Quality Education - Why it matters?
Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to improving people's lives and sustainable development. Major progress has been made towards increasing access to education at all levels and increasing enrolment rates in schools particularly for women and girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet bolder efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. For example, the world has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but few countries have achieved that target at all levels of education.
What's the goal here?
Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.
Facts & figures
- Enrolment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91 per cent but 57 million children remain out of school
- More than half of children that have not enrolled in school live in sub-Saharan Africa
- An estimated 50 per cent of out-of-school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas
- 103 million youth worldwide lack basic literacy skills, and more than 60 per cent of them are women
Why does education matter?
Education is the key that will allow many other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved. When people are able to get quality education they can break from the cycle of poverty. Education therefore helps to reduce inequalities and to reach gender equality. It also empowers people everywhere to live more healthy and sustainable lives. Education is also crucial to fostering tolerance between people and contributes to more peaceful societies.
So through education, people can get better jobs and have better lives?
But hasn't a lot of progress been made over the last few years on education?
Yes, enrolment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91%. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS Data Centre), between 2000 and 2012, the percentage of out-of-school children among primary-school-age children has declined from 40% to 22% in sub-Saharan Africa and from 20% to 6% in South Asia.
Where are people struggling the most to have access to education?
More than half of children that have not enrolled in school live in sub-Saharan Africa, which makes it the region with the largest number of out-of-school children in the world. And this region has a very young population so it will have to provide basic education to 444 million children between the ages of 3 and 15 in 2030, which is 2.6 times the numbers enrolled today.
Are there groups that have a more difficult access to education?
Yes, women and girls are one of these groups. About one-third of countries in the developing regions have not achieved gender parity in primary education. In sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania and Western Asia, girls still face barriers to entering both primary and secondary school. These disadvantages in education also translate into lack of access to skills and limited opportunities in the labour market for young women.
What can we do?
- Ask our governments to place education as a priority in both policy and practice.
- Lobby our governments to make firm commitments to provide free primary school education to all, including vulnerable or marginalized groups.
- Encourage the private sector to invest resources in the development of educational tools and facilities
- Urge NGOs to partner with youth and other groups to foster the importance of education within local communities
Where are volunteer projects that need my help?
International voluntary work plays a key role in delivering and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals as volunteering supports social, economic and environmental change. It is an important driver of civic engagement in the 21st century. If you want to do more than just join the conversation, Volunteer World provides the chance to become active and help reach the SDG Goal #04 Quality Education. Click on the map to search for volunteer opportunities that help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal:
Discover related Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. As such, the 17 SDGs and its associated 169 targets do not stand alone, but are are interconnected. The key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another. If you are interested in supporting a cause addressing to the goal Quality Education, you might also be interested in the related goals Decent Work And Economic Growth, Responsible Consumption And Production and No Poverty.
Please visit the website of the United Nations to find out more about Goal #04 Quality Education and other Sustainable Development Goals.
Source: United Nations