Education International and partner organisation ASCD, a global community dedicated to excellence in learning, teaching, and leading, call for a clear definition of quality education that places the needs of the child at the fore.
In a joint statement released today, both organisations applaud the establishment of the stand-alone education goal as part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the United Nations in September 2015: ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.
A quality education, as defined by Education International (EI) and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), is one that focuses on the whole child, preparing the child for life, not just for testing, and is supported by three key pillars championed by EI: ensuring access to quality teachers; providing use of quality learning tools and professional development; and establishing safe and supportive quality learning environments.
“The Sustainable Development Goals related to education give the world a chance to build on some real success,” says EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen.
Already in this century, millions more students have access to education, he notes, acknowledging that “our challenge now is to complete that access and provide the quality teaching, tools, and environments for learning for every student.”
Highly qualified teachers are critical to this work and EI is proud to be working closely with ASCD, which has made continuous professional development for teachers a global mission, he goes on to say.
“Quality education must not be left to chance. It is the foundation upon which countries base efforts to improve overall health, well-being, and economic vitality,” said Deborah S. Delisle, ASCD Executive Director and CEO.
She insists on the fact that the ratification of an educational goal in the SDGs for 2030 is “our opportunity to engage the world in conversations to ensure that the term quality education is synonymous with an education that serves the needs of the whole child.”
The ASCD further commends EI and its Unite for Quality Education Campaign for leading the way in establishing education as a global goal and is honoured to be working alongside EI in advocating for quality and equity in education.
Read the full statement from EI and ASCD here.