Thinking is a natural act for human beings. Every day, we have thousands of thoughts. However, just because we are thinking does not mean we are doing it well or that all our thoughts require critical reasoning because doing so would be too exhausting. Critical thinking becomes a core skill in a world that is changing so dynamically. Thinking critically not only helps with generating a well-founded personal opinion but also helps solve complex problems in many ways.
Giovanna feels confident and capable of learning mathematics. As a fifth-grade student in Guanajuato, Mexico, she is one of the more than 8,500 students participating inremote tutoring programsin 10 Latin American countries. Developed collaboratively by regional Ministries of Education, universities, and civil society organizations, these programs are supported technically and financially by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Last week saw the release of new data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), implemented by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Fifteen-year-old students from fourteen Latin American and Caribbean countries participated in this international large-scale student assessment, which was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most people's social interactions take place in their neighborhood. This is where girls, boys, and young people form their preferences and opinions about others. It is also the place where social norms are regulated. As a result, how individuals value education and its expected benefits is influenced by the values and norms of the neighborhoods in which they live. What is the scope of such influence?
Climate change is increasing temperatures and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, floods, landslides, and tropical storms at an unprecedented rate in Latin America and the Caribbean. These climate changes are causing devastating socioeconomic impacts in the region. Education has a leading role in supporting efforts to decarbonize and increase resilience to climate change.
What should a student know? What knowledge is most necessary? How should we teach? The answer to all these questions lies in the educational curriculum – the roadmap that lays out the knowledge and skills students should acquire in school. The faster society changes, the more flexible the curriculum should be to adapt and respond to new needs. This is probably why curriculum reforms are at the center of discussion on the education agenda in countries within and outside the region.
Following the publication of the presidential decree in September 2014 relating to the reform of the schools functioning in Haiti, national achievement tests (or national exams) in the 6th and 12th grades (6e AF and Rhéto) were eliminated officially. As clause 3 of the decree stipulated, the Ministry of National Education and Professional Development (MENFP) should organize targeted national evaluation sessions from the 4th grade on basic disciplines.
Latin America suffered some of the world's longest school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, compelling countries to explore diverse alternatives to maintain children's education. At the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), we investigated various strategies to counteract the learning crisis instigated by these closures and the pre-existing conditions of low educational attainment in the region. We found that one of the most cost-effective strategies was phone tutoring. ConnectEd served as our primary inspiration for this approach.
**Keynote speech delivered during the Lemann Foundation UNGA 2023 Side event “Eradicating Illiteracy in Brazilian Schools: Lessons for the Global South.”
Let me start by talking about an enormous problem—and then about an enormous opportunity to solve it.
“Beyond learning music, it awoke something bigger in me. . . . This is what I have always been searching for, the room to be taken seriously as an artist.”
—Merily Ajcip, cellist, Orquesta Alaíde Foppa, Antigua, Guatemala
International evidence demonstrates that music education can play an important role in childhood and youth development.