Sustainable Development Goals revolutionizing the educational sector

The United Nations General Assembly put down a collection of 17 global goals in 2015 designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future, called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. One of the most important goals is Quality Education.

The target under Quality Education is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and at the same time, promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The goal is to eliminate gender disparities in school as well as secure equal access to all the levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable groups. This includes persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in sensitive situations. Furthermore, the UNGC emphasizes the expansion of scholarships available to developing countries.

There has been enormous progress in access to primary education universally. The worldwide rate of out of school children has dropped by almost half, and in 2015, the enrolment rate reached 91% for developing regions. There has also been dramatic progress in literacy rates, along with the number of girls attending school. However, developing regions have faced adverse challenges due to high levels of poverty, armed conflicts and other such emergencies. In North Africa and Western Asia, the ongoing armed conflict has seen an increase in the proportion of children out of school.

In 2017, the SDG fund decided to promote digital education to better use information technologies to advance learning. The idea was to ensure affordable, reliable and high-quality digital education to promote equal opportunities for all. It improves fundamental skills and can connect students from different parts of the world with the possibility of sharing their content. Additionally, learning technology can open future job opportunities. SGF Fund aims to promote gender equality through education. For instance, In Colombia, the SDG Fund is to improve integration of educational institutions in rural areas through pieces of training, workshops and a water-themed contest. In Mozambique, an SDG Fund joint programme is working towards improving youth access to quality professional training. In Sri Lanka, SGF Fund has revised school feeding policies, and produced new guidelines to improve the food quality of school canteens.

Shahjadi Jemim Rahman