Education for All Global Monitoring Report
Developed by an independent team and published by UNESCO, the EFA Global Monitoring Report published from 2002–2015, aimed to sustain commitment towards Education for All. It published 12 Reports from 2002 until 2015, and was then renamed, and relaunched under a new mandate as the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, UNESCO, whose principal role is to monitor progress towards the education targets in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. It has been replaced by the Global Education Monitoring Report.[1]
Background
In April 2000 more than 1,100 participants from 164 countries gathered in Dakar, Senegal, for the World Education Forum.
The participants, ranging from teachers to prime ministers, academics to policymakers, non-governmental bodies to the heads of major international organizations, adopted the 2000-word Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All: Meeting Our Collective Commitments
About the EFA Global Monitoring Report
The Education for All Global Monitoring Report was the prime instrument to assess progress towards achieving the six 'Dakar' EFA goals to which over 160 countries committed themselves in 2000. It tracked progress, identifies policy reforms and best practice in all areas relating to EFA, draws attention to emerging challenges and promotes international cooperation in favour of education.
The publication was targeted at decision-makers at the national and international level, and more broadly, at all those engaged in promoting the right to quality education – teachers, civil society groups, NGOs, researchers and the international community.
Whilst the report had an annual agenda for reporting progress on each of the six EFA goals, each edition also adopted a theme, chosen because of its importance to the EFA process. As of 1 January 2016, the EFA Global Monitoring Report became the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report), with a new mandate to monitor the new sustainable development goal on education (SDG 4). [2]
Aims and audience
The Education for All Global Monitoring Report aimed to inform education and aid policy through analysis of the challenges facing countries. While the prime audience consists of decision-makers such as ministers, policymakers, parliamentarians and education planners, other groups such as civil society, teachers, non-governmental organizations, university researchers and the media are important.
Data
The 'UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), based in Montreal, played a leading role in providing data for the report on students, teachers, school performance, adult literacy and education expenditure.
The institute collects data from over 200 countries and territories, but serious limitations in data coverage make it difficult to monitor certain aspects of Education for All, from public financing to education. To improve and accelerate data collection, UIS is helping governments to strengthen their own systems and analysis capacities. The report also draws on data from national household surveys, specially commissioned studies and other sources.
The report published quality-assured data, compiled so that statistics are comparable for the majority of countries, using the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). Not all countries use the same classification systems, however, which lead to discrepancies between national data and those published internationally.
Differences also stemmed from national population estimates. To calculate several indicators, UIS uses estimates from the United Nations Population Division, which can differ from those published by individual countries. More generally, the quality assurance process entailed a time lag between the collection (and often the publication) of data by national governments and their release by UIS for use in this and other reports. Where possible, the report identified discrepancies and data gaps.
Funding and organization
The publication was funded in the majority by multilateral and bilateral agencies, and benefited from the expertise of an international Advisory Board. During its annual meeting, the Board discussed the scope and contents of the Report underway and provides advice on its future development.
Each Report was developed over a 12 to 18-month period. It drew on scholarship and expertise from governments, NGOs, bilateral and multilateral agencies, UNESCO institutes and research institutions. Research Papers commissioned for each Report are available on the website.
The final version of the Report was submitted to the Director-General of UNESCO on an annual basis and considered by the High-Level Group on Education for All, comprising 24 members, including government ministers, representatives of donor organizations, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations. Its role, as stated in the Dakar Framework for Action (paragraph 19), was to sustain and accelerate the political momentum created at the World Education Forum.
The Report is translated into the UN and other languages so that its messages and findings may be shared.
Reports by year
Global Education Monitoring Report 2019
Global Education Monitoring Report 2017
Global Education Monitoring Report 2016
Education for people and planet: Creating sustainable futures for all
Global Monitoring Report 2015
Education for All 2000-2015: Achievements and Challenges
Global Monitoring Report 2013/4
Teaching and learning: Achieving quality for all
Global Monitoring Report 2012
Youth and skills: Putting education to work
Global Monitoring Report 2011
The hidden crisis: Armed conflict and education
Global Monitoring Report 2010
Global Monitoring Report 2009
Overcoming inequality: why governance matters
Global Monitoring Report 2008
Education for All by 2015: Will we make it?
Global Monitoring Report 2007
Strong foundations: Early childhood care and education
Global Monitoring Report 2006
Global Monitoring Report 2005
Education for all: the quality imperative
Global Monitoring Report 2003/2004
Gender and education for all: the leap to equality
Global Monitoring Report 2002
Directors
Manos Antoninis, 2017/18, 2019
Aaron Benavot, 2015 Report
Pauline Rose, 2012, 2013/4 reports
Kevin Watkins, 2009, 2010, 2001 reports
Nick Burnett, 2006, 2007, 2008 reports
Christopher Colclough, 2002, 2003/4, 2005 reports
References
- "About us". Global Education Monitoring Report. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/