A UN report on education released January 24, 2022 says the world is failing to achieve SDG 4, which is to ensure that by 2030 all children receive an “inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities”.
The UN body, UNESCO, said countries are already failing their children “even before taking into account the potential consequences of COVID-19 on education development.” The indicators used to determine a participating country’s success included: early childhood education attendance; drop-out rates; completion rates; gender gaps in completion rates; minimum proficiency rates in reading and mathematics; trained teachers; and public education expenditure.
This failure, the report said, is a wake-up call for the world’s leaders as millions of children will continue to miss out on school and high-quality learning.
The education benchmarks are included in Sustainable Development Goal 4; one of 17 goals set up in 2015 by the UN General Assembly.