Central Asian Education Forum: Joint effort to improve education in Central Asia

17 January 2002

The Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan (CARK) Education Forum is a mechanism to implement decisions of the World Education Forum that was held in Dakar (Senegal), April 2000. The purpose of the CARK Education Forum is to draw policy-makers together to determine how the EFA goals can be achieved in this region. Specifically, the Forum provides an opportunity to review education reform experience, consider policy options, develop a common understanding of what policies and resources are needed, and to develop partnerships.

Education is recognized as a fundamental human right. This principle was a foundation of the Education for All conference in Jomtien, 1990, during which the international gathering reached a consensus on education goals. The World Education Forum in Dakar 2000, declared a collective commitment to ensure that the right to a quality basic education is fully achieved by 2015, and identified six major goals and a framework to implement the commitment. The Dakar Agreement has become a significant event in development of basic education in Central Asia.
After independence, the countries of Central Asia experienced social and economic upheaval, which led to the decline of social indicators. Therefore, a task was set to draw CARK education policy makers together for dialogue and mutual assistance in a follow-up to the Dakar Declaration.

Permanent link: http://en.unesco.kz/central-asian-education-forum-joint-effort-to-improve-education-in-central-asia