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 13 November 2012

    Mali: ‘Every Child Needs a Teacher’ programme launched

    A workshop to launch the ‘Every Child Needs a Teacher’ programme was held on 30 October in Ségou, Mali. The workshop was part of the “Quality Educators for All” project, supported by EI.

    Mali: ‘Every Child Needs a Teacher’ programme launched
  2. 13 November 2012

    Teachers training and quality education in Africa

    This article will discuss the characteristics of a profession in the context of the teaching service and challenges which teachers may face in their endeavour to develop and maintain reputable organisations and professional members. It will also explore the strategies which teachers and education stakeholders may use in advocating for...

    Teachers training and quality education in Africa
  3. 13 November 2012

    Kenya: educators’ union tackling the teacher deprofessionalisation issue

    The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) is a teachers’ trade union founded in December 1957 during a conference held in a local school in Nairobi. Its constitution was ratified in 1958 and registered in 1959. It has a membership ranging between 180,000 to 240,000 teachers drawn mainly from primary,...

    Kenya: educators’ union tackling the teacher deprofessionalisation issue
  4. 13 November 2012

    Niger: Evaluating pupils and teachers to achieve quality education

    Education is the bedrock of social development, a subject that has always been of concern to society. This concern is shared at both the family and community level and on a much wider scale, as can be seen from the holding of major conferences such as those in Jomtien and...

    Niger: Evaluating pupils and teachers to achieve quality education
  5. 13 November 2012

    North American educators show great solidarity in times of crisis

    The teaching profession has undoubtedly suffered as a result of the onset of the 2008 economic recession that still hovers above the heads of educational professionals around the world today. Teachers’ salaries have been cut or frozen, teaching hours have increased in several countries without added pay, collective-bargaining rights have...

    North American educators show great solidarity in times of crisis
  6. 13 November 2012

    The retreat of the government from Higher Education: the Italian case

    In the recent OECD report, Education at Glance 2012, a number of indicators clearly show the critical state of education in Italy. This country invests less than two per cent of its GDP in higher education and research, its graduate numbers are falling, as is the number of its researchers...

    The retreat of the government from Higher Education: the Italian case
  7. News 12 November 2012

    USA: Educators celebrate International Education Week

    The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), one of EI’s U.S. affiliates, will actively participate in the third annual Global Education Conference (GEC), to take place entirely online during International Education Week, from 12-16 November.

    USA: Educators celebrate International Education Week
  8. News 9 November 2012

    14-N: European day of action and solidarity

    Workers from Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece have called for a general strike next Wednesday, 14 November, to protest against government-imposed austerity measures. It is the first time in history that there has been a coordinated call for general strikes in four countries at the same time.

    14-N: European day of action and solidarity
  9. News 7 November 2012

    Educators worldwide hopeful after Obama’s re-election

    Obama was supported by both EI’s national affiliates, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA), because of his involvement in maintaining public services and promoting education in particular. EI urges Obama and other global leaders to continue and increase their spending on education and quality...

    Educators worldwide hopeful after Obama’s re-election