Striving Not Only for Education for All, But a Quality One

Through my research of the fourth goal of the UN: Quality Education, I will be analyzing different sources and conducting secondary research as well as providing an example of primary research. I will conduct an interview with family members in the education industry as my source of primary research. This post will discuss information provided in UN Girl’s Education Initiative’s Medium post, “Twelve years of quality education that leaves no girl behind- a vision worth striving for,” and Gideon Olanrewaju’s post, “The power of youth in ensuring quality education for all.”

The idea of providing a complete and quality education to every child for twelve years is one that the world should aim for, but it currently seems pretty unachievable. More often than not, girls are the ones to drop out of school first if they live in a Commonwealth country. Research also shows that seven out of ten times they will not know how to read upon graduating elementary school (Winfield, 2018). Despite this dismal fact, it is still believed that, “it is undoubtedly a goal worth striving for” (Winfield, 2018 para. 3). The responsibility of of providing a quality education falls on “academia to civil society organizations, policy makers, legislators, and most importantly, young people” (Olanrewaju, 2018, para. 13). It is the responsibility of the government to create this quality education for its citizens and it is the responsibility of the people to hold the government and schools accountable (Olanrewaju, 2018).

It isn’t enough to simply just provide twelve years of education, it needs to a quality education. One where the students can actually learn skills needed to be successful in life and in turn improve upon their environment. “For girls, and society at large, to reap the rewards, education must also be inclusive and of good quality” (Winfield, 2018, para. 6). It is an ambitious goal however, it is worthwhile if we can improve upon the next generation. It is evident that every child needs more than the very basics of education. It is important that the full twelve years are completed as well as creating a good education. “Without 12 years of education the path to further education, professional careers, and, in many cases, economic independence is blocked” (Winfield, 2018, para. 5).

Overall, there needs to be a change. Too many children, more often girls, are left without an education or left with an education where they have not actually learned. It is huge and challenging goal, however it is worth the extra effort it will take to assure the success of the next generation.

Sources

Initiative, U. (2020, August 10). Twelve years of quality education that leaves no girl behind — a vision worth striving for. Retrieved March 08, 2021, from https://medium.com/ungei-blog/twelve-years-of-quality-education-that-leaves-no-girl-behind-a-vision-worth-striving-for-dfa4b4c3ce92

Olanrewaju, G. (2018, June 04). The power of youth in ensuring quality education for all. Retrieved March 08, 2021, from https://medium.com/@LanreShaper/the-power-of-youth-in-ensuring-quality-education-for-all-88980444f151