At its seventh meeting, the SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee warned that progress on SDG 4 falls “far short” of what is needed and called for greater attention to refugees and displaced people, teacher recruitment and training, relevance and quality of learning, and gender equality in education. Stressing the need for quality education, UN General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande called for flexible pathways between education and the workplace, and increased allocation of GDP and foreign aid to bridge the funding gap for education.

The 7th meeting of the Steering Committee took place from 11-12 November 2019, in Paris, France, on the occasion of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 40th General Conference. The meeting brought together 18 Committee members, including 16 education ministers.  In a joint statement, the Committee drew attention to the need for countries to increase their capacity to implement reforms, invest in data to inform action, increase domestic financing for education, coordinate international cooperation to fill the financing gap, and provide assurance of commitments to free public education.

Addressing delegates, Muhammad-Bande urged countries to allocate 4% of GDP and 15% of public expenditure to education, and called on donors to meet the UN target of 0.7% of gross national income to foreign aid and to direct 10% of this to primary and secondary education. He noted that 225 million children will be out of school in 2030, only half of all youth are currently completing high school, and participation at the tertiary level remains vastly unequal. He emphasized that the world faces “a learning crisis” that will hamper achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

“We have to meet children where they are.” 

Noting that quality education is a key priority of his presidency, Muhammad-Bande stated that “we have to meet children where they are,” mentioning refugee children, ethnic minorities, children and young people with disabilities, and those in need of vocational training and ‘second chance’ learning programmes.

He lamented that international aid directed towards education has remained stagnant since 2010, and the overall share of education in international aid has fallen from 10% since that time to 7% in 2017. He welcomed the work reported by many Member States in their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) on SDG 4, including investment in science and technology education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), early childhood and adult education, and adapting the curriculum to the world of work. He noted, in particular, that many countries are tailoring programmes to vulnerable groups and have developed programmes promoting a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation for the environment and cultural diversity, which, he stated, are essential concepts in promoting sustainable development. [SDG Knowledge Hub Sources]

The SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee serves as a mechanism for UN Member States to coordinate their efforts towards achieving the education-related targets of the 2030 Agenda. Various Committee Working Groups at the two-day meeting presented outlines of forthcoming papers on inclusion and equity, teachers, skills and higher education. 

The meeting also saw the launch of the 2019 edition of the SDG 4 Data Digest, which includes methodologies for data collection and reporting on education targets. The report, titled ‘How to Produce and Use the Global and Thematic Education Indicators’ is available in English.