Reforming secondary education Secondary education commands the critical years of a young person's development when so much needs to be accomplished. And yet today post-primary is perhaps the weakest link in the education system. A decade ago, the Jomtien World Conference sparked off a campaign in favour of basic education and the growing numbers of young people now completing this level are putting pressure on secondary to put its house in order.
Secondary education is both a terminal cycle and one that prepares for further education.
Caught in a maelstrom of escalating requirements, more and more is being demanded of it. It must support social development and prepare youth for lifelong learning. It must also help them function as persons and citizens and prepare them for work, skills training and further studies. Nor would it be right to consider that problems of secondary education are limited to developing countries. Another reality is that huge numbers of youth in countries of the North are not motivated by secondary education.