Sustainable Development Goal 4

Logo of SDG 4

Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Goal 4 or SDG 4) is about quality education and is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015. The full title of SDG 4 is "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all".

Background

Major progress has been made in access to education, specifically at the primary school level, for both boys and girls.

However, access does not always mean quality of education or completion of primary school as 103 million youth worldwide still lack basic literacy skills, and more than 60 percent of those are women. In one out of four countries, more than half of children failed to meet minimum math proficiency standards at the end of primary school, and at the lower secondary level, the rate was 1 in 3 countries.

At the end of 2019, millions of children and young people were out of school. The closure of schools in 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19 is having an adverse impact on learning outcomes. It has affected more than 90 per cent of the world’s student population, 1.5 billion children and young people.

Targets, indicators and progress

The UN has defined 10 targets and 11 indicators for SDG 4. Targets specify the goals and Indicators represent the metrics by which the world aims to track whether these Targets are achieved. SDG 4 targets several thematic issues including free primary and secondary education (target 4.1), equal access to; quality pre-primary education (4.2),affordable technical, vocational and higher education (4.3), increased number of people with relevant skills for financial success (4.4), elimination of all discrimination in education (4.5), universal literacy and numeracy (4.6), education for sustainable development and global citizenship (4.7), build and upgrade inclusive and safe schools (4.a), expand higher education scholarships for developing countries (4.b) and increase the supply of qualified teachers in developing countries (4.c).

Target 4.1: Free primary and secondary education

Percentage of pupils in early primary education grades (2 or 3) achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading.

The full title of this target is: "By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes."

This target has one indicator: Indicator 4.1.1 is the "proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex".

Non-proficiency rates remain disturbingly high despite steady growth in enrolment over the years. 88 per cent of children (202 million) of primary and lower secondary school age were not proficient in reading, and 84 per cent (193 million) were not proficient in mathematics in 2015 in sub-Saharan Africa,

Access does not always mean quality of education or completion of primary school. 103 million youth worldwide still lack basic literacy skills, and more than 60 percent of those are women. In one out of four countries, more than half of children failed to meet minimum math proficiency standards at the end of primary school, and at the lower secondary level, the rate was 1 in 3 countries.

Target 4.2: Equal access to quality pre-primary education

The full title of this target is: "By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre‑primary education so that they are ready for primary education."

This target has two indicators:

• Indicator 4.2.1: "Proportion of children under 5 years of age who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex"
• Indicator 4.2.2: "Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex"

At the global level, the participation rate in early childhood education was 69 per cent in 2017, up from 63 per cent in 2010. However, considerable disparities were found among least developed countries with rates ranging from 7 per cent to nearly 100 per cent. Sub-Saharan Africa faces the biggest challenges in the provision of basic school resources.

It has been proposed in 2020 that Indicator 4.2.1 should be deleted: "the portion of the indicator that measures progress for children 0-23 months that is currently tier III is proposed to be deleted".

Total number of students in the theoretical age group for pre-primary education enrolled in that level, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group.

Target 4.3: Equal access to affordable technical, vocational and higher education

The full title of this target is: "By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university."

This target has one indicator: Indicator 4.3.1 is the "participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex".

Target 4.4: Increase the number of people with relevant skills for financial success

The full title of this target is: "By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship."

This target has one indicator: Indicator 4.4.1 is the "proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill".

Target 4.5: Eliminate all discrimination in education

The full title of this target is: "By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations."

This target has one indicator: Indicator 4.5.1 is the "parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators".

In 2016, two thirds of 750 million adults are women who are illiterate in. Adult literacy rates are lowest in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Southern Asia alone is home to nearly half (49 per cent) of the global population who are illiterate.

Target 4.6: Universal literacy and numeracy

The full title of this target is: "By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy."

This target has one indicator: Indicator 4.6.1 is the "proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex".

Percentage of females age 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.

Target 4.7: Education for sustainable development and global citizenship

The full title of this target is: "By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture's contribution to sustainable development."

This target has one indicator: Indicator 4.7.1 is the "extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development, including gender equality and human rights, are mainstreamed at all levels in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment".

There is currently no data available for this indicator.

Target 4.a: Build and upgrade inclusive and safe schools

The full title of this target is: "Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all."

This target has one indicator: Indicator 4.a.1 is the "proportion of schools with access to (a) electricity; (b) the Internet for pedagogical purposes; (c) computers for pedagogical purposes; (d) adapted infrastructure and materials for students with disabilities; (e) basic drinking water; (f) single-sex basic sanitation facilities; and (g) basic hand washing facilities (as per the WASH indicator definitions)"

Gross disbursements of total ODA for scholarships

Target 4.b: Expand higher education scholarships for developing countries

The full title of this target is: "By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries."

This target has one indicator: Indicator 4.B.1 is the "volume of official development assistance (ODA) flows for scholarships".

ODA for scholarships amounted to $1.6 billion in 2018, up from $1.3 billion in 2017.

Target 4.c: Increase the supply of qualified teachers in developing countries

The full title of this target is: "By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States."

This target has one indicator: Indicator 4.c.1 is the "proportion of teachers in (a) pre-primary; (b) primary; (c) lower secondary; and (d) upper secondary education who have received at least the minimum organized teacher training (e.g. pedagogical training) pre-service or in-service required for teaching at the relevant level in a given country".

Sub-Saharan Africa is behind with the lowest percentages of trained teachers in pre-primary (48 per cent), primary (64 per cent) and secondary (50 per cent) education in 2017.

A report from 2020 found that the percentage of primary school teachers receiving the minimum pedagogical training according to national standards has stagnated at 85 per cent since 2015. The percentage is lowest in sub-Saharan Africa (64 per cent) and Southern Asia (72 per cent).

Links with other SDGs

Achieving SDG 4 will help to achieve these other SDGs: eradicate poverty (SDG 1), achieve gender equality (SDG 5), ensure good heath and wellbeing (SDG 3) reduce inequalities among countries (SDG 10), Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all (SDG 8), build resilient infrastructure and foster innovation (SDG 9) and promote peaceful and inclusive societies (SDG 16).

Monitoring and progress

An annual report is prepared by the Secretary-General of the United Nations evaluating the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Progress is difficult to track as 75 percent of countries have no or insufficient data to track progress towards SDG Goal 4 targets for learning outcomes (target 1), early childhood education (target 2), and effective learning environments.

Data on learning outcomes and pre-primary school are particularly scarce; 70 percent and 40 percent of countries lack adequate data for these targets, respectively. This makes it hard to analyze and identify the children at greatest risk of being left behind. A 2019 study used computer modeling to estimate educational attainment for men and women from 2000–2017, mapping the results for each country to help identify areas lagging behind.

Organizations

Organizations that are involved in ensuring quality education is achieved include:

• Plan International
• UNESCO
• UNICEF
• Global Partnership for Education
• The United Nations Girls' Education Initiative
• Childhood Education International

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are free open education offered through online platforms. The (initial) philosophy of MOOCs was to open up quality Higher Education to a wider audience. As such, MOOCs are an important tool to achieve SDG 4. At the same time, MOOCs also contribute to Goal 5, in that they are gender neutral and can give women and girls improved access to education.