GCID and Robert Owen Centre Lunchtime Talk, 22 November: An emerging shift in the purposes of education?

Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights included a specific paragraph on the purposes of education, the main thrust of international education policy since 1950 has been to universalize access to primary education (and, to a lesser extent, ‘fundamental’ education).

In recent years greater attention is being paid to quality education and learning outcomes, typically literacy and numeracy. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its comprehensive global goal on education, (re)introduces issues related to the curricular contents and aims of education including, for example, education for sustainability, global citizenship, human rights, gender equality, and a culture of peace and non-violence.

This presentation will first review key concepts embedded in the new global education goal (SDG4) and its targets and briefly note their different historical roots. It will then discuss the extent to which the new targets move beyond an instrumental emphasis on foundational skills and labour market competence to include a broader set of social, political and moral purposes of education. It will conclude with a reflection of possible implications of this potential shift in purpose in global education policy.

An emerging shift in the purposes of education? Reflections based on the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Aaron Benavot, Director, Global Education Monitoring Report, UNESCO, Paris, France and Professor (on leave), School of Education, University at Albany-SUNY, New York, USA

Talk organised jointly by the Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change and the Glasgow Centre for International Development

Tuesday 22nd November, 12.30pm (lunch served from 12.00 noon)

Top Floor Seminar Room, Sir Alwyn Williams Building, Lilybank Gardens, University of Glasgow

Everyone is welcome.  If you would like to attend, please register on the Eventbrite site.

Please share with colleagues and students who may be interested.