Education leaders have called for action to accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), warning that the world remains off track to meet the 2030 target of ensuring quality education for all.
“[The SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee] recognises with concern that despite progress, the world remains off track to achieve SDG 4 by 2030, with persistent inequalities, recurrent shocks and a substantial education financing shortfall threatening the right to quality education for all,” the Committee said.
This as President Cyril Ramaphosa called for greater global investment in education, warning that quality learning must never become a privilege reserved for a few, as world leaders met in Paris to accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).
Addressing the SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee (HLSC) Leaders Group Meeting at UNESCO Headquarters in France on Friday, President Ramaphosa said education remains the foundation for achieving all other Sustainable Development Goals and is essential to building resilient and sustainable societies.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the HLSC is the apex body for global education cooperation. It is the global multi-stakeholder consultation and coordination mechanism for education in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The committee underscored the need to accelerate education system transformation and also reaffirmed its focus on education system resilience through support for the teaching profession, foundational and lifelong learning, and inclusive digital transformation, with equity and inclusion serving as guiding principles and sustainable financing forming the foundation of resilient education systems.
The committee called on Member States and partners to actively support and participate in global and regional initiatives aimed at advancing these priorities.
To sustain momentum, the committee requested UNESCO to convene and lead preparations for the 2027 Global Education Meeting (GEM), in consultation with the HLSC Sherpa Group.
According to the committee, the 2027 Global Education Meeting should serve as a key milestone to assess progress towards SDG 4 using evidence, data and monitoring results, maintain political momentum ahead of the 2027 High-Level Political Forum and SDG Summit, and contribute to consultations on the post-2030 global education agenda.
The committee also endorsed the Sustainable Financing Pathways as the operational framework for advancing sustainable financing for education.
It called on Member States and partners to align behind country-led and integrated financing pathways based on national priorities and macro-fiscal realities, while promoting greater coordination among financing instruments and development partners to reduce fragmentation, improve impact and strengthen long-term fiscal sustainability. -SAnews.gov.za
