Understanding Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on “quality education” from micro, meso and macro perspectives

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Educators of all kinds, including parents, educational and training institutions, including cultural institutions, and policy workers

Boeren, E., International Review of Education 65: 277-94.

2019

“This article discusses the current focus of education policies around the world on working with benchmarks, indicators and targets. Its aim is to increase knowledge of potential strategies to meet the fourth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4), which strives for quality education… Structure and agency theory form an important starting point of this article, allowing the ten targets within SDG 4 to be separated and viewed from micro-, meso- and macro-level perspectives. This analysis explores the idea that reaching the SDG 4 targets is a responsibility shared among individuals, education and training institutions, and regulating governments.” (p.277)

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SDGs LINKAGES

The resource is closely linked to all of the targets in SDG 4. These also support other educational targets, including SDGs 12.8 and 13.3.

Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators

SDG 4.1: Free Primary and Secondary Education
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of programmes drawing on collections that support children at risk of exclusion or otherwise not completing primary and secondary education.
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SDG 4.2: Equal Access to Quality Pre-Primary Education
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of programmes drawing on collections that support early childhood development.
Number of programmes drawing on collections that aim to prepare children for primary education.
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SDG 4.3: Equal Access to Affordable Technical, Vocational and Higher Education
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of learning programmes in schools, colleges and universities that make use of collections.
Proportion of learning programmes in schools and colleges making use of collections that prioritise disadvantaged areas.
Gender balance of students in learning programmes.
Number of programmes using collections that aim to encourage people to participate in education in schools, colleges and universities.
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SDG 4.4: Increase the Number of People with Relevant Skills for Financial Success
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of young people and adults in skills-development activities and programmes drawing on collections, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
Increase in number of young people and adults in such programmes.
Number and proportion of staff who have received training in the last year, to better support their contribution to the SDGs.
Programs and processes in place to ensure the availability of a skilled workforce.
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SDG 4.5: Eliminate all Discrimination in Education
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to eliminate gender disparities in education.
Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of persons with disabilities.
Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of Indigenous peoples’ groups.
Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of children in vulnerable situations.
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SDG 4.6: Universal Literacy and Numeracy
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of programmes drawing on collections to support literacy and numeracy among youth.
Number of programmes drawing on collections to support literacy and numeracy among adults.
Number of programmes drawing on collections to support literacy and numeracy among marginalized groups.
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SDG 4.7: Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Numbers of people in each type of programme drawing on collections from different demographic groups.
Increases in numbers of people in each type of programme from different demographic groups.
Proportion of people involved in such programmes in relation to overall audience size.
Evidence that learners have acquired knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development.
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SDG 4.A: Build and Upgrade Inclusive and Safe Schools
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number and proportion of education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive.
Proportion of education facilities that provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
Number and type of initiatives to improve effectiveness of learning environments.
Support given to other education facilities to make them more inclusive and effective.
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SDG 4.B: Expand Higher Education Scholarships for Developing Countries
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of scholarships available to developing countries, for enrolment in programmes that make use of collections and collections-based institutions, in both developing and developed countries.
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SDG 4.C: Increase the Supply of Qualified Teachers in Developing Countries
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number of trainee teachers supported each year by collections-based institutions, especially those from, or who intend to work in, developing countries.
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SDG 12.8: Promote Universal Understanding of Sustainable Lifestyles
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development (including climate change education) are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment.
Extent to which global citizenship education and education for sustainable development (including climate change education) are mainstreamed in formal, informal and non-formal education programmes and activities drawing on and related to collections.
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SDG 13.3: Build Knowledge and Capacity to Meet Climate Change
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Plans in place to enhance positive contributions to addressing climate change through use of collections. Plans in place to ensure collections, collections institutions and broader society can adapt effectively to climate change.
Plans in place for effective education and awareness raising on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
Plans in place to reduce negative contributions of collections-related functions, e.g. measuring greenhouse emissions with plans and targets in place to reduce them.
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SDG 17.14: Enhance Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Proportion of policies that incorporate sustainable development considerations, linking to SDGs and targets.
Incorporation of policy considerations from outside the collections sector into policies of collections-based institutions, to facilitate partnerships and effectiveness.
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SDG 17.16: Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of global and international multi-stakeholder partnerships that share collection-related knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to address the SDGs, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.
Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of global and international multi-stakeholder partnerships involving developing countries that share collection-related knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to address the SDGs.
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SDG 17.17: Encourage Effective Partnerships
Our Collections Matter indicators:
Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private and civil society partnerships.
Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of local, national and regional multi-stakeholder (public, public-private and civil society) partnerships that address the SDGs drawing on collections, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.
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