The United Nations SDG 4 : Quality Education

The United Nations put together a list of 17 goals in 2015, related to global development and to be achieved by 2030. These work as a blueprint for a better, sustainable future for all and are collectively called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The fourth SDG, Quality Education has its objective of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education as well as the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all. The good news is that most countries across the globe have made efforts to ensure the children and youth of their country are educated. Globally, the literacy rate has increased from 83% to 91.4% since 1990.

However, not all countries have progressed equally – while making remarkable progress in educating their population, others are still far behind with one in five children, adolescents and youth still out of school. Admittedly it is indeed a road ahead and to understand this we need to take a closer look at the sub-goals under the SDG. 

1. Free primary and secondary education

2. Equal access to quality pre-primary education

3. Equal access to affordable technical, vocational, and higher education

4. Increase the number of people with relevant skills for financial success

5. Eliminate all discrimination in education

6. Universal literacy and numeracy

7. Education for sustainable development and global citizenship

8. Build and upgrade inclusive and safe schools

9. Expand higher education scholarships for developing countries

10. Increase the supply of qualified teachers in developing countries

These sub-goals provide an overview of the various areas that are multifaceted and need to be worked upon. There is a need to increase the number of literate individuals as well as improve the quality of education and strengthen its applicability to provide livelihood and improve the economy.

Apart from these, the fulfilment of this SDG goal would especially be crucial as this would help directly or indirectly fulfilling most of the SDGs. Ensuring a quality education for all will help to improve the country’s economy, eliminate inequalities, and spread awareness on social issues with much ease. Some SDGs that would directly be affected include- no poverty, zero hunger, health and well-being for all, no gender inequalities, work for all etc.

Based on these, individuals, organisations, and governments across the globe need to base their strategies on the goals and sub-goals to bring in a focused approach to eradicating social evils in specific communities.

In this series of articles, we will discuss each of the SDGs in detail to understand the role of countries and stakeholders in fulfilling these sustainable development goals.