Education policy
Deciding by method, not by impulse.
An education policy is the framework that orders the system's decisions for years: what is wanted, on what principles, by what means, and how anyone will know whether it worked.
01What an education policy is
A policy is not a plan, and it is not a programme.
The distinction is not academic: it determines what can be demanded, and for how long.
An education policy is neither a programme nor a government plan. It is the settled agreement that says which public problem is being addressed, what counts as a good outcome, and what instruments will be used to reach it. Plans translate it into targets with dates; programmes deliver it in a particular place.
That distinction has a practical consequence: a policy that changes with every administration never produces measurable effects, because education cycles are longer than political ones. Which is why the Council draws policy up with prior consultation, publishes it in full, and tracks it against indicators agreed in advance.
02Objectives
Five policy objectives.
01
Learning
That every student reaches the learning their level promises, and that it can be demonstrated.
02
Progression
That whoever enters the system goes all the way through it, with no exits that depend on where they live.
03
Equity
That the gap between territories narrows steadily and verifiably.
04
Relevance
That what is taught matches what life and work actually ask for now.
05
Institutional capacity
That the system can measure itself, plan, and account for what it does.
03Principles
How it is made and how it is applied.
Universality
Policy addresses the whole system, not a selected segment of it.
Gradual rollout
Changes are applied in verifiable stages, with resources committed stage by stage.
Evidence
Every line of action declares the indicator it will be judged on.
Participation
Prior consultation is part of drafting, not a formality afterwards.
Transparency
A policy's complete file is public from its first draft.
Continuity
Policy is written for a ten-year horizon and is revised, not replaced.
04Strategic priorities
Six lines of action, each with its indicator.
A line of action that does not say how it will be measured cannot be evaluated.
01
Foundational learning
Periodic assessment of learning, materials aligned to the curriculum, and targeted support for the lowest-performing schools.
02
Full progression
Intervention at the system's leaks, with particular attention to the transition from basic to upper secondary.
03
Territorial equity
Targeting investment on the territories with the lowest coverage, and extending local provision where it currently ends at ninth grade.
04
Teachers
Initial training tied to practice, a recognised continuing training cycle, and working conditions at hard-to-reach schools.
05
Technical education
Rolling updates to provision alongside employers, and tracking of what graduates go on to do.
06
Public information
A single, open, documented statistical base as a required input to every education decision.
05Monitoring mechanisms
How anyone will know whether the policy worked.
Monitoring a policy has three parts. The first is the set of strategic indicators, agreed before the policy is applied and published with their methodology. The second is the half-yearly progress report, which sets what was achieved against what was planned and explains the gaps. The third is the mid-term evaluation, which can change targets where the evidence justifies it — and which puts on public record why.
06Policy agenda
What is in force, what is being drafted, and what is out for consultation.
Publishing the agenda means a policy can be known before it is decided, not after it is approved.
CEDE-P-001
National Education Policy 2026–2035
The general framework for education policy over the decade, with five strategic lines and fifteen indicators.
CEDE-P-002
Educational Inclusion and Equity Policy
Under review with an annual report; its headline indicator — the urban–rural gap — is moving more slowly than planned.
CEDE-P-003
Digital Education Transformation Policy
Under review; the survey of working connectivity is its annual source of verification.
CEDE-P-004
National Teacher Development Policy
In force, with a competency framework adopted in February 2026.
LIN-CEDE-2026-009
Guidelines for strengthening technical education
Out for public consultation until 30 September 2026. The full file is available.
CEDE-P-005
Early Years Education Policy
In drafting. Public consultation is planned for the first quarter of 2027.
CEDE-P-006
Learning Assessment Policy
In drafting, on the basis of the 2024 national assessment results.