On the occasion of the International Day of Education, UNESCO revealed that 258 million children and young adults between the ages of 6 and 17 are still out of school.
In the upper secondary stage, completion rates are only 49%. The total number of illiterate adults is 770 million adults, most of whom are women.
Omnia Mohamed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that "it is the occasion of the International Day of Education. Education can help change attitudes and mindsets, and thus combat climate change and unsustainable practices."
In a statement issued by the United Nations on the occasion of the International Day of Education, Mohamed stated that "Today we are aware of the wonderful strength of education."
"Education has the power to shape the world; it protects education men and women from exploitation in the labor market. It empowers women and gives them opportunities to make choices, and education promotes mutual respect and understanding in our human family."
She noted that education can help combat wrong thoughts, prejudice, hate speech and prevent violent extremism. Indeed, without education, we cannot achieve any of the SDGs.
"However, as 2030 approaches, the world is lagging behind, which is why the Secretary-General has issued a global call to action, to accelerate the implementation of the sustainable development goals," she added.
It's estimated that 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable.
In New York, Member States joined the President of the General Assembly and UNESCO to call for action. They reaffirmed that learning is the best tool we have to empower people, preserve the planet, build prosperity and foster peace. “Without education we cannot achieve the SDGs” said the Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations.
“Education has the potential to lift those furthest behind out of extreme poverty, to stir hope in children trapped in conflict, to equip communities to recognize and correct inequalities. However, current projections predict that in the year 2030, 40% of youth will not complete secondary education. As we enter the Decade of Action and Delivery we must accelerate our implementation of #SDG4.” President of the UN General Assembly, Mr Tijjani Muhammad-Bande.
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Omnia Mohamed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations[/caption]
The UNESCO Deputy Director-General, Mr Xing Qu, opened the first debate by these strong statement: “Education is the best investment we can make for our future, especially as we move towards a knowledge society. I am thinking of the investments that need to be made in digital education, at a time when one billion girls and women lack the necessary digital skills”.
Then UNESCO presented a new online tool, Education Progress, which will enable members of the public, as well as education planners and partners, to check countries’ progress in achieving global SDG4 education. The tool was developed by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report with the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany and will be available in the six official languages of the UN (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian) and German.
UNESCO office in New York was pleased to facilitate a meeting of the UN Group of Friends of Education and Lifelong Learning, co-chaired by Argentina, Czech Republic, Kenya, Japan and Norway. The Group of Friends held its anniversary meeting at the eve of the International Day of Education to reaffirm the collective commitment to raise funds and coordinate efforts to work toward achieving the SGD4. The Group is an active informal platform for advocacy and outreach on education related initiatives. It consists of members from all regions of the world who are committed to champion equitable and inclusive education for all.
But efforts should not stop at the end of the day. UNESCO has started 2020 with a full programme of work, starting with the launch of a global initiative to reimagine the Futures of Education. The initiative is catalyzing a global debate on how knowledge, education and learning need to be reimagined in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and precarity. Your voice counts and your perspective matters. Inputs from inpiduals, networks, and organizations will inform the work of the International Commission and shape the global debate.
Contributed by Nawal Sayed
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