsibilities

• Preparing for the world of work, relevant skills and pathways


Tertiary Education• unlike the MDGs, SDG 4 highlights the

importance of tertiary education to the global education agenda

• for the first time, the UN has recognised inequality in access to higher education as a driver of poverty (Mariana Patru, Higher Education Specialist, UNESCO)

• tertiary education and universities play a critical role in stimulating critical and creative thinking as well as in creating and disseminating knowledge for social, cultural, ecological and economic development (Mariana Patru)

• Tertiary Education has a direct link with economic development, industry, research and employment

• Entrepreneurship education and training


TVET

• greater prominence given to TVET in SDG 4

• TVET is increasingly seen as part of a lifelong learning approach to the development of education and training systems. TVET promotes knowledge, skills and attitudes for work and life.(UNESCO-UNEVOC, 2015)

• Four of the ten SDG targets refer to

TVET/Skills

• Entrepreneurship education and training

• Transition to decent work


Adult learning

• adult learning is an important element of lifelong learning (Education 2030 Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action, 2015)

• improving adult literacy remains a global challenge. 400 million illiterate adults in the Commonwealth

• adults with poor literacy and numeracy skills face multiple sources of disadvantage. They find it more difficult to make use of opportunities in society and to exercise their rights. They are also more likely to be in poor health (Education 2030 Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action, 2015)

Knowledge

Know

ledg

e

Dissemination &

uptake

Pre‐primary

Secondary

Tertiary Primary

Knowledge

Education is about the development of individual, community and societal funds of knowledge. Much of the transmission of knowledge takes place in education systems, whilst the production of new knowledge is a core function of tertiary education. Moreover, education policy also requires a strong knowledge base in order to be effective.

Research and development

Innovation

Monitoring and evaluation

Dissemination and uptake


Capacity

Education Workforce Planning

Resources, Numbers,

Infrastructure, Technology

Trained Teachers, School Leaders and Education Managers

Workforce Development

Social Environmental

Capacity

Economic

Standards, Curriculum, Accreditation

Collaborating Sectors

Capacity

Standards and accreditation Educational professional developmentCurriculum Infrastructure and technology

Education seeks to build individual and societal capacities. Education policies and programmes depend on adequate capacity and often necessitate a focus on capacity development.

GovernanceGovernance & Management

Quality Assurance

Outcomes

Supporting Legislation

Policy

Strategy

Organisation

Financing

Represen

tativ

e & Partic

ipative

Tran

sparen

t & Accou

ntab

le

Governance

Political will

Legislation

Policy and regulation

Strategic planning

Financing

Organisation

Having the right knowledge and capacity in place can still be ineffective if there is an inadequate system of educational governance. The complex challenges of the current era and the greater diversity of educational providers and stakeholders implied by SDG4 bring new dimensions to the area of educational governance.

Advocacy

Leadership and Ethics

Commun

icatio

nCo

mmun

icatio

n

Advocacy

Social Mobilisation and Community Empowerment

Economic

Social Environmental

Advocacy

Leadership and ethics Social mobilisation and community engagement Communication

Successful delivery on SDG4 will require multi-directional processes of communication between the state and other stakeholders where all actors will be engaged in advocacy for particular interpretations and prioritisations of what approaches to education should be followed

Appendicies \ 89


• Innovation, growth, social cohesion, migration and new technologies-quality education outcomes;

• Globalization and Knowledge Economies- learn skills of the jobs today,tomorrow and years to come;

• Evaluation and assessment- a coherent framework must be in place, with sufficient capacity for conducting and interpreting evaluations;

• Vision, Guiding Principles and Priorities


Considerations and next steps

Challenges on a country and regional basis

Analysis of international good practices in challenging environments

Analysis of Policy Framework prepared by other international organisations and donors

Relevance to SDGs

Four priorities: GBV, Youth, Governance and Trade, and Climate Change

Policy Framework - enabling education delivery • policy design, skills alignment, teaching and learning, CPDs, role of private sector and employers, stakeholder

consultation, cross-sector working & delivering in difficult conditions


Appendix 12

Universal Quality Education Principles/Standards/Guidelines:To enable the Sustainable Development Goals/2030 Agenda

9 June 2016

Purpose

To enhance learning for all to enable the delivery of the SDGs, including social, economic and environmental development.

Definition

Still to be developed and will combine the key standards across the systems components.

Rationale

Quality is an important aspect for cost effective educational outcomes

There is no global or Commonwealth consensus on what is meant by quality

The Education Ministers’ Action Group (EMAG) has asked for the development of Commonwealth Standards for Quality in Education

Quality Standards - Attributes

Equitable

Appropriate

Effective

Empowering

Wellbeing & safety

Sustainable

Application of Quality StandardsBased on the Commonwealth Education Policy Framework

GOVERNANCE Political will; legislation; policy & regulation; strategic planning; financing; organisation

KNOWLEDGE Research & development; innovation; monitoring & evaluation; dissemination and uptake

ADVOCACY Leadership & ethics; social mobilisation & community engagement; communication

CAPACITY Educational professional development; curriculum; infrastructure & technology; standards & accreditation

LIFE‐COURSEEarly childhood care & education; primary schooling; secondary schooling; technical and vocational education and training/skills; tertiary education; adult education and learning

Appendicies \ 91

A Framework for Quality in Education

[Relationship with other cornerstones or overarching areas, e.g. equity, relevance, sustainability]

Summary diagram being developed with the Malaysian Government and is subject to change

Attributes

Systems

Inclusive Access, Equity, Equality

Quality of teachers/academics

Curriculum

Environment

Sustainability

Governance

QUALITY STANDARDS

Relationship of Quality Standards & SDG4 Indicators

SDG4 Indicators 4.1.1 4.2.1 4.2.2 4.3.1 4.4.1 4.5.1 4.6.1 4.7.1 4.a.1 4.b.1 4.c.1

QUALITY STANDARDS

(clustered in relation to indicators)

Next Steps


Education Ministers Action Group (EMAG)

Further Consultation

Taking it forward with partners

Taking it forward with partners

Background paper for each area applied to the systems framework

Equitable Appropriate Effective Empowering Wellbeing &

safety Sustainable

Commonwealth Quality Standards for Education


Appendix 13

Education and the SDGs

Professor Simon McGrath

IntroductionIn EFA era, there was a strong tendency to focus on the claimed benefits of primary schooling and to downplay other benefits

Recent work on rates of return to education suggest that returns to primary aren’t the highest

Return to thinking about economic benefits of other aspects of educationSDGs encourage us to think about wider education and SD linksCf. GEMR 2016; UNESCO 2014‐ “Sustainable Development begins with Education”

DANGER: too much emphasis on what education can do underplays structural effects and risks blaming the poor

Education builds human capital / competencies / capabilities that help individuals escape poverty

Education helps people find paid work and enhance their incomes through self‐employment and other livelihood strategies

Education reduces the likelihood of intergenerational poverty, in part, through making it more likely that parents send children to school and keep them there

Education improves agricultural productivity (agricultural research and extension explicitly mentioned in 2a)

Education leads to adoption of better health practices related to food Education supports healthy eating decisions

Education reduces maternal mortality Education encourages vaccination Education helps manage population growth (education mentioned in 3.7) Education limits spread of HIV/AIDS and other communicable and non‐

communicable diseases Education builds research on vaccines and medicines and strengthens

health workforce (3b and 3c) Education increases female labour force participation and incomes Education supports female empowerment Education builds female aspirations Empowerment of girls specifically addressed in 5c

Education leads to improved sanitary practices Education reduces water wastage Education improves take up of sustainable water harvesting practices Education encourages safer water purification practices

Education builds skills in installing and maintaining more sustainable energy sources

Education encourages more sustainable energy use Education promotes community mobilisation around access to affordable

and clean energy

Education contributes to economic growth, productivity and competitiveness

Education builds the ability to start up and maintain an enterprise Education provides skills, knowledge and attitudes to access paid work Education supports the ability to negotiate for better pay and working

conditions 8.6 specifically targets reduction of number of NEETs Education underpins innovation Education builds the skills that encourage industrial investment and

competitiveness Education provides the technical skills and knowledge to deliver major

infrastructural developments 9.5 and 9b address science and technology research capacity and spending

Appendicies \ 93

Education reduces inequality within and between countries Education makes inequality fall by raising incomes Education increases the ability to mobilise politically to reduce poverty Education brings about a reduction in inequality‐producing individual and

community behaviours

Education facilitates community action, thus increasing the likelihood of sustainable community activities

Education drives local economic development Education encourages citizen action on pollution Education reduces the problems of urban life, such as crime and

inadequate infrastructure

Education promotes more sustainable consumption patterns including recycling

Education facilitates sustainable production practices by encouraging reduction in waste and pollution

Education supports transitions towards carbon neutral communities 12.8 addresses need for information to build awareness and change

practices; 12a about building scientific capacity Education increases environmental awareness Education supports more sustainable management of ecosystems Education promotes engagement in climate activism Education helps communities in building resilience to environmental and

climate shocks Education assists in adoption of new livelihood practices that respond to

climate change (13.3 stresses role of education in this regard)

As with Goal 13, for 14 & 15: Education increases environmental awareness Education supports more sustainable management of ecosystems Education promotes engagement in climate activism Education helps communities in building resilience to environmental and

climate shocks Education assists in adoption of new livelihood practices that respond to

climate change 14a calls for increasing scientific knowledge and developing research

caapcity

Education promotes human rights Education strengthens inclusive and participatory decision‐making Education supports tolerance to diversity Education helps avoid conflict and promotes post‐conflict healing and

reconciliation Education constrains corruption and promotes effective justice systems

Education builds the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are essential to effective partnerships at all levels

Education builds public awareness of the SDGs and increases the likelihood of politicians and officials being held to account for SDG delivery

17.6 addresses research capacity needs

ECD is a vital underpinning to sustainable human development All goals include elements that require adult learning / awareness raising Vocational education and training provides skills, knowledges and attitudes

necessary for all goals Higher education contributes research and the production of pro‐

sustainable development professionals across the goals

Education isn’t just about schooling

Education is of cross‐sectoral importance and this needs to be communicated clearly in national development strategies and in interministerial working

Schooling needs to be aware of key national priorities and deliver cross‐SDG messages

Ministries of Education need to communicate adult, vocational and higher education insights to Ministries responsible for other SDGs

Ministries of Education need to communicate vital role of education clearly


Professor Simon McGrathSchool of Education

Email: [email protected]: @mcgrath_simon

Appendicies \ 95

Appendix 14


Commonwealth Curriculum Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals

Amina Osman

Rationale for Commonwealth Curriculum Framework for the SDGs: 19th Commonwealth Conference of Education MinistersAt the 19th CCEM, ministers recognised:

• Education for Sustainable Development as a priority for future planning.

• The role of education at the heart of the process for driving the SDGs.

• Education for building resilience: education as key factor in combating vulnerability, particularly those faced by small states, such as climate change, migration, mobility, and financing.

A key objective is to reduce financial and economic costs to member countries whilst promoting wellbeing, social and economic empowerment through a life course approach, using education as entry point and areas of intervention.

Rationale for Commonwealth Curriculum Framework for the SDGs: Post-2015 AgendaThe SDGs go beyond the MDGs and provide a comprehensive framework for countries to engage in transformational change in a more sustainable direction. The SDGs are:• Universal - For all people, everywhere. Requiring action from all.• Integrated - Indivisible goals which cut across social, economic

and environmental needs.• Transformative - No longer business as usual, a holistic

approach which engages new actors.• Ambitious - But attainable within 15 years with great benefits to

be gained (the cost of inaction is greater than cost of action).

Purpose• The Commonwealth Curriculum Framework for the SDGs aims to

promote the qualitative improvement of the human condition (social, economic, environmental) - with no one left behind - through education and learning.

• It will support countries to address all 17 SDGs through education and reinforce the connection between the SDGs through a holistic, life course approach.

• Develop successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens

• Build resilience and uphold core values & principles of the Commonwealth

• Assist stakeholders involved in planning and delivering learning across all sectors and settings, to bring about the transformational changes needed to lead fulfilling lives.

Clustering the SDGs The Centrality of Education

• Education is essential for sustainable development and the SDGs require greater synergies between education and other sectors with shared interventions and actions across multiple sectors.

• Education is one of the strongest drivers of progress at individual, societal and economic levels and is a key determinant of social and economic transformation (which is required to face global challenges).

• Education equips learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills and values needed to be responsible global citizens (respect for human rights, gender equality, environmental sustainability).


Purpose of the curriculum framework Quality of education

Relevance of Curriculum Framework

within broader, comprehensive

systemic approach (Policy Framework).

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• The curriculum includes the core knowledge, skills and competencies for children, adolescents, young people and adults throughout their lives.

• Sustainable development depends critically on the competencies of all citizens of the Commonwealth - with competencies understood to cover knowledge, skills, and attitudes and values that build on individual capacity.

• ASK theory – learners show greater motivation, confidence and independent thinking when teachers are less obsessed with grading.

Source: James Nottingham, www.p4c.com

Knowledge, skills, values

Sustainable development depends critically on the competencies of all citizens of the Commonwealth – with competencies understood to cover knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that build on individual capacity such as team-building, communication, decision-making, problem-solving, sense of community, citizenship, self-esteem, personal responsibility, social responsibility, empathy, moral development, resilience, and improved inclination for educational achievement.

On this basis, competencies can be further classified as:1) Subject competencies – knowledge, facts, definitions, concepts, systems2) Methodological competencies – skills, fact-finding, analysis, problem-solving3) Social competencies – communicating, working interactively, citizenship4) Personal competencies – attitudes, values, ethics

Example of Competencies: Knowledge, Skills, Values & Attitudes

Knowledge & Understanding

• Successful learners• Searching for

information• Listening, observing,

problem solving• Planning & decision

making• In depth engagement

with key socio-political challenges & conflicts. Developresponses to them

• Knowledge to respondto global & national challenges

Skills & Applications

• Independent learning • Planning and decision

making• Self-esteem, self-

understanding, clearer sense of identity

• Capacity to think independently

• Sense of purpose and hope

• Improved competences and communication and better social integration

Values & Attitudes

• Communicating with others

• Responsible, active and engaged citizens

• Critical engagement • Duty bearers• Community interaction

for positive & constructive responses to societal issues

• Confident, resilient & adaptable individuals

Appendicies \ 97

Life Course Approach• A holistic life course approach is seen as an integrated

continuum rather than addressing disconnected and unrelated stages.

• The life course approach aims to assist learners to develop the skills they need for learning, life and work in an ever changing world with new challenges.

• Social, economic, and physical environments also have influence throughout the life course. All these factors impact individuals, communities and societies.

The curriculum includes the core knowledge, skills and competencies for children, adolescents, young people and adults throughout their lives, wherever they acquire education and supports learning throughout life, as learning begins at birth and continues throughout life.

A life course approach is therefore adopted to assist learners develop the skills they need for learning, life and work in an evolving world with ever emerging challenges.

Competencies & Life Course Approach Competencies

Lear

ning

Sta

ges

Knowledge, facts, definitions, concepts,

systems knowledge

Skills, fact-finding, analysis, problem-solving

Values & Attitudes (ethics,communicating, working interactively, citizenship)

Early Childhood Care and Education

Subject competencies

Methodological competencies

Personal and social competencies

Primary Education

Secondary Education (including skills development)

TVET/Skills

Tertiary Education

Adult Education and Learning (including

adult basic education, literacy and numeracy)

Outline – Section 1Section I – Introduction

- Rationale for Commonwealth Curriculum

- From MDGs to SDGs

- Rio + 20

- Targets and Indicators for SDG4

- 19 CCEM Communiqué

- Education 2030

- Centrality of education

- Commonwealth charter (including definition of quality of education)

- Purpose of the Commonwealth C. framework

Outline - Section 2

Section 2

Commonwealth Curriculum Framework for the SDGs

• For each of the 17 SDGs : 2 pages each (approx.)


Subject competencies Methodological competencies Personal & social competencies Knowledge, facts, definitions, concepts,

systems knowledge Skills, fact-finding, analysis, problem-solving

Attitudes and Values (ethics/communicating, working interactively, citizenship).

Early Childhood Care and Development (Pre primary)

- Social emotional learning to manage and express feelings, and relate to others.

- Learning to be safe e.g through suggested scenarios.

- Healthy Eating. - Water, Sanitation and Hygiene education

to address personal hygiene and the transmission of diseases.

- Fun and play as a context for learning.

- Life skills for future resilient individuals and to ensure bullying prevention. -Basic hygiene and food handling practices. - Self-confidence and self-awareness. - Ability to manage feelings & behaviours - Social interaction & active engagement of the child in problem solving with peers and adults as foundation of the social mind.

- Self-confidence and self-awareness - Ability to manage feelings & behaviours - Ability to build relationships - Social interaction & active engagement of

the child in problem solving with peers and adults as foundation of the social mind.

Primary Education

-WASH education to address personal hygiene and the transmission of diseases.

- Key disease vectors in home and school as health risk (mosquitoes, rodents, flies etc.)

- Keeping food safe from harmful germs.

- Children take care of their hygiene and personal needs (for example, going to the toilet and washing without help)

- Health skills to reduce vector population at home and school.

- Value the need for cleanliness, personal hygiene and safe and clean facilities.

- Make appropriate choices to reduce exposure to environmental health risks for self and family.

- Healthy Eating. - Healthy eating patterns that provide

energy and help growth and development.

- Engage in various activities for health, fun, and development of motor skills.

- Influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology and other factors on health behaviors.

- Eating and fitness habits established in childhood, conditioning preferences and practices, which will influence quality of health in later life.

- Apply basic eating and fitness rules (safety, space, awareness) to maintain optimum health.

- Ability to help plan and prepare healthy meals, make positive lifestyle choices and participate in sport/exercise.

- Value sport fitness and physical activity, good nutrition and personal choices in relation to being healthy and keeping safe.

- Appreciate the importance of selecting nutritious foods for a healthy lifestyle.

- Apply safe food-handling practices. - Healthy and active lifestyles, including

nutrition, exercise to promote good health, well-being and the prevention of NCDs.

- Lifeskills education including psychosocial skills to promote positive healthy behaviours and well-being.

- Ability to analyse their personal situation, feel empowered to make well-informed decisions about their sexual and

- Managing emotions - Resisting peer pressure

SDG 3 – health and well being Secondary Education

- Nutrition education combined with school food to improve student’s health and nutrition.

- Links between quality of nutritional intake, level of physical activity, ability to learn and social and emotional development.

- Ability to plan and prepare healthy meals, make positive food choice. - Students are able to apply knowledge and skills to address real life situations and make positive changes in their lives and homes to promote good health. - Potential of young persons to become productive and contributing adults/citizens. - Understanding of the principles that underlie personal and social well-being. - Development of knowledge, skills and attitudes that make for healthy family life. - Ability to practice responsible decision-making about social and sexual behaviour.

- Value of the significance of good nutrition and personal choices in relation to being healthy. - Good eating habits - Awareness of children and youth of the fact that the choices they make in everyday life profoundly influence their health and personal development into adulthood. - Demonstrate sound health-related knowledge, attitudes and practices. - Understanding that health is a state of physical, emotional, social, and mental well-being. - Appreciation of quality of nutritional intake and level of physical activity as related to ability to learn, and implications for social and emotional development.

- Measures of disease prevention instead of focusing on curative measures.

- Epidemiological, sanitary and environmental surveillance.

- Ability to apply knowledge of disease prevention to real life situations - Ability to critically analyse global health issues and problem solve to create holistic solutions

Areas identified under primary education also apply for secondary education – but in more depth and at a more advanced level. - Life Skills Based Education - Coping skills to deter behaviours and

lifestyles associated with crime, drugs, violence, motor vehicle accidents, and other injuries. - Skills that reduce involvement in risky behaviours including crime, violence, bullying, alcohol and other drugs, and motor vehicle accidents.

- Demonstrate skills to avoid high-risk situations and pressure to use alcohol and other illicit substances.

- Demonstrate skills to cope with violence at home, school, and in the community.

- Recognise risks to mental and emotional well-being.

- Factors and risks that affect reproductive health.

- Healthy sexual development, responsible and safe relationships.

- Responsible behaviour.

What is the Commonwealth Curriculum Framework for the SDGs?• A flexible, non-prescriptive tool that guides countries in defining

the basic requirements related to knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that must be demonstrated or acquired in order to achieve the objectives of the SDGs through education and within the current or evolving policy contexts.

• A basis for in-depth curriculum adaptations, review or reforms with a view to strengthening equity, tolerance and respect for others, enhance individual and collective responsibility, and connect the SDGs to national sustainable development agendas.

• A tool to ensure that the SDGs achieve transformative outcomes through education by developing a multisector mechanism to catalyse work across sectors.

Process – next steps etc.

• Demand driven

• Continuous feedback from countries

• Piloting & Validation exercise

• Evolving process which includes flexibility to address emerging issues.

• Tools developed according to demand by countries e.g. cross sector initiatives health-education/climate change-education/radicalisation etc.

- assessment of learning outcomes on climate change (Fiji)

- addressing radicalisation through the curriculum (Kenya)

- training on the SDGs (Fiji, Tuvalu)

- effective learning environments

- guidelines on using the curriculum framework

• Technical meeting (end June) to look at the content, identify priority/key

Thank you

Appendicies \ 99

Appendix 15

1

Education Ministers Action Group (EMAG) Meeting 21-22 January 2016

Nassau Declaration – Action Plan (19CCEM 2015 to 20CCEM 2018)

Area to Advance Activity Lead Agency Timeframe 1) Spirit of

sharing/spirit of giving

Share good practice

Commonwealth Secretariat /Education Hub

Ongoing Good practices from Education Hub discussions are collated

into a summative report, which is placed on the website and disseminated to Ministry of Education officials of Commonwealth member states

Partnerships and resources

Education Ministers Action Group (EMAG)


Ongoing EMAG Chair to attend Commonwealth Finance Ministers

Meeting (CFMM) in Washington DC (7-9 October 2016)

Invite donors and partners to CADME Meetings (7-8 June and 18-19 October)

Invite donors to present at next EMAG Meeting (19-20

January 2017)

Request contributions

Commonwealth Secretariat/EMAG/

Ongoing Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for

2

Area to Advance Activity Lead Agency Timeframe from partners periodically to enable delivery of Nassau Actions

CADME Education (CADME) Technical Working Group meetings: 7-8 June 2016 and 18-19 October 2016

2) Cross-Commonwealth education developments

Facilitate collaborations

Commonwealth Secretariat /Education Hub

Ongoing Development of a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (to be

presented at CADME) to identify how Partners and the Education Hub can scale up collaboration and networks

Commonwealth mobility

Commonwealth Secretariat/Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and Council for Education in the Commonwealth (CEC)

Ongoing Strengthening Education outcomes with Commonwealth

Partners (April 2016)

ACU Executive Heads Conference in Accra, Ghana (26-29 July 2016)

3) Policy frameworks

Developing policy tools and legislative framework

Commonwealth Secretariat/Kenya (Pan Commonwealth Consultation)

Ongoing Pan Commonwealth Consultation on Commonwealth

Education Policy Framework, Kenya (18-22 April 2016)

Refining the Commonwealth Education Policy Framework at CADME Meeting (7-8 June 2016)

Commonwealth Education Policy Framework to be presented

at next EMAG Meeting (19-20 January 2017) 4) Scholarships Commonwealth

Scholarships Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and CSFP Taskforce

Ongoing 1st Meeting of CSFP Taskforce held on 20/01/2016 2nd Taskforce Meeting 26 July 2016 3rd and final Task Force Meeting 17 October 2016


3

Area to Advance Activity Lead Agency Timeframe

Summary Actions to EMAG Letter from Chair, EMAG to selected Commonwealth member

states requesting contributions to Commonwealth Scholarships (March 2016)

5) Research collaborations

Research Consortium and Chair

Government of India Update, report from India (22 April 2016)

6) ICT and teachers

Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility (CTEF) Malaysia

Malaysia Ongoing (2014-2018) Report to CADME (7-8 June) and EMAG (19-20 January 2017)

Contribute to Quality Standards for Education

Innovations in ICT

Commonwealth Secretariat/ Commonwealth of Learning (COL) /Education Hub

Ongoing Education Hub and COL

Distance learning

Commonwealth Secretariat/ COL/Education Hub/

Ongoing Two (2) tools on Education to be launched on Education Hub

website i. Thousands of wide ranging free courses from institutions

across the world (1 June 2016) ii. Online catalogue of qualifications offered by institutions

across the Commonwealth (1 June 2016) Ongoing Mandate: The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is

an intergovernmental organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning/distance education knowledge, resources and technologies (https://www.col.org/)

4

Area to Advance Activity Lead Agency Timeframe Examples of COL’s Programmes (https://www.col.org/what-

we-do): o Higher Education o Knowledge Management and Technology o Open/Innovative Schooling o Virtual University for Small States of the

Commonwealth (VUSSC) o Teacher Education o Technical and Vocational Skills Development o Lifelong learning for farmers o Gender o Technology-enabled learning

7) Looking to the future

Higher Education meeting in Ghana focusing on university, society and employment

ACU An upcoming meeting of the Executive Heads of the ACU to be held from 26-29 July 2016

Online discussions, promoting innovation, enhancing relevance

Commonwealth Secretariat/Education Hub

Ongoing Discussions: Increasing access to education currently open until 25 March

2016 Future Discussions: April Funding education (including scholarships, bursaries,

government funding policies, etc.)

May Evidence and quality in education

Appendicies \ 101

5

Area to Advance Activity Lead Agency Timeframe June Female Genital Mutilation and the role of Education

July Disabilities and Vulnerability (including migration, mobile people, geography/remoteness)

August Health and Education and the benefits of a collaborative approach

October Education in small states and deep rural areas

November Role of education in preventing violence

8) Early Childhood

9) Gender

10) Parents and civil society

11) Role of teachers

12) Youth

13) Lifelong learning

Mainstream in policy frameworks

Commonwealth Secretariat

Commonwealth Education Policy Framework (Draft to be ready by June 2016)

Commonwealth Curriculum Framework for the SDGs (Draft to be ready by June 2016)

Share good practice e.g. teacher and quality standards


Ongoing via Education Hub (https://www.thecommonwealth-educationhub.net/)

Engagement with partners


Strengthening Education outcomes with Commonwealth Partners (April 2016)

Partner Engagement Plan (June 2016) Policy Briefs

and Hub Discussion


Ongoing via Education Hub

6

Area to Advance Activity Lead Agency Timeframe Ongoing Discussions: Increasing access to education currently open until 25 March

2016 Policy Briefs: Financing Health and Education (December 2015). See Link

(https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By8T-PuCsgpbZEc5YjBwa1E0NFE/view). Currently closed for comment

Radicalisation, Resilience, Respect and Rehabilitation (Draft) (November 2015). See link (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By8T-PuCsgpbNHhXMkdoYVI3Z0E/view). Currently closed for comment

Climate Change and Education (Draft) (December 2015). See

link (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By8T-PuCsgpbbHJXYVgxWk9wUVU/view). Currently closed for comment

Engaging Boys for Active Citizenship (Draft) (January 2016).

See link (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By8T-PuCsgpbMVJpcnRkY3dReFU/view?usp=sharing&pref=2&pli=1). Currently closed for comment

Health and Education Challenges and Advancing the SDGs

(November/December 2015). See link (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By8T-PuCsgpbSktIVjY2NVNWM3M/view). Currently closed for


7

Area to Advance Activity Lead Agency Timeframe comment

A sustainable, cost-effective approach to delivering

education policy for the SDGs (Draft) (January 2016). See link (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By8T-PuCsgpbZ3BfNFYtcmpzalU/view?usp=sharing).

Pacific region


Ongoing work to improve health and education outcomes include: Mission to Fiji and Tuvalu (8-18 March 2016) to

identify potential areas of technical support to Fiji that would benefit other member states particularly small states, and presentation and review of Draft Commonwealth Curriculum Framework Joint work with Youth Division on evidence based policies on

youth development in the Pacific (June 2016) Distance

Learning Commonwealth of Learning (COL)

Please refer to No. 6 under ‘Areas to Advance’

See link (https://www.col.org/)

14) 20th CCEM Host - Fiji

Strategic direction: o Relevance o Quality o Equity

EMAG

CCEM Steering Committee

Government of

Fiji

EMAG Meeting (19-20 January 2017) CADME Meetings (7-8 June and 18-19 October 2016)

Quality Education Standards Expert Group with Malaysia (6

June 2016) First 20CCEM Steering Committee meeting (20-21 October

2016) Develop

overview report Commonwealth Secretariat /

First draft (July 2017)

8

Area to Advance Activity Lead Agency Timeframe of Nassau Action Plan to present at 20CCEM

CADME/ Partners to deliver

15) Advocacy Communication Plan

Enhancing relevance across SDGs: o Social o Economic o Environmen

tal o Equity o Quality

Education Hub

EMAG Commonwealth

Secretariat

Completed (16 September 2015) Ongoing Prior panel discussions: Radicalisation and role of health and education

(2 December 2015) Global Health Security Challenges and Policy Responses

(2 February 2016)

Upcoming panel discussions: Female Genital Mutilation Panel (June 2016)

Past Hub discussions held in 2015:

The role of education in propelling climate change action (30 November 2015 – 18 December 2015)

Education’s response to radicalisation and violent extremism (12 November 2015 – 27 November 2015)

How can quality education for all be financed (11 August 2015 – 11 September 2015)

Exploring Sustainable Development Goal 4 (8 October 2015 – 3 November 2015)

ICT Integration in Education (June 2015)


Dr Joanna NurseHead of Health and [email protected]

2


Strategic Outcomes:

1. Democracy

2. Public Institutions

3. Social Development: Enhanced positive impact of Social Development

4. Youth

5. Development – Pan Commonwealth

6. Development – Small states and vulnerable states


3


• Strategic Outcome: Enhanced positive impact of Social Development

Intermediate Outcomes:

• 3.1: Strengthened national frameworks and policies improve health outcomes

• 3.2: Strengthened national policies and frameworks improve educational outcomes

• 3.4: Improved capacity building for social development


A framework for sustainable social development

Know

ledg

e

Social Development

HealthEducation

Advocacy

Governance

Capacity

Content Process

Hubs

Enabling Outcomes: our strategic advantage andthe Commonwealth Secretariat Strategic Plan:


5

Global Advocacy – convening

power

Technical assistance, referrals

& partnerships

CommonwealthProfile

Sustainable Development and the post 2015 SDGs

Policy development: analysis, gaps, formulation & implementation

CollaborationCommunication

Capacity

HEU ‐ Adding Strategic Value to Social Development

Demand

Need

Evidence

Delivery

‐ Sustainable Development Goals‐ Strategic Plan (ComSec)‐ Ministerial Statements‐ Country Requests

‐ Education outcomes‐ Life expectancy‐ Policy status‐ Strategic relevance

‐ Evidence review‐ Policy gaps‐ Cost effectiveness‐ Strategic value

‐ Implementation‐ Evaluation‐ Pilot and scale up‐ Dissemination

Appendicies \ 103

9

Area to Advance Activity Lead Agency Timeframe Recently closed hub discussions: Changing patterns in boys' education achievement (25th

January 2016 to 19th February 2016)

Ongoing hub discussion:

Increasing access to education currently open until 25 March

2016 Future hub discussions: April Funding education (including scholarships, bursaries,

government funding policies, etc.)

May Evidence and quality in education

June Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and the role of Education

July Disabilities & Vulnerability (including migration, mobile people, geography/remoteness)

August Health and Education and the benefits of a collaborative approach

October Education in small states & deep rural areas

November Role of education in preventing violence

10

Area to Advance Activity Lead Agency Timeframe Other suggestions for hub discussions:

ICT in schools Relevance of curriculum Quality teachers TVET Case for investing in education Quality Youth and unemployment challenges Pre-school Gender – early marriage in Africa and human rights Equity Migration, mobility and refugees CHOGM priorities/political relevance Disabilities Access the vulnerable, marginalised and out of school

children Private vs. public education Access to tertiary education Small states Sustainable development and SDGs



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