• Vocational education

Vocational education

This DFID practice paper gives a brief overview of the importance of investing in secondary, vocational and higher education in developing countries. The paper defines basic education as nine years of education consisting of six years of primary education and three years of junior secondary.

The paper points to several benefits of investing in secondary and higher education, including the fact that it ensures sustainable economic growth and is crucial to reaching the Millennium Development Goals. Other benefits include:

• it creates a pool of qualified people with the knowledge and skills to contribute significantly to economic development
• it allows individuals to expand their choice and to improve personal and work-related skills
• increased availability of secondary education significantly impacts the demand for and completion of girls’ primary education
• it is crucial to promoting gender equality and empowering girls and women.

The paper also gives an overview of DFID’s efforts in promoting investment in post-primary education. It reports that DFID will utilise the £8.4 billion pledged by the UK government over the next 10 years to partner with the international community and with partner governments in:

• developing a comprehensive 10-year education plan, that aims at meeting the MDGs
• encouraging the integration of post-primary education in poverty reduction planning processes
• improving human resource planning and management, including the training, allocation, and retention of teachers in the context of public sector reform
• supporting the development of the African Union (AU) and NEPAD plans for revitalising higher education, with particular emphasis on science and technology.

[adapted from author]

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