What is UN Sustainable Development Goal (SGD) 4: Quality Education? 🎓

Ever heard of SDGs?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)were created by the United Nations to make the world a better place for everyone by 2030.

There are 17 goals in total, each one addressing different global challenges like poverty, health, environment, and so on.

Today, we'll be focusing on one of those 17 goals — SDG 4: Quality Education,which will impact you and let you be involved in SDGs as a learner.

Education has always been important, but the world was already falling behind in providing quality education for everyone — even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic made things worse, causing students to fall behind. The UN reported that four out of five countries studied showed significant setbacks in education.

They also say that if nothing changes, it’s expected that by 2030, about 84 million children and young people will still be out of school. Plus, around 300 million students could lack basic math and reading skills, making it tough for them to succeed in life.

These numbers show just how important quality education is. Ensuring that every child, everywhere, has access to quality education is necessary for reducing inequalities and improving opportunities.

Quality education gives young people the skills and knowledge they need to build a brighter future for themselves and their communities!

Think about your own school or community. What would it be like if every single person had the opportunity to learn?

Quality education is the key to unlocking many other Sustainable Development Goals.

Here are key points about how education solves other global issues:

• Empowers people to break free from the cycle of poverty (Goal 1)

• Leads people to healthier, more sustainable lives (Goal 3)

• Promotes gender equality (Goal 5)

• Opens doors to better opportunities (Goal 8)

• Helps reduce inequalities (Goal 10)

All these impacts from education play a big role in fostering understanding and tolerance between different communities, contributing to a more peaceful world.

SDG 4 has led to important changes in education systems around the world:

• The Philippines created its first long-term education plans for quality education and achieved increased primary and secondary education enrollment.

• Vanuatu restructured its Ministry of Education to focus on long-term results to achieve quality education, starting by running workshops for teachers.

But making an impact isn’t just up to country-wise movements — your actions can make a difference too!

Ways for You to Achieve Quality Education

Help your peers learn.

• Offer to help a classmate who might be struggling.

• Start a small study group — teaching others can help you improve your own skills.

Use your voice.

• Post about the importance of education and highlight global challenges.

• Inspire others to take action by raising awareness about kids who don’t have access to schools.

Actively explore resources.

• Check out the UN’s student resources for more ways to get involved!

Which of the following actions is NOT a good way to help achieve quality education?

A. Organizing a book drive to donate to schools in need

B. Helping classmates with their homework or joining a study group

C. Prioritizing personal academic success over community

D. Raising awareness about education issues on social media

By knowing what SDGs are and taking part in activities, you’ll be contributing to SDG 4: Quality Education. Together, we can make sure that everyone, everywhere, has the chance to learn and succeed.

Check out the resources below to get more action ideas!