A/HRC/26/27 assessment of the knowledge, skills and values developed as a result of the educational process and their application in everyday life. The evaluation of education enables the Government to track the quality of education and to identify strategies to make improvements. 54. In Namibia, competencies, and core skills and key learning areas were identified in relation to the Namibia Vision 2030 as a national curriculum for basic education for the continual assessment of progress and achievements in the 5th and 8th grades, using nationally standardized assessments and national examinations. “Both school-based assessments and end-of-year examinations assess the knowledge, skills and understandings specified in the subject syllabuses.”27 55. In all such national measures, greater focus on a human-rights based approach, as already mentioned, is important, keeping in view the right to education in its full expression. VI. Assessing technical and vocational education and training 56. As described by the Special Rapporteur in his previous report (A/67/310), technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is an integral part of the right to basic education at the secondary level. Educational institutions must be supported to develop quality innovative programmes, including technical and vocational training and lifelong learning, geared to bridging skills gaps in order to advance sustainable development objectives.28 In fact, skills development through TVET has emerged as a leading concern in improving the quality of education in an increasingly globalized economy. Such training has profound implications in the twenty-first century for radically different knowledgebased economies and societies.29 This is all the more important in view of the need to better promote the skills required by the emerging “green economy”, requiring novel means to assess competencies and skills in “green technology”. 57. However, development programmes for technical and vocational education and training and skills have not been adequately addressed in the most common international or regional assessments. National assessment mechanisms for those programmes must better evaluate how well they empower students to acquire the necessary competencies for the development requirements of their country, while still meeting the broader human rightsbased objectives. Existing normative frameworks for TVET provide the basis for developing national assessments to appraise the acquisition of those competencies and skills by students. The UNESCO Revised Recommendation concerning Technical and Vocational Education (2001) stipulates that member States should aim to apply relevant and appropriate internationally recommended standards and norms relating to systems of assessment or evaluation; occupational qualifications and certification; and equipment and technical standards. The Recommendation also underlines the importance of the exchange of good practices and methods. Similarly, International Labour Organization (ILO) Recommendation No. 195 (2004) concerning Human Resources Development: Education, Training and Lifelong Learning stipulates that measures should be adopted, in consultation with social partners and using a national qualifications framework, to promote the development, implementation and financing of a transparent mechanism for the assessment, certification and recognition of skills, including prior learning and previous experience, 27 28 29 Ministry of Basic Education and Culture, Namibia, “Towards improving continuous assessment in schools: a policy and information guide” (1999), p. 36. See General Assembly resolution 66/288, annex, para. 235. See, for instance, the recommendations in the Montego Bay Declaration on Technical Vocational Education and Training in the Caribbean, available from http://www.soeconferences.com/tvet/montego-bay-declaration-tvet-caribbean. 13