EDUCATION FOR ALLEVIÁTING POVERTY: NEW TOPIC ON THE GLOBAL AGENDA

Abstract

In this article we discuss the change of educational discourse from the beginning of 90's, construct
around the concepts of producüvity, quality, competitiveness, efficiency and effectiveness, compared to other ones more popular at the end of decade such as justice, equity, social cohesion, inclusion,
empowerment, opportunity and security. The central idea has been displaced from “Education for
competitivity” to “Education to end poverty”. We have collect, catalogue and analyze some documents
published by international agencies such as World Bank and United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization aiming to discuss the guidelines of educational policy in Latin America and
the Caribbean. The goal of increase workforce qualifications and simultaneously enlarge the control
o’„-er them aims to restrain the risk of social rebellion of those who suffeí- the perverse effects of the
globalization. Education has been pointed as panacea, the solution of social and economic problems
as well as useful tool to manage conf]icts. The former discourses of Human Capital and Total Quality
Control are being rescue to stimulate individual investments for employability, neglecting the ideal
of national economic development. Some documents use a “poor appeal” justifying the educational
reforms in order to attend “voice of poorest'’ or “vulnerable” population. They appeal to the notion of
social capital and reter to education as a path to assist and include the poors. Our hypothesis is that
this discourse - which relates education and pôverty attack – has been concretized through politics
of employability, girl’s education and of social inclusion.