Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world
Since past few years, the countries have changed from least developed to developing and to
developed with numerous quantitative charts portraying the upsloping education targets.
Countries have witnessed major strides in making education accessible at all levels along
with improving basic literacy skills wherein the literacy rate for age group 15-24 improved
from 83% to 91% while completion rate in primary school exceeded 90%. With around 87%
of the children having gained access to basic education, the question about the qualitative
improvements in education still leads to a persistent learning gap. What do you mean by
quality in education?
Goal 4 of the SDGs to attain the vision 2030 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality
education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. This goal is crucial to the
qualitative improvements in the field of education and, also, to the other SDGs owing to its
transformative effects. Quality education acts as the base for sustainable development.
Education has rightly been referred as a force multiplier by UNADAP which enhances self-
reliance, aids in boosting economic growth through skill development and further
improvement in the living standards of people by opening the band of opportunities. The goal
4 target for 2030 aims at ensuring the completion of primary and secondary education for all
children with guaranteed equal access to quality technical and vocational education. SDG 4
mentions a set of ten targets including 7 outcome targets and 3 implementation targets, and 11
indicators. This goal will also help to achieve the other developmental goals. There are also
numerous organisations which are also involved for ensuring quality education like
UNESCO, UNICEF, Childhood Education International and others.
According to Harry A Patrinos, a whole new set of educational reforms are required in the
countries to turn the tide. A framework of 6 necessary components, primarily referred to as
the six As, was proposed to achieve the desired reformation in the Education sector. The 6 As
recommended include:
Autonomy
Accountability. Assessment
Attention to teachers
Attention to early childhood development
Attention to culture
Granting autonomy is a foolproof weapon of empowerment and thus, by giving ownership,
resources and voice while enhancing school competitiveness, quality can be determined by
empowering schools. Based on a study, it has been found that children in districts with over
85% of schools competing amongst each other tend to perform better. Coupling increased
autonomy with enhanced accountability mechanisms would ensure true potential of
autonomy. Further, enhanced accountability leads to an increased time for tasks and academic
achievement and owing to the redistribution of decision-making power, the responsibilities
for resource deployment and school activities are delegated to local authorities, principals,
teachers and students. Unaccountable education system is about a shift in decision making
authority from the government to the community. Even the researches show that the schools
that voted for autonomous grand maintained status have witnessed greater achievements.
The first step to quality is specification of benchmarks and, further, benchmark-based
assessments act as a pillar for education planning and reform towards improvement of
qualitative aspects. It is very simple that if the country is aware that where its education
system is standing at present, it would be able to improve and define specific goals for itself.
Countries like Jordan have witnessed significant improvements by using feedback loops and
benchmarking tests. Recruiting teachers who possess the skills and knowledge necessary for
them to take up the role of educators is one of the most important aspects to ensure that
quality education is imparted to children. Some countries have already amended the
recruitment norms for recruiting the teachers based on qualifications and certain personality
tests. Additionally, teachers are, now, also given in-service training to help them develop
their skills with the changing world.
Grooming of the children into adults is the responsibility of education but a strong base is a
prerequisite to reap the optimal benefits from the educational investment. Early childhood
development interventions lead to educational success and increased productivity. Some
studies show that the children who were treated so as to better develop their cognitive,
physical and emotional strength earned on average 42% more as young adults. Lastly, the
cultural backdrop takes a backseat and is often neglected. Schools can promote the use of
mother tongue as a language of instruction which will lead to implications such as increase in
attendance and promotion rates, lower repetition and dropout rates. This not only would
better education but the children would also be fluent with their national language by the end
of their basic education.
Thus, aggregating the above factors, a successful education system is an outcome of
correlation between both the institutional and structural quality factors. The quality of
Education can be improved through a benchmarking system and feedback loops which would
help in determining the cognitive levels of the children for the defined goals. By giving
ownership to the schools and communities along with regular monitoring, Policymakers can
define an appropriate reform aimed at holistic development of the children and to improve
education outcomes.
Written By : Ms. Nausheen Fatima, PGDM, Jaipuria Institute of Management
