Unpacking huge ambitions at UN Transforming Education Summit

Two years ago, Cambridge Partnership for Education was born. It brought together Cambridge University Press & Assessment colleagues working to improve the quality of education systems at national level, creating a dedicated team to support governments and organisations around the world.

Since then, the call to improve education systems has rocketed, fuelled by mounting crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, conflict, and climate change-related disasters. But what does it really mean to transform societies through education? 
 

Many people will remember where they were on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral for the rest of their lives. Jane Mann, Managing Director of Cambridge Partnership for Education, was in an unfamiliar hotel room in New York, up before dawn to pay her respects. She watched the procession on her phone while WhatsApp’ing her family back in England.

Jane had joined thousands of people gathered in New York for the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), amid surreal and sombre circumstances, and in particular for the very first Transforming Education Summit.

The scale of the crisis

The UN convened the Transforming Education Summit in response to an escalating education crisis. 

Back in 2015, world leaders adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of them, SDG 4, was to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030.

Jane said: “Halfway to 2030, the world just isn’t on track to achieve SDG 4. In places we’ve slipped backwards, with inequalities made so much worse by the Covid-19 pandemic, conflict, and disasters.” 

The World Bank reports that only one third of children in low- and middle-income countries can read and understand a simple text. The UN estimates there are now 222 million crisis-affected children in need of urgent educational support. UNESCO projects that one in every six children will be out of school in 2030. 

Jane said: “Those figures need a moment to take onboard. It’s staggering, And, even for those that are in school, there is a crisis of quality, with many children not learning the basics, and even more not being properly prepared for the world they will inherit.” 

The ambition

...if you don’t consistently bring these top-level ambitions down to what is going to happen on the ground, you risk just creating an echo chamber.

Jane said: “This ought to galvanise us. If we can achieve quality education for all, we’ll transform societies by unlocking people’s potential. People will realise their dreams as individuals and be empowered to positively contribute to our collective future. And we need them.”

Research shows education is one of the most effective solutions for tackling global challenges like climate change, poverty, and conflict. 
Throughout the UNGA, governments made commitments to ‘reboot’ their education systems, and international organisations announced new funding to support them.

Jane said: “Political commitment and funding are essential to making positive change in an education system. But, if you don’t consistently bring these top-level ambitions down to what is going to happen on the ground, you risk just creating an echo chamber. It is vital we ask – how can we action this?”

The implementation

We are finding more opportunities where we can deploy the breadth and depth of knowledge in Cambridge and our networks to help partners tackle education challenges.

In a world of starkly terrifying statistics, it can be difficult to know where to start. Implementing partners like Cambridge Partnership for Education can play a specific role in high-level discussions on transforming education. 

Jane said: “We ask, and suggest, what to do next. Every day, we speak to people in Ministries of Education and International Development Organisations. Together, we problem solve.”

“When someone says, ‘we need more relevant curricula,’ our minds go to practical questions. Do you need to revise the content of your current framework? Do you need to build new curricula? What are the implications for textbooks, for assessments, for teacher training? How can we help?”

Two years into Cambridge Partnership for Education, events like this summit continue to shape Cambridge’s role in global education transformation. 

Jane said: “We are finding more opportunities where we can deploy the breadth and depth of knowledge in Cambridge and our networks to help partners tackle education challenges. 

“Increasingly, the approaches we’ve been applying to more traditional education development programmes can be remarkably successful in crises, too. Though context is vital, creating a coherent education system is crucial in emergencies, low-income contexts, and high-income nations alike. In an unpredictable world, the line between fragile and non-fragile states is also blurring and climate crises increasing.” 

Jane watched Cambridge partners from Ministries of Education present to the summit, and met with delegations from Ukraine, Mongolia, UAE, and Pakistan, as well as dozens of technical and funding partners.

Jane said: “It is humbling to partner with people dedicated to improving learning for the children in their nations, especially those working amid devastating crisis, and our ministerial partners’ contributions at the summit were impressive.” 

“When we met with delegations we’ve been working with, we began to translate the headlines into actions for their context.”

Connection

Jane said: “UNGA is relentless, night and day. You’re dashing around New York in terrible traffic to get from one side-event to the next, each time hoping you’ve picked the right one, but leaving reassured by rich discussion.”

“The Salzburg Global Seminar convened an amazing cross-section of people to discuss knotty issues. The LEGO Foundation pushed to both fund and be an active part of the change. Brookings Institute celebrated their 20th anniversary with rich insights into the why, what and how of education transformation. Devex gave space to cross-sectoral discussions – like what inclusion actually looks like in practice.”

“Where else do you get to see all these people in one place?! It even began before we got there. Nobody likes to see a two-hour immigration queue when they reach passport control, unless you happen to be standing next to Judith Herbertson, Head of Girls’ Education for the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office!”

“These events are a chance to get to know people better. Powered by food from Korea, Italy, New York bagels (from the truck on the corner of my street!), and Joe’s Pizza all in one week, we built trust that helps us work together more effectively. I have to say, with the number of fronts that the summit and side events operate on, I was very glad to be accompanied by Cambridge Partnership for Education’s Head of Partnerships, Dr Anna Kingsley, and Lead Education Analyst, Dr Chris Martin. We took a ‘divide and conquer’ approach and compared business cards at the end of each night!”

“We found that people were open about their frustrations, including a feeling that we simply cannot allow it that we are back here next year still saying the same things without progress.”

“This was encapsulated by the young people at the summit. It was brilliant to have such a strong youth voice – but, as Mamawa Jayah, Youth Leader from Sierra Leone, warned: It is not enough to give young people the podium: their suggestions should be fully incorporated.”

The final word on implementation: Teachers

Now, we’ve got to align funding, data and evidence, expertise (especially from teachers), implementing partners and stakeholders to really make a difference for children.

For World Teachers Day 2022, the UN chose the theme “The transformation of education begins with teachers”. Jane is also vehement about the central role teachers have to play in turning ambition into action. Research shows they have the biggest impact on a child’s learning.

At the summit, His Excellency Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, UAE said: “Education is only as good as the teachers providing it.” And those teachers must be supported to thrive. Mary Maker, a South Sudanese refugee teacher, said: “To be able to have autonomy requires resource…how can I start to think about how to be innovative if everything I have is faulty?”

Jane said: “It was reassuring not to hear any advocacy for blunt One Laptop per Child type solutions at the summit – but instead to focus on what the evidence shows really works. Indonesia was an interesting example. Their Minister has set up a special unit within the Ministry of Education to focus on technology, but it’s not about direct-to-child solutions, but about making teachers’ lives easier.”

“Overall, we didn’t hear enough directly from teachers at the summit – and it will be important to involve them closely in the next steps. They are the final implementers of any reform.”

Jane concludes: “Now, we’ve got to align funding, data and evidence, expertise (especially from teachers), implementing partners and stakeholders to really make a difference for children. Every meeting I have with a Minister, we’ll discuss what to do differently. We won’t be back here next year in the same circumstances – there’ll be more to say, and we’re committed to being a part of that.” 

A recording of Jane discussing key takeaways from the summit with Rob Jenkins from UNICEF, Yasmine Sherif from Education Cannot Wait (the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises) and Anna Gawel from Devex (a global development community media hub and social enterprise) is available on YouTube.