OneWorld United States hosted a live online chat with Carolyn Bartholomew, Executive Director of Basic Education Coalition on October 3rd from 2-3 pm EST. Carolyn authored an article, "It All Starts with Education," for the last issue of OneWorld's Perspectives e-zine on education.
She answered both previously submitted and live questions from Gather members and others about educating the world's children.
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BIO
Carolyn Bartholomew
Executive Director, Basic Education Coalition
Carolyn Bartholomew is Executive Director of the Basic Education Coalition. Prior to accepting the position, Ms. Bartholomew was a consultant working on policy analysis, legislative and media strategy, advocacy, and issue development and management. She also serves as Commissioner on the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Previously, Ms. Bartholomew spent 16 years on the staff of Representative Nancy Pelosi, where she served in several capacities, including: Legislative Director and Counsel, Chief of Staff for the San Francisco District Office, Professional Staff for the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and ultimately Chief of Staff and Counsel. During her tenure with Representative Pelosi's office, Ms. Bartholomew was a member of the first presidential delegation to Africa to investigate HIV/AIDS on children and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations Congressional Staff Round Table on Asian Political and Security Issues. Her areas of expertise include U.S. foreign policy, global AIDS, the U.S. federal appropriations process, homeland security, human rights and international environmental issues.
Ms. Bartholomew holds a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Minnesota, an M.A. in anthropology from Duke University, and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. She is a member of the State Bar of California.
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ORGANIZATION
Basic Education Coalition
The Basic Education Coalition, a group of 20 development organizations, works to increase knowledge about, raise the priority of and increase support for quality basic education for all as a means of promoting economic development and human well-being. Basic education is the foundation for long term, sustainable success in development.
Coalition members, working in more than 100 countries, have decades of experience around the world working with communities and governments at all levels to improve access to quality basic education. In 2001, they formed the Coalition to maximize resources brought to this endeavor, to broaden the reach of their efforts and to share experiences and lessons toward the common goal of enhancing investment in basic education.
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TRANSCRIPT
1. OneWorld: Carolyn, our first question comes from Jeffrey. He asks: Hi Carolyn, could you give us one example of an effective program to promote education for all that you think could be replicated around the world?
Carolyn: That's a challenging question because educational needs differ from country to country and community to community, so a program that works very well in Pakistan might not be at all effective in Liberia. There are certain universal approaches to basic education, however, that tend to create the most effective programs. Working in partnership with the community and all levels of government ensures that programs address both the logistical and cultural needs of the community and encourage parent participation, both of which are key components of successful education programs. Ensuring that schools are a safe is a critical factor that will determine whether parents allow their children, particularly girls, to attend. Education programs that incorporate some form of teacher training are far more effective because they move beyond simply access to education and address quality and sustainability issues. And in some countries, systemic reform at the highest levels of government is critical
U.S. funding for basic education, while addressing all of these factors, is also characterized by encouraging the development of innovative education programs. These innovations can be taken to scale where appropriate. Some of those innovative programs focus on non-formal learning, an effective strategy for reaching children in conflict situations, where schools simply do not exist and children are forced to be transient. Radio learning programs, for example, can be implemented in the most rudimentary of situations because you don't need books or even a classroom – just a radio and a meeting place. These programs not only have lessons for the students, but incorporate teacher training into the broadcasts. Radio learning programs can be instituted in communities with no existing educational system and where very little infrastructure or money is available, and in that sense are easily replicated around the world.
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2. OneWorld: Thanks Carolyn! Zarrin C. asks: The international community has been paying more attention to the quality of education at primary school levels. Of course, in many countries, if there is any teacher or books at all, it's a benefit -- never mind having really good teachers and resources. How do you see this problem resolved?
Carolyn: Finding the right balance between quality and access is one of the challenges facing the international basic education movement. Reaching the full potential of Education for All means that children must go to school, stay in school, and learn while they are there. And that means that there must be sufficient resources dedicated to basic education by countries around the world – by donor countries and by recipient countries -- which we simply do not yet have.
As we succeed in getting more children into schooling, we have got to focus on the quality of what they are receiving while they are there. It is true that for some children, particularly orphans and vulnerable children, there are benefits to being in school even if what they are learning is negligible. School can provide a central and safe place; students can benefit from school feeding programs and from the watchful eye of concerned teachers. However, for many students, being in school takes them away from economically productive activities. If they are not learning, the opportunity cost for their families, particularly from the loss of girls' labor, may be too great if their families see no benefit from their time in school. And, once children drop out of school, they are much less likely to ever go back to school and their siblings are much less likely to ever attend school.
Meeting the financial challenge of the Education for All movement is essential to ensure the maximum benefits – to institutionalize education and to ensure that children reach their full potential. We will not have achieved what we want to achieve if kids are in school and do not learn.
There seems to be very little money available for teacher development or support in Africa - especially at the secondary and tertiary levels. Am I right? If so, why is this? If not, who is providing funding for teacher professional development? I work with teachers in very disadvantaged areas and it seems impossible to find the resources they need for even the most basic things.
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3. OneWorld: Here's a question from Judith. There seems to be very little money available for teacher development or support in Africa - especially at the secondary and tertiary levels. Am I right? If so, why is this? If not, who is providing funding for teacher professional development? I work with teachers in very disadvantaged areas and it seems impossible to find the resources they need for even the most basic things.
Carolyn: Judith, you ask an important question about what resources are available to support teacher development and training in Africa. The better the teachers, the more the students will learn. And, investing in teacher training provides exponential returns.
There are a number of resources available for teacher training, including funding provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Of the twenty largest basic education programs run by USAID in Africa, at least eight have a teacher training component.
The World Bank's Fast Track Initiative/Education Program Development Fund is another source of funding for teacher training.
But, experts are recognizing that more emphasis must be placed on teacher training. Last month, a major emphasis of a meeting of education ministers held in Mozambique was how to provide more teacher training. And the basic education program at UNESCO is also focusing on the need to find more resources for teacher training.
If you are interested in trying to find funding for teacher training in specific African countries, it is useful to contact the team leaders of education in the regional bureaus of USAID and/or USAID's Director of Education, Joe Carney. Also, in country, it is a good idea to be in touch with the USAID mission staff, as the only activities which are funded are those projects that fit into the mission/country strategy.
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4. Liz K: What effect is the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS throughout many parts of the developing world having on the goals of the Education for All project?
Carolyn: The question about the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the goal of achieving Education for All is also critically important. HIV/AIDS is having a devastating effect on education systems in a number of countries in Africa. The death of one teacher deprives a whole class of children of education.
In 1999 alone, an estimated 860,000 children in sub-Saharan Africa lost teachers to AIDS. In 2004, the Zambian president noted that more than 40% of teachers were HIV-positive in his country. About 1,000 teachers -- of half of those trained annually -- are dying of AIDS each year in Zambia.
In the Central African Republic, AIDS caused 85% of teacher deaths in 2000. And, in many countries, teacher absenteeism, due to illness, attendance at funerals, patient care and psychological trauma, has risen sharply, affecting the quality of education and sector costs. Education also provides a window of hope in the epidemic. It is a highly cost-effective prevention mechanism. Oxfam estimates that if all children completed primary education, 700,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS in young people could be prevented each year, totaling 7 million cases in one decade. Young people with little or no education are more than twice as likely to contract HIV as those who have completed primary education.
Addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic among teachers is important both for strengthening education systems and for reducing infection rates among students.
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5. OneWorld: Here's a question from Elizabeth.
Hi Carolyn, I am curious to know if Basic Ed. Coalition has knowledge of what language the majority of the programs are taught in? I understand this is highly contextual, but have you any policy on instruction in the official or indigenous language of a region? Thanks, Elizabeth
Carolyn: Elizabeth, you also identified an interesting challenge, that of addressing the linguistic needs of students. While the Basic Education Coalition does not run programs and therefore does not have a specific policy on languages of instruction, many of the Coalition members run programs to address the needs of ethnic and linguistic minorities. Many of the conflicts we see in the world today are manifested in fights over official or indigenous languages. It is important for children to have the opportunity to learn both official languages and their own languages. Children in ethnic and linguistic minorities are often disadvantaged educationally if they start school in a language with which they are not familiar.
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6. Reid: Carolyn, How would a person find "in country" opportunities for teaching?
Carolyn: Reid, one place to look for opportunities in-country is the individual websites of the Basic Education Coalition members, which can all be accessed through our website, www.basiced.org Most of our members run programs in many countries and they often post job opportunities on their websites. Hope this helps.
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7. Anand: Carolyn: What is your opinion on the needs for creating a supportive environment that supports education, built upon basic infrastructure and development imperatives such as health, family income generation, clean water, sanitation, electricity, etc? You note in your article that initially focusing resources on education can positively affect many of these other areas over time, but do some of these areas standout as important prerequisites to implementing successful educational interventions?
Carolyn: Anand, the members of the Basic Education Coalition established the organization because they believe that basic education underpins the success of all of their other development work and that it is also interrelated to other development. For development to be successful, we must address the broad spectrum of needs -- from health care and nutrition to clean water, sanitation and housing, and economic development. Schools are often the only functioning community establishment in some poor rural areas and they can serve as a good point from which to launch community health initiatives, to supply clean water and food, and to enhance community participation. Also, when these services are provided at or near schools, it frees children up to focus on schooling, instead of having to walk miles for water, for example.
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8. OneWorld: Here's a question from Al. Hello Carolyn: Which agencies that you have seen are having success in integrating basic education with livelihood development? Thanks, Al
Carolyn: Al, as we get more and more children access to basic education, there is a growing emphasis on integrating basic education with livelihood development, both in terms of life skills and job skills, and a growing focus on youth. Several US government agencies integrate basic education with livelihood development, including the US Agency for International Development. And, the Department of Labor runs a program focused specifically on child laborers to stop the abuse of child labor and to ensure that those children have access to education.
This Thursday, the World Bank is issuing its annual World Development report, this year with a focus on youth issues called Development and the Next Generation, which will, I think, provide some important information and analysis on livelihood development.
OneWorld: Al, you might be interested in this Perspectives article on gaining practical skills from education that can be applied to job opportunities.
Emphasizing Practical Skills
In an ideal world, students would have access to both a well-rounded education including traditional subjects like biology and mathematics as well as modern métiers like ICTs and global economy, but resource constraints in many poorer countries make that impossible. Hence, educational programs in developing countries often focus on teaching vocations like refrigeration, business administration, social work, environmental studies, textiles, carpentry, or mechanics—the skills that can lead to paying jobs. A program in Colombia, for example, offers degrees in rural education and agriculture/animal sciences, aiming primarily to train young people in skills that can be applied in local economies.
Read full article at http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/138659
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9. Reid: What is being done with online education?
OneWorld: In reference to the question by Dr. Reid Cornwall on online education, please take a look at the following article from Perspectives.
The Virtual Classroom
Many have high hopes that, with the increasing spread of ICTs, more and better education can now increasingly be brought to remote, poor, and marginalized communities. Take a project in northern Bangladesh where indigenous boats have been converted into mobile learning centers. They provide educational services, access to technology, and computer training to poor communities. The boats, which anchor at remote villages, rely on generators or solar energy and mobile phones for Internet access.
Read full article at http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/138658
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Carolyn: Thank you, everyone, for your interest in international basic education and your excellent questions in today's on-line chat. Although our time today is up, several important issues remain unaddressed. On those issues, I would like to engage the expertise of the Coalition members and get back to you with responses. Thank you, again.
OneWorld: Thank you so much Carolyn for taking the time to talk to us about education issues. We want to thank all of the Gather members who submitted questions for Carolyn and to those who followed the chat.
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