A multilateral approach towards education: the case of the East African Community

Abstract

The role of education has witnessed a growing recognition in the past century. Since then, governments have been investing increasing amounts of money in it. It seems they realised the close interconnection between education, economic development and competitiveness in the global marketplace. As States understood the importance of educating people, national educational policy packages were enacted. In fact, throughout the first half of the past century, education was perceived as a quintessential domestic affair. However, shortly thereafter, States’ global trend on education switched towards a complementary approach. With globalisation (second half of the 20th century), States began to perceive the importance of complementing education through the support of regional organisations. Therefore, a multilateral approach towards education grew steadily complementing the traditional domestic perspective. UNESCO had a key role in this process: it worked for the conceptualisation of a new idea of education. Thanks to its actions, States changed their perspectives on education. They began to understand it as a life-long learning process, essential for their citizens and for a healthy society...