There is no doubt that education plays an important role in policy agendas and plays a transformative role in maintaining the sustainable development. This assumption is formed, however, on an insufficient critical analysis of historical role played by education in supporting the not so sustainable development.
This piece of writing is going to their light on the increasing debate that is going around implementing SDG, incorporating it in the area of SDG understanding and learning. It also focuses on to throw light on the hurdles and opportunities that are available for achievement of universal access to quality education and opportunity to learn lifelong via vocational and technical training and education. As stated by the Director General of UNESCO, Irons Bokova “Education is a development multiplier, a pillar of global citizenship and a force for peace”.
Sustainable Development Goal 4 that is related to education is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda and that is significant for the success and achievement of all of the Sustainable Development Goals. The international community and National government are in the need to make sure that quality education is provided to all. This consists of innovation, smart measures to reach out to young learners, as well as the education and training that is relevant and is in need to address environmental, common social and economic challenges all around the globe. There is a need to provide equal opportunity for every gender not only that but focusing on delaying marriage, child mortality and promoting the female leaders.
Most of the strong advocates of education were supposed to be presented at the event in order to promote education in every manner.
Education is the answer to most of the problems in Africa, as it is a transformative one. When people are provided with right kind of education and information it can change the behaviors and values of the people. This allows them and motivates them to adapt sustainable lifestyles. It is also responsible for breaking the poverty cycled disease and malnutrition that are the main problems existing in Africa.
There is so much power in education and if we talk about it in the context of sustainable development, it was granted a center stage when United Nations Decade on Education for Sustainable development from the span of 2005-2014 was declared by the United Nations General Assembly. Education plays an important and indispensable role in achievement of sustainable development.
This piece of writing is going to talk about the relationship between sustainable development and education policy in the context of Africa as a factor of postcolonial condition. For instance, taking it into consideration the educational aspects of Africa in relation to globalization.
It is one of the arguments that if education is said to perform a transformative role in regards with sustainable development then the policy of education requires to be fundamentally re-considered broader process of political, social, economic and cultural transformations for the interest of environmental impact.
There are basically two certain ways in which education can be said to be in relation with the economic domain, namely the connections among skills and education or competencies that are required for the purpose of economic development on one side and in another way that education is given and funded on the other side.
In the context of Africa, we can start with the former and colonial education policy that was driven by a complicated mixture of various motives and colonial interests. The historians made it really clear (Mangan, 1988, Altbach and Kelly 1978). It is also significant to take into consideration the difference that exists between colonial powers in a way that the colonial education was taken in the context of ‘civilizing mission’ (White 1996). The access to education was not universal and was restricted to few years of initial education which means basic learning. A very limited access to secondary education was given.
As far as education for the Sustainable Development (ESD), is basically a United Nations program which is explained as education that promotes changes and bring a good change. In terms of skills, knowledge, values and attitudes to allows a more sustainable and just society. The aim of ESD was to empower the education and equips the generation with it in order to eradicate different issues. In order to meet their needs, education is the best answer. Agenda 21 serves as the first international document which was determined to identify education as a significant tool for achievement of sustainable development and highlight areas of action in regard with the education.
The educational facts regarding Africa as are as follows:
- Africa is considered as one of those countries that have the highest rates of educational exclusion around the globe. There are many children that are out of school.
- Around 60 percent of kids living in Sub-Saharan Africa are out of school especially of the age between 12-14.
- In terms of gender equality, girls are more prone to staying out of school as compared to boys. There are around nine million girls that haven’t seen school at all.
- Talking in the context of a study conducted by UNESCO in the year 2012 focused on the point that the amount of children that are not attending school in Africa is somewhat near to half of the global total.
- There is a texting program named as Mom-connect which is based in South Africa, which provides information regarding education, health care and insurance. It answers all the questions of the families.
If we talk about the fact that how Education can play a part in sustainable development in Africa, the first thing that would pop up in someone’s mind is that tourism works with the help of educated people and around 7.7 million people are working in this sector and travel sector as per the UN World Tourism
Organization. Back in 2004, NEPAD gave an approval to a Tourism Action plan that stated that Africa should be made the “21st century destination.” Mostly the African governments consider the tourism in their strategies of further development such as in research, marketing and codes of conduct. This will definitely increase the economic growth of the country. The arrival of tourist will increase when there are less language barriers and more education to serve them.
Gender Equality and Education :
We all know that with the help of education the involvement of women in African politics is increasing day by day. There are twenty nine African countries that have already ratifies the protocols of African charter which is promoting the women rights. 10 of the countries have also adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). One should know about AU created the African Women’s Decade which was launched back in October 2010. Apart from that 18 out of 28 countries where the mutation of female genitals was really common, it got outlawed.
It was totally eliminated in the year 2015. In 2008 majority of women were elected by Rwanda for its lower chamber of the parliament. Apart from all of these gains that are mentioned regarding gender equality, one should not forget that 76 girls for every 100 boys get an admission in college or university of Africa.
Health and Education:
Most of the countries are on track to achieve the goals of sustainable development with the help of education. The least goal of every country is to achieve the universal primary education for their citizens. Most of the countries in Africa are at the urge to achieve the MDG target of achieving universal primary education for all by 2015. But still now, we hardly see any developments in this regard.
As far as countries Luke Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania are concerned they have maintained to abolish the school fees in regard with the primary education. Apart from that around 30 million kid, most of them are girls literally have no access to go and receive education. If we consider the tertiary levels then the enrolment is just around 6 percent and not more than .Most of the positions in faculty are vacant.
There are many countries of Africa that are suffering from a high prevalence of HiV/AIDS and malaria. Not only that but many other non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Most of the issues of diseases will be solved it education is possible for common people.