Interview: AED's Stephen F. Moseley
When you look at education over the past 50 years, what would you identify as the most notable achievement? By far the most notable achievement is the dramatic increase in primary school enrollment. In 1930, less than half the world’s children were enrolled in primary school. By 2003, enrollment had risen to 85 percent. This is important not only because it shows how far we’ve come, but also because it is a clear indicator that universal primary education is a goal that can be reached in the early part of this century. In the last decade, the world community has accepted that basic education is an essential ingredient of social, economic, and political progress and stability. That recognition is another important achievement. Education is now at the forefront of both international and national debates on development, and has been a driving force in the politics of many developing countries. Most countries also now recognize that it is vitally important to educate all members of their society, particularly girls. The widespread acceptance of the importance of equity—and the role educated women play in social and economic development—would have been unthinkable only fifty years ago. Are there particular “recipes for success” that governments can implement to ensure education for all? Which countries have been leading the way? Let’s be clear, there is no single silver bullet. Education is a multifaceted process that must fit the history, social dynamics, and needs of a society and nation. AED works hard to ensure that communities develop education systems that reflect their unique needs and culture.
But adequate community and national political will is needed to provide all of the above. The demand for education is just as important as the system designed for delivering it. We have learned that parents and communities that are actively involved in their children’s schools is a key factor of success. How difficult is it to show the links between education and economic growth in countries? There is considerable research demonstrating the link between education and improvement in individual income, health, and well-being. There is inconclusive and conflicting research on the link between education and economic growth, mainly because of the long lag time between education and resultant growth. The interdependence between economic growth and education levels also complicates the analysis of cause-and-effect. The relationship is also cyclical—economic growth leads to increased demand for education, which leads to more growth, and so on.... In all countries, however, there is a clear statistical correlation between achievement in secondary education and higher levels of national income. Overall, there is little doubt that an educated populace is needed to support growth. Education was a topic of discussion at the recent G8 meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia. What were your views on the advances and setbacks at this meeting? The July G8 meeting was significant, first and foremost, because education was one of only three principal topics of focus. Energy and infectious disease were the other two. This, in and of itself, is an indication of the importance world leaders are giving to education. The G8 renewed its commitment to Education For All and the Millennium Development Goals pertaining to education. They also exerted further pressure on donors to provide the funding required to assist countries in delivering quality education to all their citizens. What would you characterize as the most innovative idea launched over the past decade on improving the quality of education? There have been many very innovative efforts over the years to address this challenge. If I were to identify one or two that have transformed practices in many countries and improved quality, it would be unique approaches to in-
Another key reform of the past decade has been the active involvement of parents and communities through school management committees, which includes a team of parents, teachers, and supervisors dedicated to improving the quality of the school. In some countries, these committees have developed school improvement plans, school report cards, and self-assessment protocols that have truly empowered local communities. In Namibia, for example, a School Self-Assessment System enables inspectors to use the same measures to review schools. The system was adapted by the users to meet their needs and is producing data that informs the way local committees develop plans to improve schools. What are the greatest challenges that lie ahead with respect to using ICT for education? There are three. The first is the cost. Most of the relevant products and services exceed the per capita income for some three billion people. This makes using those products completely untenable for a large portion of the world’s population. The second is a lack of foresight. Many countries don’t have a well-grounded knowledge that demonstrates how ICT pays off. The widespread use of cell phones is starting to change this. Thirdly, there is lack of good educational materials, strong techniques, and well-prepared teachers that can make productive use of ICT. Without this support, ICT cannot be used effectively in education. What AED program(s) are you most proud of and why? It is hard to single out a few programs, because AED has been fortunate to be able to support fundamental reform in many countries over a long period. We have played a key role as a central education advisor for ten or more years in such diverse countries as El Salvador and Nicaragua in Latin America; Namibia and Ethiopia in sub-Saharan Africa; and Egypt in the Middle East. Each program is different, responding to its own country context, challenges, and opportunities, but each has supported national governments and parents in solving problems. What is the source of your own personal commitment to this work? For my entire career, I have had the pleasure of witnessing constant progress in the development of more and better education for children and youth in the majority of the developing world. The progress made by many countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia over the past 40 years is remarkable. And they’ve progressed faster than countries in the so-called “developed” parts of the world, as those countries took centuries to make quality education available to the majority of their children. These achievements certainly inspire my commitment to keep up this important work.  NEXT “FRONTLINES” ARTICLE: Basic Education Coalition - It All Starts with Education
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