Among the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the fourth one is about ensuring "inclusive and equitable quality education" and promoting "lifelong learning opportunities for all". This goal (SDG 4) is subdivided into 10 targets, the sixth of which concerns youth and adult literacy and numeracy. This article…

Ongoing policy discussions concerning the post-2015 future of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals are providing the basis for renewed efforts to understand and improve learning and literacy in a global perspective. Aiming for a pathway towards better scientific understanding, this paper asks a central question: What research would be…

Education, especially higher education, is considered vital for maintaining national and individual competitiveness in the global knowledge economy. Following the introduction of its "Free Education Policy" as early as 1947, Sri Lanka is now the best performer in basic education in the South Asian region, with a remarkable record in…

In relation to economic and social trends in Latin America over the last 25 years, the authors analyze expansion and change in primary, secondary, and higher education in this region. Tables of income, enrollment, literacy, drop-out, and occupational data for Latin American countries are appended. (SJL)

Explores the positive impact of the non-formal education programme (NFPE) of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) in the achievement of basic education for rural Bangladeshi children. Assesses three groups with different educational experiences: (1) children who attended BRAC's NFPE, (2) those attending formal school, and (3) children…