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Reframing Education as a Public and Common Good pp 15–31Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Different Interpretations of the Concept of Education As a Public Good in International Discourse

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Abstract

This chapter provides an analysis of education development discourse with regard to the use of the concept of education as a public good by the main actors involved in international education policy: UNESCO, UNICEF, human rights treaty bodies, and other international and non-governmental organizations. It also identifies the multiple, yet interrelated, conceptualizations of education as a public good by different international actors. These correspond respectively to an overall humanistic and integrated vision of education which is at the core of defining and preserving those collective interests of society (policy focus) which are the ultimate responsibility of the State (principle of governance). It is argued that these three interpretations represent three different closely interrelated facets of the same principle.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    World Conference on EFA, Jomtien, 1990—retrieved at: www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-all/the-efa-movement/jomtien-1990/.

  2. 2.

    Jacques Delors is a French politician and economist who was president of the European Commission for three mandates between 1985 and 1995.

  3. 3.

    See in particular:

    1. 1.

      UNESCO, UNICEF. 2013. Making Education a Priority in the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Report of the Global Thematic Consultation on Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. UNESCO, UNICEF

    2. 2.

      UNESCO. 2013. Thematic Consultation on Education in the post-2015 development agenda: Summary of Outcomes. 18–19 March 2013 Dakar, Senegal

    3. 3.

      UNESCO’s Executive Board at its 194th session, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002266/226628e.pdf

    4. 4.

      UNESCO. 2014. Position Paper on Education Post-2015. Paris, UNESCO February 2014, ED-14/EFA/POST-2015/1

    5. 5.

      UNESCO. 2014. Joint Proposal of the EFA Steering Committee on Education Post-2015. Paris, UNESCO. April 2014

    6. 6.

      UNESCO. 2014. The Muscat Agreement. Global Education for All Meeting. Muscat, Oman 12–14 May 2014, ED-14/EFA/ME/3

    7. 7.

      UNESCO. 2015. Sharm El Sheikh Statement. Arab States Regional Conference on Education Post-2015: Towards Quality Education and Lifelong Learning for All, Egypt 27–29 January 215

  4. 4.

    UNESCO. 2015a. Education 2030 Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action. Paris, UNESCO. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002432/243278e.pdf.

  5. 5.

    Outcome Statements of Regional Education 2030 Consultations are available at this link: https://en.unesco.org/themes/education/globaleducationmeeting2018.

  6. 6.

    Report submitted by the Special Rapporteur, Katarina Tomaševski, on the right to education. E/CN.4/2004/45, 15 January 2004. See also other reports: E/CN.4/2000/6, 1; E/CN.4/2001/52, 11; E/CN.4/2004/45, 15.

  7. 7.

    Report of the UN Special Rapporteur Kishore Singh on the right to education. Privatization and the right to education. A/69/402, 24 September 2014. See also: Report on the Post-2015 Education Agenda. A/68/294, 09 August 2013.

  8. 8.

    Report of the UN Special Rapporteur Kishore Singh on the right to education. Protecting the right to education against commercialization. A/HRC/29/30, 10 June 2015, §94.

  9. 9.

    CESCR, General Comment N. 13 on the Right to Education (Article 13 of the Covenant), 21st session, 08/12/1999, E/C.12/1999/10, §46.

  10. 10.

    Report of the UN Special Rapporteur Kishore Singh on the right to education. A/70/342, 26 August 2015.

  11. 11.

    These civil society organizations include, above all, the Right to Education Project, the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Education International as well as numerous country-based civil society organizations. The full list of UN treaty bodies’ resolutions and reports is available at this link: http://globalinitiative-escr.org/advocacy/privatization-in-education-research-initiative.

  12. 12.

    UN Human Rights Council Resolution. 2015. The Right to Education. A/HRC/RES/29/7, 22 July 2015.

  13. 13.

    Human Rights Council. The right to education. A/HRC/32/L.33, 29 June 2016, §3.

  14. 14.

    The Abidjan Principles are available at the following link: https://www.abidjanprinciples.org/.

  15. 15.

    See below UNESCO (2015) and Daviet (2016).

  16. 16.

    Education For All and The Global Development Agenda Beyond 2015: Principles For A Post-2015 Education And Development Framework. Bruxelles, Education International.

  17. 17.

    Privatisation: https://ei-ie.org/en/detail_page/4654/privatisation.

  18. 18.

    A global response to commercialisation of education: https://www.unite4education.org/about/a-global-response-to-education-commercialisation/.

  19. 19.

    OECD Review Education Policies website: http://gpseducation.oecd.org/revieweducationpolicies/#!node=41707&filter=all.

  20. 20.

    Shanta Devarajan is currently the Senior Director for Development Economics (DEC) and the acting Chief Economist for the World Bank Group.

  21. 21.

    Education as if Economics Mattered: http://blogs.worldbank.org/futuredevelopment/education-if-economics-mattered.

  22. 22.

    Steve Klees is Professor of International Education at the College of Education, University of Maryland.

  23. 23.

    Education as if People Mattered: https://worldsofeducation.org/en/woe_homepage/woe_detail/4788/education-as-if-people-mattered.

  24. 24.

    This report sought to update and build on the Delors Report and served as a normative reference for the vision and principles outlined in the Education 2030 Framework for Action.

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  1. International Research Centre on Global Citizenship Education, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Rita Locatelli

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  1. Rita Locatelli
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Locatelli, R. (2019). Different Interpretations of the Concept of Education As a Public Good in International Discourse. In: Reframing Education as a Public and Common Good. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24801-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24801-7_2

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