Want hope and peace? We need more education funding and teachers
Last week 193 countries adopted the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These 17 goals offer bold and ambitious promises, like building just and peaceful societies, protecting human rights, promoting gender equality, and empowering women and girls.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the Post-2015 Development Agenda Summit, Malala reminded world leaders of the critical role that education can play in the achievement of these goals, saying with honest passion “education is hope, education is peace”.
We can build a sustainable future through education
Malala’s words are not empty slogans. We know that access to quality education can make a huge difference in health and wellbeing, in creating peace and prosperity ().
Education is a catalyst for change, transforming the lives of individual girls, their families, and their communities. For every country, girl’s education is essential to achieving the kind of peaceful, prosperous future the SDGs aim for.
The positive benefits of education are something that many of us take for granted. Millions of children around the world are denied their right to education — and with it opportunity and hope.
We can’t leave girls behind
The new SDG’s promise that by 2030, all girls and boys will complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education..
According to UNESCO, globally more than 124 million children and adolescents are out of school and the numbers are rising. In some countries more than 30% of school age children continue to be denied an education and the majority of those children are girls.
63 millions girls are missing out on their right to primary and lower secondary education, a figure which would soar to millions more if the lack of upper secondary education was also counted (currently this data is not available). Without urgent action it could be another 100 years before all girls have the opportunity to complete 12 years of education.
We need more qualified teachers
We can only achieve universal access to primary and secondary education with strong political commitment and careful planning. Importantly, we must also work to “substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers”.
To achieve free upper secondary education, without sacrificing quality teaching or classroom size, we also need well-trained, qualified teachers, which may be a challenge. UNESCO Institute for Statistics estimates that countries will need to recruit 3.3 million more primary teachers and over 5.1 million new lower secondary teachers by 2030.
Stand #withMalala
Today, a week after adopting the new SDGs, and as we celebrate World Teachers Day (add link), stand #withMalala and call on world leaders to fund 12 years of education. Significant increases in funding by governments and donor countries are needed to fill the $39 billion financing gap. The world has the money, now we must push leaders to make these critical commitments.
