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Enquiry Abstract In 2000, the United Nations adopted eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed to by 189 Heads of Government at the UN World Development Summit. This paper examines the background to the development of the MDGs and the progress made towards achieving them. In the struggle to halve extreme poverty, to achieve universal primary education and to achieve other MDGs by 2015, progress is, at best, patchy. Some MDGs may be achievable, given sustained global political support, strong partnerships and well-co-ordinated effort, but other MDGs and the strategies being used need to be rethought. In this paper, it is argued that progress towards the creation of more just and equitable societies depends on the extent to which education is given the support needed to ensure it can address the issue of capacity poverty and play the key role expected of it in achieving the MDGs. In addition, issues such as political will to assure quality and equality in education; partnerships; goals, targets, indicators and monitoring progress towards education for all; and the effectiveness of poverty reduction strategies involving education are examined. Finally, some ways in which higher education teaching and research can make a difference are suggested. Speaker Prof. Colin Power was Deputy Director-General of UNESCO from 1999 to 2000 and Assistant Director-General for Education from 1989 to 1998. As such, he was responsible for the overall policy and management of the education programmes of UNESCO, playing a central role in all of its major initiatives, such as International Literacy Year, Education for All and the International Commission on Education for 21st Century, and in the UN’s struggle to alleviate poverty, to defend human rights, to protect world heritage sites, and to promote education for sustainable development and a culture of peace and non-violence. Prof. Power began his career teaching science and mathematics before taking up an academic post at the University of Queensland where he is an Adjunct Professor at the University and Alumnus of the Year 2002, and for ten years was Professor of Education at Flinders University of South Australia. He is author or co-author of 13 books and over 250 published works on education, learning and development. Currently he is Chair of the Commonwealth Consortium for Education and Director of the Eidos Institute (an international research network and think tank on social policy issues). |
