Did you know DfID had an education policy? You'll find it here.
It includes this:
DFID’s new education policy calls for a united effort by global and national leaders to address the learning crisis and ensure poor and marginalised children - who face the greatest challenges - are not left behind. Our response is to tackle the learning crisis at its root; getting children to learn the basics of literacy and numeracy, as well as transferable skills. We will focus on three priorities:
- invest in good teaching: support decision-makers ready to take a fresh look at teacher training, recruitment and motivation to tackle the huge shortfall in skilled and motivated teachers
- back system reform which delivers results in the classroom: help teachers to succeed by making education systems more accountable, effective and inclusive, supported by UK expertise
- step up targeted support to the most marginalised: ensure they benefit from education, particularly hard-to-reach girls, children with disabilities and those affected by conflict and crisis.
At one level it's hard to criticise, as it's all very EFA: education for all and is four-square within the mainstream of UNESCO.
In the Introduction by the Secretary of State, it's more of the same, but with a greater focus on the UK tax-payers' contribution. In what follows this, as you'd expect, there is a mention of SDG 4 [ inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all ], but it's a passing reference with no mention of sustainability or ESD.
The document goes on at some length and there is lots of detail here about what our money is spent on. The trouble is that much this could have been (and maybe was) written in 2000, 1960, 1920, ... when the world was not facing the greatest crisis it's ever seen.
The future will look back in puzzlement at this astonishing complacency.
Respond