From schooling to learning

How to accelerate learning? This question is at the heart of a major challenge confronting national governments and development agencies, as investment priorities shift from creating facilities to improving gains in learning. There is now abundant evidence showing that, given an opportunity, all children can learn. What is needed now is to shift the focus of debate from equity in access, to equity in learning outcomes.

Ensuring learning for all requires systemic interventions, rather than a focus on various components. This calls for reforms that strengthen education systems and going beyond input orientation in investment to teaching learning processes, reinforcing accountability measures, and improving governance and management of institutions.

On 13–14 June 2012, these issues will be addressed by some 65 representatives of agencies and foundations* supporting education efforts in the developing countries, researchers and experts from universities, and professional organizations at the 2012 meeting of the International Working Group on Education (IWGE), in Washington DC.

The IWGE meeting will provide an important forum for agencies and foundations engaged in, and funding, education to exchange views, discuss issues in depth, develop a common understanding, and consider intervention strategies to maximize learning outcomes.

IWGE is an informal group of aid agencies and foundations. It was created in 1972 to enable donor agencies to exchange information and work closely together on education issues. Since 1982, it has devoted itself to the development and promotion of basic education. IWGE played a catalytic role in the Education for All (EFA) Conference in Jomtien. IIEP provides the secretariat for the IWGE.

Host organization: The World Bank, Washington, DC
Date: 13-14 June 2012
Venue: World Bank Headquarters, Washington, DC, USA
Contact: Kathryn Barrett
>> Download the programme

* Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), FHI360 (formerly Academy for Educational Development (AED)), Aga Khan Foundation, Australia (Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)), The Brookings Institution, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Center for Global Development, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Centre for International Cooperation in Education Development (CICED), Commonwealth Secretariat, The Douglas B. Marshall, Jr. Family Foundation, Education International, Germany (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation & Development; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)), Global Partnerships for Education (GPE), IIEP, INTEL, Inter-American Dialogue, Ireland (Department of Foreign Affairs), Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), MasterCard Foundation, Norway (Norwegian Agency of Development Co-operation (NORAD)), Organization of American States, Open Society Institution (Soros Foundation), Pôle de Dakar, Save the Children, Spain (US embassy representatives), Sweden (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)), UNESCO, UNICEF, United Kingdom (The British Council; Department for International Development (DFID)), University of Minnesota, USAID, US Department of Education, World Vision International, World Bank (IBRD).

Links:

• Learn more on the International Working Group on Education
• See more on the previous IWGE meeting, held in 2010, and focusing on “Financing education: redesigning national strategies and the global aid architecture” and download the report