Implementing the Millennium Development Goals 2000-2015 : Has Education Made a Difference?

In recent years there has been a growing body of literature on the interconnectedness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the need to maximize opportunities for education and their linkages. The existing empirical studies confirm some of the arguments about the benefits of education and the linkages to the MDGs. With the developmental outcomes of basic education in mind, this desk study set out to examine in what ways, and under what conditions investment in education is important in relation to the millennium development goals. It provides a synthesis of research on the potential contribution of basic education to achieving the MDGs, focusing on key texts produced by the international institutions. Within this review a key focal point will be the context in which education appears to impact the various MDGs outcomes, which is referred to as the “enabling environment”. The report sought to explore the evidence about the contribution of basic education to poverty reduction and the achievement of the MDGs within certain countries or regions. It considered the critical support systems, policy environments and national capacities upon which good quality basic education depends, and assessed the role of basic education in developing and sustaining these. In response to the global call to achieve the MDGs by 2015, many countries are making remarkable progress demonstrating that setting bold, collective goals in the fight against poverty yields results. Expanding access and improving the quality of education are both imperative for MDG progress. A balance must be struck to move both objectives forward. It is widely stated that expanding education is critical to making further progress on the MDGs, for broadening the growth of education, and for tackling persistent poverty and inequality (ADB, 2008; Kabeer, 2010; UNICEF, 2010; UN, 2011). Various reports stress continuing disparities in MDG progress between different regions.