Quality of

Education

Rania ZakhiaEducation SpecialistUNICEF Lebanon

April 2016

Background: Dialogue towards Quality Education

• 1989 Convention on the Right of the Child

• 2000 World Education Forum Dakar, Senegal: Free education access for all children by 2015

• 2015 SDGs post-2015 education agenda More focus on quality

CRC and the Quality of Education

Education should support children reach their fullest potential in terms of cognitive, emotional and creative capacities.

The learner is at the centre of the educational experience, in a context also characterized by respect for others and for the environment.

CRCs in detail

The aims of education, from the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 29 (1):• The development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities

to their fullest potential;• The development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for

the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations;• The development of respect for the child’s parents, his or her own cultural identity,

language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own;

• The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin;

• The development of respect for the natural environment.

Quality determinants for learners

Quality outcomes:- Learning through life

- Healthy/free from violence

- Aware of their rights - Able to participate in

decisions that affect their lives

-Able to to respect diversity and practise equality

Learners and teachers as learners:- health and psychological development- home/community/

Content: - Material- Curriculum- Standards

Processes

Environment:- Physical elements- Psychological element- Health and hygiene element

Quality determinants: Processes

Students

Customized education

based on needs

Access to relevant

education

Teachers Professional development

Performance appraisal

SupervisionAdministrative

support and leadership

Financial resources

A Systems Approach to Quality is possible if…

• Autonomy• The autonomy reform:

empowering the schools by devolving part or all of decision-making power regarding school management

• To empower a school by giving it ownership

• To reinforce the school’s resource base by mobilizing social forces

• To build up the relevance of the school’s education

• To enhance the school’s competitiveness

• AccountabilityIf autonomy is in place:• Decision-making power is

redistributed among various stakeholders, local authorities, school principals, teachers, students

• other stakeholders are given new responsibilities for resource deployment and school activities

• Creation of new relationships of accountability.

A Systems Approach to Quality is possible if…

• ECD/ECE• Tremendous burst of

synapse formation occurs early in life

• The best time for nurturing sensing pathways, language abilities and higher cognitive function is the early years of childhood.

• Effective investments in ECE/ECD can reduce inequalities perpetuated by poverty, poor nutrition and restricted learning opportunities.

• Scarcity of investment in ECD could be a major barrier to the quality and cost-efficiency of overall educational delivery

Thank you