SDG Series: Inclusive and Equitable Education

Today, some 200 million children are unschooled. Although progress has been made to expand education to more people and places across the world, a large gap remains in both equity and inclusivity of education. The pandemic has exacerbated this gap. Globally, some 500 million students lacked access to online learning during the pandemic. In times of distancing and staying at home, these students were left without a means to obtain education.

The United Nations has expressed the need for countries to swiftly close the education gap. Sustainable Development Goal #4 lays out a roadmap for educational institutions around the world. Inspired by global education needs, some companies are now using innovative tech solutions to further education. Specifically, blockchain-powered solutions can make a major difference by spreading high-speed internet, increasing access to education and verifiable certificates, and improving pipelines to international aid.

Widespread Challenges

Challenge: Lack of Technology

The pandemic has spurred the digital transformation of education. For all students to have an affordable and adequate education in this changed environment, the lack of internet access must be addressed. This growing problem affects students from marginalized or low-income communities at higher rates. In many places, speedy and reliable internet is now a necessary item on the 2021 school supplies list.

The truth is that internet access is not only unequal but far from equal. Only about 35 percent of people in developing countries have internet access, a figure far lower than the 80 percent in the developed world. Stark disparities also exist in developed countries. Just less than half of American households with income levels below $20,000 have internet access at home.

Challenge: Job Market Transition

Although recent decades have seen significant gains in educational equity — the amount of out-of-school children nearly halved from 2000 to 2015 — this doesn’t necessarily translate to more or better employment. By 2030, it is estimated that 825 million children will not acquire the basic secondary skills needed to support lifelong employment. To avert this outcome, the UN hopes that there will be a substantial increase in the number of youth and adults with technical, vocation, and other skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

Challenge: Basic Classroom Needs Unmet

Only 65% of primary schools have basic handwashing facilities, which are critical for COVID-19 prevention. As some students return to in-person schooling, handwashing will be necessary to protect students, teachers, and staff.

Unfortunately, handwashing is just one basic need many schools lack. In developing countries, some schools lack classroom furniture, equipment, and even proper lighting, which studies have shown is important to learning. Disabled students also face infrastructure barriers to learning. In low-income areas, many schools lack services and amenities for students with learning and/or physical disabilities.

Emerging Solutions

Solution: Funding Internet Through Blockchain

An Ethereum-based project, Cajutel, has been using blockchain to spread internet services in Guinea-Bissau and Guinea. In buying the Cajutel token, investors of all sizes and from beyond the region can help capitalize efforts to bring more internet to a country where most people lack access. Cajutel seeks to build solar-powered high-speed internet access that is cost-effective and reliable, which would help students with online learning.

Solution: Blockchain-Financed Education

Lithuanian startup BitDegree offers hundreds of online courses to students all over the world, with the added benefit of connecting students with recruiters. BitDegree rewards students with incentives in the form of BitDegree tokens and achievement tracking. Courses are financed by employers who hire BitDegree students. This project offers remote digital classes in subjects like marketing and computer science. It has already served nearly 2 million students.

Solution: Verifying International Aid

Schools without funding for basic facilities can benefit international aid. These schools must be careful, because foreign aid can be intertwined with fraud. Many organizations have been using blockchain to facilitate secure, transparent money transfers. Positive Women, a group working with children in Swaziland, partnered with the fund management system Disberse to securely transfer funds to Swazi schools using blockchain.

Conclusion

Lack of adequate education can lead to economic disparities, poverty, and crime. As the cause of so many issues, the education gap must be comprehensively addressed. We must employ strategies to reach the goals of SDG #4. Blockchain has already shown to be a crucial tactic, one that might help lessen the gap or close it for good. For more on blockchain’s open-ended possibilities, learn about how Topl has been changing the world.