Maria Laarnie D. Mori DPSED Wed.

6-9pm April 24, 2019

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) empowers people to change the way they think and work
towards a sustainable future. There is growing international recognition of ESD as an integral element of
quality education and a key enabler for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In September 2015, the General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Building on the principle of
“leaving no one behind”, the new Agenda emphasizes a holistic approach to achieving sustainable
development for all.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to transform our world:

GOAL 1: No Poverty- End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
GOAL 2: Zero Hunger- End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being- Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
GOAL 4: Quality Education- Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities for all. (Education for Sustainable Development)
4.1
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and
secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
4.2
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care
and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
4.3
By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical,
vocational and tertiary education, including university
4.4
By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills,
including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
4.5
By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of
education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities,
indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations
4.6
By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women,
achieve literacy and numeracy
4.7
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote
sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable
development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture
of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of
culture’s contribution to sustainable development
4.a
Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide
safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
4.b
By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing
countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African
countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and
communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed
countries and other developing countries
4.c
By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international
cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries
and small island developing States
GOAL 5: Gender Equality- Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation- Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation for all.
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy- Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern
energy for all.
GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth- Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic
growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure- Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and
sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality- Reduce inequality within and among countries.
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities- Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient and sustainable.
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production- Ensure sustainable consumption and production
patterns.
GOAL 13: Climate Action- Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
GOAL 14: Life Below Water- Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development.
GOAL 15: Life on Land- Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,
sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt
biodiversity loss.
GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions- Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions
at all levels.
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal- Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the
global partnership for sustainable development.
January 24, 2019 Posted by: Lerato GCE Category: News, Press Release

Source: https://www.campaignforeducation.org/en/2019/01/24/the-world-can-no-longer-neglect-the-
right-to-education/

For the first time, the 24th of January is declared The International Day of Education as earmarked in
the UN calendar. This day is an opportunity for civil society, education stakeholders and partners to
celebrate and deeply reflect on the ensuing global education crisis. With millions of children out of
school and illiterate, the world cannot sit back and keep quiet while children, global future leaders are
deprived of their fundamental human right, education.

Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), demands inclusive and equitable quality education and the
promotion of “lifelong learning opportunities for all”. Learning is paramount for all the sustainable
development goals. Education eradicates poverty, boosts prosperity and fosters peaceful, just and
inclusive societies. 2019 is a crucial year for education. The world is a decade away from achieving the
ambitious 2030Agenda. Yet today the world’s pursuit of sustainable development and education goals
continues to encounter extreme pressure and deep challenges.

by BWPlayer

While positive steps have been taken to acknowledge and improve the status of education
worldwide, statistics tell us we have a long way to go and much to do, to ensure each and every child
across the globe exercise their right to a free, equitable quality education from early childhood. So today
as the world celebrates the role of education, the fulfilment of commitments and achievements of
targets towards sustained peace and development, all countries must reflect on where we are in terms
of the Incheon Declaration for Education 2030, which sets the vision for education for the next fifteen
years?

Globally, education is in crisis. There is growing recognition of education as the equalizing factor to
attaining SDG goals but the world is falling behind in meeting its objectives. And there are a few reasons
for this.

Inequality and gender inequality in education

The widening gap between inequality and education is evident in the links between social status and
education. The haves and the have nots. There are a handful of elite parents around the world who
chose to enroll their children into prestigious private schools and universities in order to maintain their
status and privileges. While those from disadvantaged backgrounds, due to socio-political interferences
and circumstances, are left with no choice but to send their children walking miles away from home to
attend poorly funded public schools, their only hope to provide them a better future. Inequality not
only speaks to one’s capacity to overcome imposed societal challenges and the inability to sufficiently
provide financially for one’s family and needs, but inequality includes broader systemic issues, such as
gender.

As the famous saying goes, “you educate a girl you educate a nation” yet the 2018, World Bank report
“The cost of not educating girls missed opportunities: The high cost of not educating girls”, paints a grim
picture. Globally girls are still on the lower end of attaining education in comparison to boys. “Globally,
nine in ten girls complete their primary education, but only three in four complete their lower secondary
education.” The fact that today, research indicates these gender disparities in education still negatively
impact the trajectory of girls’ around the world, is yet another example of society failing its girl children.
Many young girls forced to drop out of school endure early child marriage, lower expected income in
adulthood, thus increasing poverty in households. The world cannot afford a society that disempowers
girls, marginalises women, silences their voices and deprives nations of equitable, sustainable and
inclusive development.

Education in Crisis countries – a case of Yemen

Yemen is riven by civil conflict. Lack of access to basic social services, induced poverty, and starvation,
displaces hundreds of thousands of people and inhibits millions of children from entering classrooms.
Education is the major casualty in this crisis, taking down with it an entire future generation of children
in Yemen. According to UN Reports, a total number of 2 million children are out-of-school since 2015.
Adding salt to injury, the country faces a severe shortage of paid teachers and now over 2000 schools
serve as shelters for the displaced or the army. The unjustifiable repercussions of conflict in war-torn
countries around the world can only result in heightened states of global existential angst which world
leaders must adequately address. As the world confronts consequences of catastrophic climate change,
it is anticipated that the number of conflicts in the most affected countries will increase, and that
millions more will migrate. The World leaders have a duty to ensure the right to education is realised for
internally displaced persons and migrants. Ignoring the education crisis in conflict countries or
emergency situations is a human right atrocity.

Privatisation in and of education

Education is and remains a public good and governments are the sole bearers accountable to this duty
and fundamental human right. The rise and growth of privatisation in and of education should
invigorate debates and tangible actions around domestic education financing that lead to a truly
transformative education system that benefits as well as empowers all communities and individuals. As
was recently outlined in the media, the commodification of education exasperates societal disparities,
increases social exclusivity, especially in low-income countries where equitable public education should
be prioritised. In Uganda Kampala, for example, low cost private, profitable schools increased by eight
percent in 2015 and account for over eighty percent of children in school. A recent report
from Mauritania indicate an eleven percent increase in the number of private schools to from 417 to
702 schools between 2016 and 2017. Investors of these unregulated private mechanisms of education
must realise the precarious danger of isolating the global education crisis, blaming it squarely on broken
down political systems. Worldwide, there is a thriving civil society, willing governments and NGO’s truly
committed to transforming education and leaving no one behind.

In conclusion

Civil society is the anchor that drives responsive and effective state action in the education sector. A
united global civil society has the capacity to interrogate deeper systematic problems that permit poor
quality systems to persist and in turn advocate for sustainable change. Across countries, if girls attain six
years of education, their average earnings could increase by almost 9 percent and 12 years of education,
girls could gain over 40 percent. Empowering girls in decision-making abilities and transforming their
lives and those around them for good.

World leaders must unite against attacks on schools and embolden efforts to protect children’s
education, especially in war zones. Schools must always remain safe zones for learning. The next decade
requires amplified actions, renewed commitments to the shared universal and ambitious Global Agenda,
which seeks to eradicate poverty through sustainable development by 2030.

Let this first-ever International Day of Education serve as an important moment in the education
movement’s trajectory. The shared struggle across every continent to finally ensure that all people, from
all walks of life, access lifelong learning opportunities, are equipped with the knowledge and skills
required for this fast-paced globalised world, in order to fully participate in society and contribute to
sustainable development. Let this battle be one the world cannot ignore. Let the next decade be a
decisive period where institutions, civil society, and governments catch up to the real demands and
education needs of today.

Author: Refaat Sabbah – President of the Global Campaign for Education and a lifelong human rights
and education activist. Sabbah is the Chair of the Arab Network for Civic Education (ANHRE), and the
founder of the Arab Coalition for Education for All (ACEA).