Education International Research
Co-optation of the SDGs The SDG monitoring architecture is non-binding and assumes political will on the part of governments to prioritise and ensure SDG implementation; it lacks any real accountability. Meanwhile, the SDGs are being utilised in multiple different ways by actors with vastly different policy objectives, exposing tensions within the SDG framework itself. For example, SDG 17 calls for strengthened multi-stakeholder partnerships in order to achieve the other goals, but the goal has been used by some to justify the intervention of for-profit commercial education providers in the highly profitable and expanding education market and the promotion of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in education under the guise of increasing access to quality education where governments have not yet met their commitments. However, such privatisation of education sits in direct opposition to Target 4.1, which emphasises that access to quality primary and secondary education must be free and equitable. A declaration issued by Latin American education unions during EI’s seventh regional conference argues that the SDGs “opened the door for financial organisms and the commercial private sector to act as a global government and define standards for those who write public policies”.5 Concern that the SDGs will continued to be co-opted, as well as awareness that this aspect of SDG progress will not be monitored by other mechanisms, has prompted EI to provide an educators’ assessment of SDG progress.
Educators taking the lead in monitoring SDG progress Educators are the eyes and ears on the ground, where teaching and learning happen. They see and experience the progress made towards quality education for all (or lack of thereof) directly in their everyday working lives. They know the reality on the ground and have an intimate understanding of the contextual challenges that can cause bottlenecks for implementation, and they experience firsthand where education policies are successful. Educators are therefore well placed to monitor the progress made in implementing the SDGs related to education and teachers’ work, and yet all too often their expertise and knowledge are ignored. This assessment captures the views of those on the ground in schools, colleges, universities and all education institutions, ensuring that their voices are heard in the global arena. This report will focus on the SDG areas that educators are best placed to assess (focusing on SDG 4 but are also linking to targets from other goals), namely:
GRO.EI-IE
-- Primary and Secondary Education: Goal 4.1 -- Early Childhood Education (ECE): Goal 4.2 -- Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Higher Education: Goals 4.3 and 8.6 Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training -- Equity: Goal 4.5 -- Education for Sustainable Development: Goals 4.7, 5.6, 12.8 and 13.3 Target 12.8: By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning -- Teachers: Goals 4.c, 8.5 and 8.8 Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
0302 NOITA CUDE
5 Internacional de la Educación América Latina. 2019. Declaración de la XII Conferencia Regional de la Internacional de la Educación América Latina. 27 April. Retrieved from: https://ei-ie-al.org/sites/default/files/docs/declaracion_xii_conferencia_regional_ieal_0.pdf
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