SDG 4.0 Education for all

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development commits to “provide inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels – early childhood, primary, secondary, tertiary, technical and vocational training. All people, irrespective of sex, age, race, ethnicity, and persons with disabilities, migrants, indigenous peoples, children and youth, especially those in vulnerable situations, should have access to life-long learning opportunities that help them acquire the knowledge and skills needed to exploit opportunities and to participate fully in society. We will strive to provide children and youth with a nurturing environment for the full realization of their rights and capabilities, helping our countries to reap the demographic dividend including through safe schools and cohesive communities and families”. SDG 4 aims to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

Low digital skills hamper progress toward universal and meaningful connectivity.
Low levels of information and communications technology (ICT) skills are a major obstacle to achieving universal and meaningful connectivity. Data on digital skills are limited, available only in 78 countries, and rarely for all five skill categories (communication/collaboration, problem-solving, security, content creation, and information/data literacy). Although 86% of people use the Internet in the countries providing data, many lack the digital skills needed to fully benefit from it or avoid its dangers. Communication/collaboration skills predominate, followed by problem-solving, security, and content creation. Information and data literacy varies widely across countries. Of the 74 countries that provided data on at least three competency areas, only five reported averages above 75% in several areas.

Basic school infrastructure varies widely across regions and is far from universal access to basic school facilities is essential for safe and supportive learning environments, but one in four primary schools worldwide lacks basic services such as electricity, water, sanitation, and handwashing facilities. Access to computers, the Internet, and disability-friendly facilities is even lower, with fewer than one in two primary schools on average having these types of access. Access is highest in lower and upper secondary schools. The regions with the lowest access to basic facilities are Central and Southern Asia, sub-Saharan Africa Latin America, and the Caribbean. However, some progress has been made, with access to electricity in primary schools increasing by more than 10 percentage points since 2012. Access to computers and disability-friendly facilities, essential for marginalized learners to participate, has also
improved by almost 5 percentage points.

Adequate infrastructure is also important to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 and ensure safe learning. In early 2021, less than 10% of low-income countries reported having enough soap, clean water, masks, and sanitation and hygiene facilities to ensure the safety of all learners and staff, compared to 96% in high-income countries.
Infrastructure investment and oversight must be regulatory
priority to prevent inequalities from becoming further entrenched.

Statistics: