Adolescent’s Role in Achieving EFA South-East Asia EFA Mid-Term Policy Review Conference Jomtien – Feb 2008

Children, adolescents and young people Children: 0-17 (CRC) Adults: 18+ Young people: 10-24 (WHO, UNICEF) Adolescents: 10-19 Youth: 15-24 (UN)

Context of Adolescents Time of high risk – hormonal surges, growth spurts and erratic behaviour. Risks of a life time (smoking, drug abuse, pregnancy, HIV)

Context of Adolescents Time of high risk – hormonal surges, growth spurts and erratic behaviour. Risks of a life time (smoking, drug abuse, pregnancy, HIV) Unemployment – concern over future ability to maintain a family. Can education deliver jobs?

Context of Adolescents Time of high risk – hormonal surges, growth spurts and erratic behaviour. Risks of a life time (smoking, drug abuse, pregnancy, HIV) Unemployment – concern over future ability to maintain a family. Can education deliver jobs? Pervasive media and IT – rise of commercialism and global youth culture

Context of Adolescents Time of high risk – hormonal surges, growth spurts and erratic behaviour. Risks of a life time (smoking, drug abuse, pregnancy, HIV) Unemployment – concern over future ability to maintain a family. Can education deliver jobs? Pervasive media and IT – rise of commercialism and global youth culture Time of great potential – energy, idealism and belief in possibility to change the world. Young people as active citizens!

Two approaches to addressing adolescents and role in achieving EFA What role can adolescents play in helping to meet EFA Goals? What must we do for adolescents in order to meet the EFA Goals?

What role can adolescents play? From the perspective of youth as active citizens – what roles can they play to accelerate each of the 6 EFA Goals? What are strategies that can be applied to enhance adolescents ’s role in advancing EFA? What policies are needed to support these strategies?

What role can adolescents play – from a life cycle/Goal based perspective? ECCE – for example Strategy - Child-to-child approach using secondary school students for home based support to young children (6 country global pilot by UNICEF and C2C Trust) Policy support – i) Recognition/support for students extra-curricula efforts; ii) Head master support/policy directive. Is teacher training a Policy Support?

What must we do for youth to meet the EFA Goals? Identifying target groups and designing strategies specifically for them. Identifying policies required to support these strategies to be successful?

Categories of Adolescents with education disadvantage By disadvantaged sub-group: the poor, the disadvantaged ethnic minorities, the disabled, the rural/remote populations, the boys/girls, etc. or By identifying ‘zones of exclusion’ (Lewin, 2006). Analysis of disadvantage from educational perspective.

Categorizing Adolescents by ‘Zones of Exclusion’ (based on Lewin) Zone 1 - Never enrolled or dropped out before completing Grade 3 (no/low literacy/numeracy) Zone 2 - Completed 3 or more years but not graduated primary (has literacy/numeracy skills) Zone 3 – Graduated primary – not completed lower secondary. Now out of school Zone 4 – Graduated lower secondary. Now out of school Zone 5 – In lower/upper secondary. At risk of drop out and/or not learning. No employable skill

Enrolment/Attendance Age 6-19 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 1 6+ yr 2 7+ yr 3 8+ yr 4 9+ yr 5 10+ yr 6 11+ yr 7 12+ yr 8 13+ yr 9 14+ yr 15+ yr 11 16+ yr 12 17+ yr 18+ yr 19+ yr Grade Nominal Age at Entry Percent % Achieving Minimum Learning Outcomes % of Cohort Enrolled Attendance < 75% Primary Grades Lower Secondary Upper Secondary Adolescents

Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4. Zone 5 Primary Grades Lower Secondary 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 1 6+ yr 2 7+ yr 3 8+ yr 4 9+ yr 5 10+ yr 6 11+ yr 7 12+ yr 8 13+ yr 9 14+ yr 15+ yr 11 16+ yr 12 17+ yr 18+ yr 19+ yr Grade Nominal Age at Entry Percent % Achieving Minimum Learning Outcomes % of Cohort Enrolled Attendance < 75% Zone 4. Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 5 Primary Grades Lower Secondary Upper Secondary Adolescents

How to achieve EFA for specific ‘zones of exclusion’ Zone 3 (primary graduate, lower secondary drop out) - for example Strategy – Non-formal education for lower secondary certification. Policy support – i) Review of curriculum & outcomes; ii) Examination system for NFE program; iii) Budget support for implementation and training; iv) Guidelines for private sector/NGO involvement

Two proposed outcomes to group What role can adolescents play in helping to meet the EFA Goals? What strategies and policy support? What must we do for adolescents with education disadvantage (zones of exclusion) in order to meet EFA Goals? What strategies and policy support?

Thank you