“Education is the post powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, said Nelson Mandela. And he is quoted at the beginning of Stortingsmelding 25 2013, from June 13th Parliament Whitepaper 2013-2014 Education for Development. Find the report enclosed here, as it is of high relevance to potential proposal for for the upcoming Norglobal Call at the Norwegian research Council — RCN.
The way to development is via knowledge genera- tion, information and skills. Education lays the groundwork for individuals’ and societies’ devel- opment and is essential for development and growth. A renewed global effort to achieve good quality, relevant education for all will give a signifi- cant boost to the work to fight poverty, create jobs, foster business development, improve health and nutrition, and promote gender equality, peace and democracy. It is high time that we renew our efforts in the field of education, and Norway intends to be a driving force and contribute actively to this work.
This blog post will be followed up, but meanwhile: A few more citations to set the direction:
There is not equal access to education in today’s world. Access to, completion of and quality of education are unevenly distributed within and between countries. Through political engagement and development cooperation, Norway can be a driving force in the ef for ts to ensure access to good, relevant and inclusive learning.
The significance of such a boost for education is amplified by the global information economy, with its ever-increasing demands for a well-educated population, where the threshold for exclusion from the labour market is steadily being lowered. In a global context, a low level of qualifications in developing countries is increasing the gap between rich and poor countries. In order to con- tribute to economic growth, equal opportunities, and the realisation of universal rights and develop- ment, it is important and appropriate that Nor way helps to reduce the gap between rich and poor both within and between countries by focusing on education in development policy.
And furthermore
Hanushek and Woessmann (2009) find an even stronger correlation between the quality of a country’s education and its economic growth than do researchers who use quantitative measures for education, although the latter also have significant explanatory power. This is mainly due to the strong correlation between the number of years of schooling and the level of knowledge. However, it is the quality of the education and the skills acquired that determine the significance of education for productivity and growth. This applies particularly in developing countries.
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