“Leaders of higher education are uniquely positioned to offer insight and expertise on the challenges facing universal education,” University President John J. DeGioia said in his introduction to the Conference on the Role of Higher Education in Achieving Education for All last Monday.
“I am proud that Georgetown is spearheading this discussion and look forward to seeing the partnerships created today lead to the achievement of education for all.”
United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization Director-General Ko?chiro Matsuura, United States Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and First Lady Laura Bush convened in Gaston Hall for a nationally recognized discussion on education reform. The speakers introduced an assembly of experts attending the day-long conference hosted by Georgetown.
The event encouraged dialogue on the UNESCO Education For All initiative, a program aimed at ensuring universal primary education by 2015.
Matsuura quoted several statistics that painted a dour picture for the future of the EFA initiative. He said that more than 100 million children worldwide do not finish primary school and that approximately 800 million adults are illiterate.
“The world is not on track to achieve the goals of EFA by 2015,” Matsuura said.
He discussed the importance of the conference in re-invigorating the EFA initiative and emphasized that the assistance of higher education centers, particularly those in the U.S., is critical to its success.
“The world needs the help of the United States and its people,” he said.
First Lady Bush addressed gender inequity in education. She said that more girls than boys attend college in the U.S. as well as in other countries. She implied that this imbalance can lead to the higher prevalence of males in gangs and prisons.
“Conflict has left thousands of child soldiers with no schools to attend,” she noted.
When asked for his commentary, former head of the Washington, D.C. UNESCO office Frank Method said that this focus on boys is a fairly new development in the field.
But not all of the views presented were pessimistic. The First Lady pointed to teaching mothers to read so that they can teach their children as a key element of education reform. She also listed successful educational programs in both Iraq and Afghanistan, including the partnership of Rhode Island’s Roger Williams University and Iraq’s Basra University.
Secretary Spellings emphasized the importance of applying research and data-intensive studies to education and utilizing neuroscience research to improve reading teaching techniques. She said that President Bush’s No Child Left Behind policy complements UNESCO initiatives because of its dual emphasis on quality and accountability.
Spellings also provided success stories and commented that Iraqi schools are “adapting to freedom.” She concluded with a plea for participation, underscoring that further success for programs like EFA depends on involvement. She said that students studying abroad are the U.S.’s most important ambassadors.
“The more people behind this effort, the more people in need we can help,” Spellings explained her emphasis on coordination.
