Learning for Life This document illustrates a 3-year work plan for the financial years 2018/19 – 2021/22 that will help achieve intermediate outcome 3.0 of the Commonwealth Secretariat strategic plan: Strengthened sustainable policies reduce disparities and improve educational outcomes.  It will result in enhanced education and learning for children, adolescents, young people and adults across the Commonwealth – to fulfil their potential with dignity and equality in a healthy environment. 

The Commonwealth’s 54 member countries have a combined population of more than two billion, of which more than 60% are under 30 years of age. Yet, millions of school aged children and adolescents are out of school, whereas millions of young people and adults are unemployed because of skills mismatch in the labour market, indicating that the education system is a significant contributor to the unemployment crisis and is ineffective as it fails to prepare for life and unlock growth in the economy. In general, 15 to 17-year-olds are four times as likely to be out of school as are children aged 6 to 11. This is partly because primary and lower secondary education are compulsory in nearly every country, while upper secondary school is not. At the same time, these youths are often of legal working age. Many have no choice but to work while others try to combine going to school with employment. 
Girls are more likely than boys to never set foot in a classroom, despite efforts made and progress achieved over the past two decades. According to UIS data, 15 million girls of primary school age will never get the chance to learn to read or write in primary school compared to about 10 million boys. 
Education systems, including higher education systems have yet to fuel creativity and competitiveness for global markets, and to give the Commonwealth an edge in entrepreneurship and innovation. 

In line with the Education 2030 Framework for Action, this project proposes to enhance the quality of education and learning by focusing on: 
the capacity of the education sector in delivering fair and inclusive education and learning, making the benefits of education and learning available to all citizens of the Commonwealth, including through relevant content and learner centered approaches. 
the ability of all education sector players including learners themselves, to adapt, innovate, deliver or demonstrate learning outcomes for well-being and socio-economic development. Children, youth and adults gain the knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors and values they need to engage positively with society, make healthy choices, transition from secondary to higher education, or from school to work, and pursue multiple pathways to a productive and safe future.

To achieve the above, the project will focus more specifically on five areas of development 
Learners’ empowerment for active and responsible citizenship
Competent and well qualified educators using learner centered approaches and active pedagogies; educators trained in school leadership and management
Content design for relevant curricular content and learning resources
Education systems’ strengthening through policy, planning and management
Partnerships and collaborative processes

Member states will receive technical support to develop education policies and implementation mechanisms that create the competencies and learning achievements required for their citizens to prosper in the future; as well as to strengthen their education systems in order to respond to new economic, environmental, societal and individual needs and challenges. 

At the end of this three-year project we will expect to see:  
An increase in the number of effective education policies and practices for better quality education and learning across key sub-sectors and learning environments including non-formal education.
A strong and sustainable learning and knowledge network through the provision of platforms, tools and advisory services to embed policy and practice models for effective education systems.
A strengthened education sector workforce with professional, leadership and teaching skills contributing to robust education systems across member states.
A wider and more diverse group of organizations and partners supporting and contributing to the education project.

The Secretariat will work in partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the accredited organisations of the Commonwealth and other key partners, including regional bodies and UN agencies, to leverage the skills, resources, assets, network and authority that each partner brings to the table, as well as its complementarity.