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AP / vide

Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4

In 2015, all countries committed to achieving 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Education International played a critical role in securing a stand-alone goal for education - Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4): Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Significantly, SDG4 recognised that quality education can only be delivered by qualified teachers.

However, at the current pace, governments will fail to achieve SDG 4. The COVID-19 pandemic poses additional challenges, and risks reversing years of progress on education. Urgent and decisive action is imperative.

Together with our member organisations around the world we are working to ensure that governments live up to their promise to achieve SDG 4 and all its targets by 2030.

  • We monitor progress and hold governments accountable.
  • We advocate for enhanced domestic financing for public education through fair and progressive taxation and international aid.
  • We oppose corporate interests that treat education as a market instead of a public good accessible to all.
  • We promote quality education that is free from violence, develops the “whole child”, builds tolerance, understanding, democracy, respect for human rights and active citizenship for sustainable development.
  • We promote the achievement of the “teacher target” (target 4.c), underlining every students’ right to be taught by a trained and qualified teacher.

Our work in this area

  1. Worlds of Education 11 July 2019

    #OffTrack #2: In the Philippines, Schools Serving Indigenous Communities Are Under Attack.

    Today, the United Nations High-Level Political Forum will focus on reviewing Sustainable Development Goal 10 on reducing inequalities and its interrelations with other goals. We are far off track to achieve equitable access to education and equitable educational opportunities for all. In fact, in some countries, governments are introducing policies...

    #OffTrack #2: In the Philippines, Schools Serving Indigenous Communities Are Under Attack.
  2. Worlds of Education 10 July 2019

    #OffTrack #1: In Morocco, Teachers Protest Precarious Employment Contracts That Disregard SDG Commitments to Improve Teacher Employment Conditions

    Today, the United Nations High-Level Political Forum will focus on reviewing Sustainable Development Goal 8 on decent work and interrelations with other goals. We are far off track to achieve decent work for all educators. In fact, in some countries, governments are introducing policies that are worsening the employment and...

    #OffTrack #1: In Morocco, Teachers Protest Precarious Employment Contracts That Disregard SDG Commitments to Improve Teacher Employment Conditions
  3. Worlds of Education 9 July 2019

    #OffTrack #0: Educators Assess Progress Towards SDG 4, by David Edwards.

    David Edwards

    In 2015, governments committed to achieve inclusive, equitable, quality education for all by 2030 (Sustainable Development Goal 4, SDG 4). Four years later, the world is severely off track to achieve the goal. This mini blog series illustrates some of the many obstacles to the achievement of SDG 4, from...

    #OffTrack #0: Educators Assess Progress Towards SDG 4, by David Edwards.
  4. Worlds of Education 27 June 2019

    "Teacher ethics: ethics of presence", by Eirick Prairat.

    Eirick Prairat

    The professionalisation of the teaching profession, initiated at the beginning of the 1990s, was conceived solely in terms of technical skills. There was little talk of ethics at the time. In this text, we would like to show that far from being “an extra soul”, ethics is at the heart...

    "Teacher ethics: ethics of presence", by Eirick Prairat.
  5. News 20 June 2019

    France: private education unions mobilise for better working conditions for all

    Education trade unions representing state-subsidised private education in France have made history by uniting to put forward their demands and call for “decent and peaceful working conditions for all employees”, as “a matter of survival and dignity”.

    France: private education unions mobilise for better working conditions for all
  6. Worlds of Education 20 June 2019

    “The Fast Track for Newly Arrived Teachers in Sweden: the union’s perspective”, by Patrik Ribe.

    Patrik Ribe

    In 2015 the number of immigrants seeking asylum in Sweden reached record numbers. In total, Sweden received 163 000 asylum seeking refugees that year. For us. as a teachers’ union, it was natural to contribute to the creation of a system that would make good use of the teaching competence...

    “The Fast Track for Newly Arrived Teachers in Sweden: the union’s perspective”, by Patrik Ribe.
  7. News 19 June 2019

    The OECD Teaching and International Survey (TALIS) 2018 data released

    The latest Teaching and international Survey (TALIS) 2018 report released by the OECD illustrates the issues teachers face in their workplace; focusing on working time and training of teachers.

    The OECD Teaching and International Survey (TALIS) 2018 data released
  8. News 12 June 2019

    Palestine: development cooperation increases the capacities of early childhood educators’ union and improves their working conditions

    The General Union of Workers in Kindergarten and Private Schools is enhancing its capacity to organise and represent early childhood education sector workers thanks to development cooperation with other education unions.

    Palestine: development cooperation increases the capacities of early childhood educators’ union and improves their working conditions
  9. Worlds of Education 11 June 2019

    “Prohibiting violence and harassment in the world of work”, by David Edwards.

    David Edwards

    More than 800 million women have experienced some form of violence and harassment, ranging from physical assault to verbal abuse, bullying and intimidation. #MeToo and similar movements have helped expose the scale of the problem in the world of work, encouraging women to speak out and demand justice. Whilst women...

    “Prohibiting violence and harassment in the world of work”, by David Edwards.
  10. News 11 June 2019

    Students and school personnel in extreme danger in High Conflict Regions

    New data shows thousands of attacks on schools, mostly by military and other armed forces. This continuing epidemic of violence in regions of armed conflict demonstrates the vital and ongoing need to endorse and implement the Safe Schools Declaration.

    Students and school personnel in extreme danger in High Conflict Regions
  11. News 7 June 2019

    US: Cuts to education for children in federal custody at the border

    An official from the Health and Human Services Department of the US Administration sent an email to shelters notifying them of cancelled English classes, recreational programs and legal aid for children while in federal custody at the border after 22 May.

    US: Cuts to education for children in federal custody at the border
  12. News 3 June 2019

    World Environment Day: Calling on governments to protect the planet

    For World Environment Day, June 5th, Education International calls on governments to address climate change and help beat air pollution, the biggest public health crisis on the planet.

    World Environment Day: Calling on governments to protect the planet
  13. News 27 May 2019

    Iraqi educators take stock of the education system in the Kurdistan region of Iraq

    Education trade unionists belonging to the Kurdistan Teachers’ Union and the Iraqi Teachers’ Union took stock of the situation of education in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, urging the responsible public authorities to make education a priority and allocate an appropriate budget to it.

    Iraqi educators take stock of the education system in the Kurdistan region of Iraq
  14. Worlds of Education 27 May 2019

    “When Open Educational Resources and platform capitalism meet”, by Nikola Wachter.

    Nikola Wachter

    Technological advances have an ever increasing impact on every aspect of the education system, from the provisioning of education to working conditions and administrative governance. Unfortunately, technology is too often dumped onto education institutions leaving behind a big ecological footprint but no educational improvement. However, there are also many examples...

    “When Open Educational Resources and platform capitalism meet”, by Nikola Wachter.
  15. News 23 May 2019

    Asia-Pacific region calls for international action on copyright

    International action is essential in order to address the challenges that educators and researchers face when working with copyright-protected materials. That was the finding of a recent regional seminar on copyright exceptions for education, research, libraries, archives and museums.

    Asia-Pacific region calls for international action on copyright