Latin American Regional Forum on Educational Policies focuses on secondary education

20 September 2018

Educational policy-makers from all 19 countries in Latin America are meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 20-21 September 2018, for the Regional Forum on Educational Policies entitled ‘Challenges of secondary education in Latin America to the Education 2030 Agenda’. Organized by IIEP-UNESCO’s regional office for Latin America, the second edition of this event is part of the efforts made by UNESCO to support countries in the region with achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 for education.

Participants include government representatives from the 19 countries of the region, experts in secondary education policies, and representatives from international organizations. Ms. Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director of IIEP-UNESCO, and Mr. Sobhi Tawil, Chief of Section at UNESCO for Partnerships, Cooperation and Research in the Division for Education 2030 Support and Coordination, will also attend the event.

The Regional Forum is a space for dialogue, consultation and peer learning, aimed at the ministerial authorities of Latin American countries, representatives of civil society and international organizations, and experts in educational policies. It provides a platform for debate and an opportunity to reflect on the challenges of implementing the Education 2030 Agenda, especially in terms of planning and managing public policies.

The central issue addressed in this edition of the Regional Forum is particularly relevant for Latin America, given that, in the last two decades, most of the countries in the region incorporated secondary education as part of the compulsory education cycle. However, up until now, countries have not achieved "inclusive, equitable and quality" secondary education for all people, as stated in SDG 4. In response to this challenge, the 2018 Regional Forum selected secondary education policies in Latin America as its focus to help countries fulfill this commitment.

This edition of the Regional Forum also takes place alongside the twentieth anniversary of the IIEP-UNESCO Office for Latin America. After twenty years of direct presence in the region, IIEP Buenos Aires has developed specific knowledge about the educational systems of the region, allowing it to bring to the decision-makers present at the Forum an up-to-date and contextualized vision on the transcendental topics for planning and the management of educational policies.