Building on Solid Foundations
Prioritising Universal, Early, Conceptual and Procedural Mastery of Foundational Skills
Abstract
In 1990, the global community, gathered for the World Conference on Education for All in Jomtien, Thailand, declared that all children should be provided a quality education to “meet their basic learning needs” (World Declaration on Education for All, 1990). This focus on learning was amplified by the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, which include a target to provide every child with an education that leads to relevant and effective learning by 2030 (SDG 4.1).
Despite these commitments, the world is far from reaching these goals. Learning levels are low in many low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, in many countries, learning outcomes at a given grade have declined in recent years, and in some countries, cohort learning levels are lower in spite of enrollment increases. Evidence suggests that continuation of ‘business as usual’ efforts by education systems are unlikely to achieve the large gains needed to reach global learning goals.
To realise the goal of learning for all, large gains are needed. A burgeoning literature on learning profiles and outcomes suggests that to ensure all children receive a quality education, education systems will need to prioritise Universal, Early, Conceptual and Procedural Mastery of Foundational Skills (UECPMFS). Why each of these should be an education system priority, and examples of how they might be achieved, are discussed in this note. While foundational skills are not the end goal of any education system, they are critical and necessary building blocks for all other education goals and aspirations.
This research is part of the ‘Research on Improving Systems of Education’ programme
Citation
Belafi, C., Hwa, Y., and Kaffenberger, M. 2020. Building on Solid Foundations: Prioritising Universal, Early, Conceptual and Procedural Mastery of Foundational Skills. RISE Insight Series. 2020/021. https://doi. org/10.35489/BSG-RISE-RI_2020/021.
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