A good education: the foundation for a better future
Education equips people to improve their living conditions and those of society as a whole. However, education must be accessible to all and of sufficiently high quality if it is to make a long-term contribution to combating poverty and preventing conflicts.
The number of children in school worldwide has reached record levels. According to UNESCO, nine out of ten children now enjoy access to a primary education. Despite these advances achieved as part of the Millennium Development Goals and the global ‘Education for All’ campaign, many challenges remain. An estimated 250 million children still cannot read, write or count after four years of schooling. 760 million adults worldwide are illiterate, of whom two-thirds are women. The situation is particularly dire in 14 African countries, where over half of the adult population can neither read nor write.
The 2030 Agenda sets its sights higher
The adoption of the new 2030 Agenda in 2015 has created new opportunities. Goal 4 concerns education and includes UNESCO’s Education 2030 Framework for Action. The aim is to guarantee all children, young people and adults access to a general and vocational education that is adapted to their needs and reflects the environment in which they live. Switzerland is a staunch supporter of this new agenda. Its efforts in the field of education are geared primarily towards the most marginalised and disadvantaged groups, which include girls, women and minorities.
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Education 2030 Framework for Action, Swiss National Commission for UNESCO
High-quality education – a priority issue in Afghanistan
Since 2001, over 9 million Afghan schoolchildren, 40% of whom are girls, have started school or have re-entered the school system. These figures are particularly gratifying given that it was virtually impossible for girls to attend school in 2001. Although the numbers are impressive, the quality of the teaching dispensed in Afghan schools still falls short. Inadequately trained teaching staff, the use of unsuitable or outdated materials and methods, as well as a weak Ministry of Education have hindered efforts to improve the education system.
The SDC supports two projects in Afghanistan aimed at improving the quality of education: a nationwide project run by the German International Cooperation Agency, GIZ, and one launched by the Aga Khan Foundation, which is active at local level. It also works with the Teacher Training Directorate of the Afghan Ministry of Education to mainstream gender equality in the national education system. The number of girls not in school in Afghanistan remains high at 60%. The reason for this is that girls entering puberty are often taken out of school, particularly when there are not enough female teachers. This is why 40% of the 30,000 teachers who benefit from Swiss support are women.
Switzerland believes that high-quality education can only be achieved if the system itself is improved. The SDC helps its partner countries to draft and implement a national education policy. It contributes substantially to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), which provides valuable assistance to Swiss education efforts.
Access to education for child refugees and marginalised communities
Access to education is another priority of Swiss international cooperation. Since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, more than 250,000 school-aged children wrenched abruptly from their everyday lives have found refuge in Jordan. However, integrating these children in the education system is not only a priority for Jordan, but also a challenge. The SDC assists the Jordanian Ministry of Education with its efforts to enrol Syrian child refugees in schools as quickly as possible. Many schools have been renovated and furnished in order to offer children a healthy, safe and age-appropriate learning environment.
Equitable access to education also means the inclusion of marginalised groups. Over 60% of the Roma community in Serbia have no access to basic education. Switzerland is active at all levels to ensure these children as well as children with disabilities are able to attend both preschool and primary school.
“I wanted to serve a tailor apprenticeship because it would allow me to build a future for myself. But I was told that I didn’t have the skills to talk to customers, read or write. So, I enrolled in evening literacy classes. Now I can read, take customers’ measurements and talk to them.” Kader Kouanda is a tailor and night-school student from Burkina Faso. His experience shows the importance of key skills like reading, writing and numeracy when it comes to learning a trade.
A good basic education is a guarantee of a successful apprenticeship and future job prospects. The SDC supports a project in Burkina Faso to develop education programmes that provide students with both a basic formal education and vocational skills. Many young Burkinabe now have the opportunity to learn a trade, which in turn provides them with employment opportunities and an important source of income.
In Laos, the SDC has launched a project which combines a basic education with the acquisition of vocational and technical skills. It is targeted primarily at disadvantaged young people and ethnic minorities, who have no or limited access to education. These students are awarded scholarships; 70% of the beneficiaries are young women.
