In May 2015 South Korea will hold a Global Conference on Education, this conference will follow in the tradition of the 1990 EFA conference in Thailand and the 2000 EFA conference in Senegal. So what will be the talk of the conference?

Here are 5 topics NORRAG NEWSBite expects to be on the agenda:

1. The fate of EFA EFA has been associated with its large goal to provide primary education in developing countries and in turn its fatal lack of success. Nonetheless its successes have been attributed to the EFA Global Monitoring Report (GMR) however, it is skeptical that the EFA GMR will continue without new EFA Goals [1]. There will also be discussion of what the new EFA goals, if any, will look like, the steps in constructing them, and their relation to prior EFA goals. 
2. Data and Measurement of Outcomes The necessity to use more and better data for advocacy and accountability is greatly acknowledged but in collecting this data a push for measurement rather than assessment will be made. A focus on outputs rather than outcomes will be advocated, which should be measured differently than the traditional neoclassical economic fashion [2]. 
3. Top Down Approach The traditional top down approach will be contested and the need for more bottom-up agencies will be advocated [3]. Large international organizations such as the World Bank, are dictating what is taught and how education is assessed. A bottom-up approach will add country context to insure specific educational needs are being met. 
4. Quality vs. Quantity The EFA conferences held in the past and the MDGs have all placed large emphasis on the access and quantity of schools rather than the quality of education. In the past it has been a numbers game when it came to access and quantity of schools; experts fear that in the upcoming discussions quality will too, will become a numbers game [4].
5. Equity, No One Left Behind The debate on equity is most centered around language and the decrease in successful education to those who speak a minority language. Many are taught in a language in which they do not speak nor understand. Therefore, education is adding to inequity and inequality ultimately expanding the gap between the majority and minorities [5]. Lastly, emphasis has also been placed on third world countries, but many of those suffering from inequity live in middle-income countries, therefore to achieve equity, a balance between focus on third world and middle-income countries must be discussed at the Post-2015 education conference.    

1. King, Kenneth. “The Global Education Conference-South Korea, May 2015: Debates About Education Beyond 2015 and the EFA Goals”. NORAGG NEWSBite. 4. Nov. 2013. Web

2. Langstaff, Stéphanie. “The Post-2015 Data Revolution for Education and Development: One Measurement to Rule Them All?” NORRAG NEWSBite. 7. Nov. 2013. Web

3. Langstaff, Stéphanie. “The Post-2015 Data Revolution for Education and Development: One Measurement to Rule Them All?” NORRAG NEWSBite. 7. Nov. 2013. Web

4. King, Kenneth. “Post-1990; Post-2000; Post-2015 – Education and Skills – North & South”. NORRAG NEWSBite. 10. Sept. 2013. Web.

5. King, Kenneth. “Post-1990; Post-2000; Post-2015 – Education and Skills – North & South”. NORRAG NEWSBite. 10. Sept. 2013. Web.