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There are ten targets in the global education goal, SDG 4, which lay out the steps for providing a quality education for all. They cover children accessing 12 years of quality education with a qualified teacher, learning to read and write and to become active global citizens, and continuing to access education or training throughout their lives.

Now halfway to the deadline for achieving SDG 4, this blog looks at the progress that has been made against each since the goal was set in 2015.

Are we progressing fast enough?

The COVID-19 pandemic created the worst shock to education on record and led to large learning losses that disproportionately affected children from low-income populations. The World Bank’s new “Learning Recovery to Acceleration: A Global Update on Country Efforts” report takes stock of countries’ efforts to overcome the pandemic’s impacts on students and build more resilient education systems.

The report examines what countries are doing to recover and accelerate learning, and how they are doing it, studying over 60 education systems. While many countries largely returned to ‘business as usual,’ others jumped into action—implementing comprehensive, multi-year strategies for improving learning and reducing inequalities. What have we learned from these efforts?

UNICEF Innocenti published a rapid evidence assessment report (REA) examining the impact of educational policies and programs on child work and child labour in low- and middle-income countries.

Insufficient access to school, low school quality, discriminatory practices or equity gaps in class are critical push factors for child labour. In many contexts, school is not seen as a cost-effective alternative to child labour. In these settings, children engage in child labour as their households cannot afford the cost of education.

The REA covered 29 published studies and found that scholarships and educational remittances considerably reduced the likelihood of children working – but it depended on the programme design. Read the full study report for more information.

Higher education leaders in Niger have raised concerns about how the military coup on 26 July 2023 may harm an already fragile higher education system.

Moctar Saïdou, the press secretary for the Union of Nigerien students has commented that Niger’s higher education sector was already struggling with insufficient accommodation, food, transport and care facilities for students, weak courses in public universities, a lack of lecturers and failures to make scholarship payments and release state social assistance for students.  He states ‘the coup has made the situation more worrying’.

Read the full article for more information.

The 12th edition of Enabling Education Review for 2023 will encompass the theme of ‘knowledge, power and ownership’

Do you have interesting experiences or thoughts to share?

To find out more about submitting an article, please contact Dr. Su Lyn Corcoran (sucorcoran@eenet.org.uk) for more information.  Remember we can provide free writing and editing advice and support.

Deadline for submission of first drafts is 15 September 2023

If you’ve missed it, it is a must-see!

The side event at the 16th session of COSP on Inclusive Education: an imperative for advancing human rights and sustainable development – watch it now! 

The side event, held in June 2023, was a contribution to SDG 4 and to the follow-up to the UN Transforming Education Summit, which was convened by the UN Secretary-General in response to the global crisis in education – one of equity and inclusion, quality and relevance.  There is an urgent need to accelerate efforts and action to ensure that persons with physical, emotional, developmental and intellectual disabilities are not left behind.

Only 12% of the Sustainable Development Goal targets are on track. Marginalised learners – including those with disabilities – are being left behind.

In this special episode, Liesbeth Roolvink talks on the podcast ‘ Goal 4′ about Sightsavers’ #promiseinperil campaign, and what we can all do today to get involved (hint: it takes about 3 seconds).

Listen:
On Spotify. 
On Apple podcasts.
On Web player.