Essential requirements for an effective education strategy Yusuf Sayed Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa and University of Sussex, UK Input at the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. 15th December 2008 Let me begin by thanking the Chairperson, the Independent Expert, and the Secretariat for inviting me and arranging this discussion on what is a most neglected aspect of education. And as more and more children enrol, it is the most marginalised and vulnerable, the minorities, who have no access to good quality education. And it is not just children, there are about more than 770 million illiterate adult the majority of who are women. And if Education for All is to be achieved by 2015, then the education rights and needs of minorities must become paramount. And this urgency is more pressing; as the Education for All goal of universal primary school requires that all children should be in school by no later than 2009 if we want each child to complete ma minimum cycle of 7 years of good quality primary schooling by 2015. The first and obvious point to make is that a more inclusive education system is a necessary but not sufficient condition for ensuring that the rights of minorities are protected, promoted and advanced. What is also needed are, as learning from experiences of promoting gender equality reveal , conditions outside the education system, in society, in which the rights of minorities are guaranteed. Greater synergy between education reform and societal transformation is crucial in developing a more coherent, holistic and joined up approach to protecting and advancing the rights of minorities. Drawing on my research and policy experiences, I will consider two aspects in relation to the section ‘essential requirements for an effective education strategy’. First I will reflect on the recommendations highlighting key issues. Second, I will consider key aspects that need further attention. But I think it is most appropriate to begin by stating that what is listed as essential requirements of an effective education strategy might be better cast as principles (perhaps they can be considered as operational principles) for designing and delivering education systems that are responsive to the needs of minorities. Otherwise it is likely that the discussion will focus on what is essential and what is not, and, also, much of what is listed as recommendation from part IV onwards of the document are also essential. Thus, it much better to start off by outlining key principles for education delivery as the first section of the recommendation.