25 September 2013: The International Bureau of Education (IBE) of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has released a statement on ‘Learning in the post-2015 education and development agenda,’ which is intended to contribute to the current international debate about education policies, goals and targets in the post-2015 international development agenda.

According to UNESCO, the statement stems from discussions held during the International Experts’ Meeting on ‘Key Curricular and Learning Issues in the Post-2015 Education and Development Agenda,’ organized by the UNESCO IBE in Geneva, Switzerland, from 23-25 September 2013.

The seven key messages of the statement are: interest in learning has a long tradition in international education policies; the scope of ‘quality’ learning is narrowing; curriculum is at the heart of learning; teachers are an essential component of quality learning; balance between standardized assessments and classroom-based formative assessments is needed; access and quality dimensions are inseparable and intertwined; and a flexible agenda or framework of principles should be pursued. [UNESCO Press Release] [Statement: Learning in the Post-2015 Education and Development Agenda]