SDG Series - Quality Education - Sustainable Development Goal 4

Quality Education – Sustainable Development Goal 4

Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) places a huge focus on ensuring inclusive and fair quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. As we all know, education is a fundamental human right and crucial for personal and societal development, economic growth, and sustainable development.

The main target of this goal is to help improve the quality and relevance of education, increase access to education for all, reduce disparities in education, and enhance teachers’ capacity and knowledge.

Achieving SDG 4 is crucial to help achieve other sustainable development goals. This is due to education playing a critical role in eradicating poverty (SDG 1 blog), reducing inequality, promoting gender equality, and combating climate change.

Education empowers and enables individuals to make informed choices, improve their well-being (SDG 3 blog), and contribute positively to their communities and societies.

As stated in the latest SDG Report we are not on target to achieve this goal. If no additional measures are taken, only one in six countries will meet SDG4 and achieve universal access to quality education by 2030. An estimated 84 million children and young people will still be out of school and an estimated 300 million students will not have the basic numeracy and literacy skills they need to succeed in life. Gender disparities in education are still prevalent, with girls in many countries still facing significant barriers to accessing education

What would the world look like if SDG 4 was fully implemented?

If SDG 4 was fully implemented there would be significant improvements in education, human development, and sustainable development.

All children and young people would have access to quality education, regardless of their background, location, or income. Education systems would focus on developing basic skills such as literacy and numeracy, ensuring that individuals have the basic foundational skills needed survive in modern society.

Education is a critical factor in reducing poverty and inequality, and the implementation of SDG 4 would help to create a more equitable society which in turn will help us get closer to achieve many other sustainable development goals.

Additionally, education is linked to improved health and well-being, and the implementation of SDG 4 would lead to better health outcomes, reduced mortality rates, and improved quality of life.

What can we do to assist this sustainable development goal? 

To deliver SDG4, education systems must be re-imagined, and education financing must become a priority national investment.

Governments need to play the biggest role on this transformation, we need to think beyond traditional educational systems and reinvent education that is inclusive to all learning styles, that is universal to everyone in society and that it includes ESD at all levels of education.

The private sector also needs to play a role, education does not stop when someone joins the workforce. Giving employees opportunities for lifelong learning, upskilling, retraining and providing opportunities for career development within an organisation can boost retention and operational outputs.

As an individual,

1. You can volunteer your time and skills to help out at a local school, community centre, or library. This could involve reading to children or tutoring students.
2. Donate old books, textbooks, and other educational materials to schools or libraries. This can help provide resources for students who may not have access to them otherwise.
3. You can commit to lifelong learning by taking courses, attending workshops, and reading books on a regular basis. This will help you stay informed and up to date on the latest developments in education.

Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals is not easy task, but what’s clear to me is that Quality Education is a key foundation that will help us get closer to achieving many other SDGs, as well as improving the lives of millions of people in the world.

Every fortnight we will release a blog which explains each Sustainable Development Goal and how we as individuals and collectives can do our part support these goals.

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Thank you for reading today.

The FSG Team 💚