While indispensable to quality improvement efforts, curriculum and learning depend on the effective and efficient functioning of other elements of an education system. A systemic approach is therefore required to analyse critical impediments and implement responsive interventions.
While it is important to underscore the value of curriculum to holistic and sustainable development, it is also prudent to recognise the various sources of systematic barriers within education systems that could derail the design, development, and implementation of quality curricula. Even the best curriculum can be undermined by systematic constraints such as poor governance, insufficient consultation with stakeholders in the decision-making process, the lack of appropriately qualified teachers, inadequate physical facilities, and inadequate financing of teaching and learning materials, to name a few.
Related to curriculum and learning, we have accumulated experience in identifying and analysing the multiple potential sources of constraints to equitable provision of quality education and lifelong learning opportunities. We understand also that the right support can enable countries to eliminate these critical impediments that prevent or disrupt their development efforts, and we therefore work jointly with countries to enable them to strengthen their capacities through contextualized response interventions.
The twin challenge of equitably increasing access to basic education and simultaneously deepening the quality and development relevance of education and learning effectiveness among Member States persists and is well documented. A key part of the IBE mandate is to support Member States’ effort to equitably improve outcomes through high-quality and contextually responsive curricula.Read more
