Ei-iE

AP / vide
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. News 25 April 2014

    Putting teachers first is answer to learning crisis

    The global learning crisis is costing governments worldwide over $129 billion a year and excluding millions of children from education. Giving support to teachers is key in order to overcome this, according to the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) of 2014.

    Putting teachers first is answer to learning crisis
  2. News 25 April 2014

    Kenya: teacher union applies for Teachers' TV channel license

    The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), one of EI national affiliates, has announced that it applied for a television broadcasting license to provide educational content that has been missing from TV and radio, to assist teachers in providing students with better quality education.

    Kenya: teacher union applies for Teachers' TV channel license
  3. News 24 April 2014

    ETUCE Committee adopts the support package to Ukraine

    The ETUCE Committee expressed strong solidarity with the ETUCE members and their affiliates in Ukraine and unanimously supported the call to provide moral, political and financial support to our colleagues.

    ETUCE Committee adopts the support package to Ukraine
  4. News 23 April 2014

    Successful: Learning more about the dual VET system in Austria

    On 7 - 9 April 2014, 25 vocational education and training (VET) experts of ETUCE member organisations from 17 countries met in Vienna for a ETUCE - ETUI training seminar on The role of the teachers’ trade unions in quality assurance in all forms of Vocational Education and Training.

    Successful: Learning more about the dual VET system in Austria
  5. News 23 April 2014

    Teaching Profession Now and in Future - Passing on Cultural Values

    The Spring ETUCE Committee 2014 On 14-15 April 2014, the ETUCE Committee convened to debate on the major challenges and issues currently at stake in the education sector in Europe. Bringing the future priorities for teacher unions in Europe into focus, the Committee members decided that the ETUCE Special conference...

    Teaching Profession Now and in Future - Passing on Cultural Values
  6. News 23 April 2014

    Spain: Austerity called into question

    Austerity measures and structural reforms have come under fire in Spain, one of the countries most affected by the economic crisis. Now, the Constitutional Court of Spain and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) are reviewing the viability and adequacy of the laws passed as part of the restructuring plans.

    Spain: Austerity called into question
  7. News 22 April 2014

    Quality education takes centre stage across the UK as unions call for policy change

    National teachers’ unions across the UK delivered a similar message in support of their members and students, calling for quality education and targeting government policy as members congregated at their annual conferences throughout the Easter break.

    Quality education takes centre stage across the UK as unions call for policy change
  8. News 10 April 2014

    500 days to get 57 million children to school

    Working together to break down the barriers to education for the 57 million out-of-school children: this is the key aim of the 2015 Countdown Summit taking place today, 10 April, in Washington, DC, in the US. With only 500 days left to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), EI will...

    500 days to get 57 million children to school
  9. News 8 April 2014

    Euro-demonstration: 50.0000 people demanded new directions for Europe

    50.000 people from 21 European countries took to the streets of Brussels to participate in the large European trade union demonstration organised by ETUC on 4th April 2014 in Brussels. Trade unions from many different sectors and from all over Europe raised their voice against further austerity measures and for...

    Euro-demonstration: 50.0000 people demanded new directions for Europe
  10. News 8 April 2014

    New report underlines the fact that Europe is still suffering from the crisis

    The Social Protection Committee released the 2013 annual report on the social situation in the European Union named ''Social Europe – many ways, one objective" on 19 March 2014. The report stresses that the social situation in the European Union is not improving while in some countries the situation is...

    New report underlines the fact that Europe is still suffering from the crisis
  11. News 8 April 2014

    The European Commission declares that public consultation is not a referendum

    On 27 March 2014, the European Commission finally launched its public consultation on investment protection and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). The deadline for submission will be three months following the date when the consultation is available in all official EU languages.

    The European Commission declares that public consultation is not a referendum
  12. News 4 April 2014

    EI joins 40.000 on the streets demanding a new path for Europe

    The message from Brussels today was clear as thousands took to the streets in protest: Austerity is not working! Trade union delegations from all over Europe gathered in Europe’s capital to denounce the fact that over 26 million Europeans are unemployed - 10 million more than in 2008. The situation...

    EI joins 40.000 on the streets demanding a new path for Europe
  13. News 4 April 2014

    EI surveys teachers’ working conditions

    EI is launching a world-wide survey on teaching and learning conditions, with the aim of bridging the gap between policy making and the reality of the classroom. The survey will be accessible online from today until the end of July in more than 10 different languages, and is part of...

    EI surveys teachers’ working conditions
  14. News 2 April 2014

    ETUCE guidelines on early school leaving and ICT

    The European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) has published a framework on how teacher unions can help to prevent early school leaving with the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in schools. This is the result of a multinational project in partnership with teacher unions from Denmark, Greece,...

    ETUCE guidelines on early school leaving and ICT
  15. News 2 April 2014

    UNESCO announces new director of EFA Global Monitoring Report

    UNESCO has announced that Dr. Aaron Benavot is the new Director of the Education for All Global Monitoring Report (EFA GMR). Dr Benavot brings decades of experience in global education policy and comparative research to the Report team, including four years as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Report. He...

    UNESCO announces new director of EFA Global Monitoring Report