This post is a summary of two reports. The first with the title above was published at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/statistics/efa-development-index/. The second was publishe http://www.unesco.org/new/en/brasilia/education/educational-
The Education for All Global Monitoring Report, first published 11 years ago, has played a vital role in supporting the decade`s remarkable progress in education. The report has been published annually since 2002. One indicator is used as a proxy measure for each of the four EFA (Education For All) goals, and each those EDI components is assigned equal weight in the overall index. The EDI (Education Development Index) value for a given country is thus the arithmetic mean of the four proxy indicators. Since they are all expressed as percentages, the EDI value can vary from 0 to 100% or, when expressed as a ratio, from 0 to 1. The higher the EDI value, the closer the country is to achieving Education for All as a whole. The following proxies have been used in compiling the index: Universal primary education - which measures the percentage of primary-school-age children who are enrolled in either primary or secondary school. Adult literacy - goal proposes achieving a 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015. Although existing data on literacy are not entirely satisfactory, the adult literacy rate for those aged 15 and above is used here as a proxy to measure progress. Quality of education - The survival rate to grade 5 was selected for as being the best available for a large number of countries. There is considerable debate about the concept of quality anf how it should be measured. Several indicators are used among them measures of students learning outcomes, however, measures of learning achievements are incomplete, as they are often limited to basics skills and do not include values, capacities and other non-cognitives skills that are also important aims of education. Gender - the fourth EDI component is the gender-specific EFA index, it encompasses the two sub-goals: gender parity (equal participation of girl and boys in basic school) and gender equality, ensuring girls full and egual access to and achievement in basic education of good quality. The Education for All goals represent more than the sum of their parts. The EFA index, is a measure of progress across the whole EFA agenda. All data used to calculate the EDI for 2011 are from the statistical tables in annex of Global Monitoring Report and the UNESCO Institute for Statistical Database. For low levels of test scores, a decrese in the number of pupils per teacher has a positive impact on learning outcomes, but for higher levels of test scores, additional teachers, which lead to lower ratios, have only limited impact. For these reason, the survival rate is used as a safer proxy for learning outcomes and hence for the education quality component of the EDI. New EFA report data proves education transforms development. The analysis provides fresh proof that investing in education, alleviates poverty through securing substantial benefits for health and productivity, as well as democratic participation and women`s empowerment. To unlock education`s transformative power, however, new development goals must go further to ensure that all children benefit equally not from primary education but also from good quality secundary.
Quality and equity remain a crucial challenge in Brazil, as both are essential to respond to the needs of the country and for the construction of a knowledge society. Research shows that a large proportion of students at different schooling levels have deficient learning performance in critical subject matters. The low absorption of scientific concepts hampers the inclusion of individuals into modern society. UNESCO provides technical support and expertise to address both the issues of quality and equity in education.
Education for All Development Index Latin America countries
1º - Kazakhstan 0.995 22º - Cuba 0.981
2º - Japan 47º - Uruguay
3º - Germany 51º - Argentina 0.956
4º - Norway 0.994 53º - Mexico
5º - U. K. 64º - Trinidad
6º - Italy 0.992 65º - Panama 0.941
7º - Denmark 68º - Paraguay
8º - France 0.991 69º - Venezuela
11º - New Zealand 70º - Peru 0.931
17º - Netherlands 74º - Ecuador
18º - Spain 0.985 75º - Bolivia 0.915
20º - South Korea 79º - Colombia
33º - Ireland 80º - Brazil 0.901
42º - Portugal 0.969 88º - Honduras
78º - Turkey 99º - Guatemala 0.819
