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A Huge Challenge Offering Immense Rewards
Helen Porter is a teacher and executive member of the National Education Union.
I feel enthused and motivated to make my contribution
(however small) to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4:
Quality Education. ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality
education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.’
I am passionate about education and believe that an appropriate,
inclusive and quality education allows children to develop the
skills and thought processes that will enable them to become
active citizens. This, in turn, will enable their communities to
develop innovative solutions to their local problems. As they
solve these problems, they will also contribute to our global
effort to achieve sustainable development and tackle the most
significant challenges that are currently facing humanity.
Education underpins all of the other SDGs and allows people
to improve their lives and the lives of others. Statistics from the
United Nations indicate that 262 million children and adolescents
are currently out of school and are unable to access the most
basic education. That is 20% of children between the ages of six
and seventeen that are not attending school. Sadly, 617 million
children and adolescents lack minimum proficiency in reading
and mathematics, so have very limited access to technical skills, self-study and vocational training. This will severely limit
their career options and their potential contributions to society.
One of the major causes of limited quality education is the lack
of trained and qualified teachers. More international cooperation
is urgently needed to increase teacher training opportunities in
developing countries. The poor condition of school buildings
and facilities also contributes to the lack of quality education.
Investment is needed to improve school buildings, so that all
schools have electricity, clean water and sanitation. Some
children arrive at school feeling too hungry, ill or exhausted to
learn. So, it is essential that schools work closely with families
and communities to enable learning opportunities for every
child. We must continue to campaign to persuade governments
to commit to funding education adequately, whilst highlighting
the dangers and pitfalls of the privatisation of education.
When focusing on the ‘inclusive and equitable’ aspect of SDG4,
it is clear that inclusivity and equity have not been achieved.
Whilst major progress has been made in increasing the
enrolment rates of girls in primary education during the last
decade, few countries have achieved gender equality at all
levels of education. We must continue to campaign and strive
for gender equality in secondary, tertiary and higher education.
Children with disabilities, living in poverty and those from ethnic
minorities are less likely to benefit from a quality education.
Much work is necessary to improve access to school buildings
and facilities, so that schools are inclusive to children with
disabilities. Specialist training of staff who educate and care for
children with disabilities is essential to ensure that education
can be fully inclusive to the most vulnerable children.
As a teacher of 35 years experience and with one eye on
my retirement from teaching, I am looking for pathways to
contribute to the successful realisation of SDG4. I am delighted
to find that there are many interesting opportunities open to
me. I have become a Friend of the Steve Sinnott Foundation,
a UNICEF Children’s Champion and am looking forward to two
weeks volunteering at a school in Malawi with Mission Direct. I
feel confident that my increased involvement and networking
will lead to further opportunities and ideas. Raising awareness
is always an excellent starting point. If everyone who feels
passionate about educating the world’s children, contributes
is some small way, our many small efforts will accumulate
and consolidate to ensure that SDG4 is realised by the close
of the decade. The challenge is huge, but the rewards will be
immense.
Children and young people are our future. Educated young
people are empowered young people. They will be equipped
with the skills and imagination that will enable them to
contribute to sustainable growth and development.
From Engage issue 20.
HELEN PORTER • Dec 17, 2021
We both love London and walking, and this year, in honor of The Steve Sinnott Foundation's 15th Anniversary we have decided to embark on this journey. We planned to complete the 10KM walk along the river Thames, passing by many iconic London attractions on the way. We wanted to raise funds, and awareness, to ensure that every child worldwide, can have the opportunity to go to school, as well as adults too. It was an amazing experience and we enjoyed each other's company on luckily a very sunny day! “Since working for the Foundation I have witnessed firsthand the impact it has in supporting young people develop essential life skills by working to ensure provision of quality education for all children worldwide. The ripple effect of this education is truly remarkable as students go on to empower and educate others.” - Nicolet “I’ve been friends with Nicolet since we were kids, and I appreciate her and support her in any way that I can! She does amazing work for the Steve Sinnott Foundation and I want to be able to support her in this as well. A sponsored walk would not only be something we can accomplish together, but the fact that our efforts could go some way to making a difference for children around the world made it very worthwhile.” - Becky
H'arts in Mind is an inclusive mental health Arts charity run by people with lived experience. They support people with mental health or physical challenges who have an interest in Art. The Steve Sinnott Foundation (SSF) is an international education charity also based in Hertfordshire. The foundation is working with teachers and educators to deliver projects that progress the achievement if Sustainable Development Goal 4 - ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life long learning opportunities. Kim Rasit CEO and founder of H'arts in Mind met up with Ann Beatty CEO SSF to see how two small local charities might support each other. They decided they would work together to develop a space in the art gallery for future artists or others to exhibit in the space. SSF would be the first exhibition to test out the space. The exhibition took place August 21st to 25th and we are really pleased to report it was a great success. SSF provided workshops on Storytelling, Jewellery Making and Vision Board and Well-being as well as exhibiting their work on Positive Periods and Preventing Gender Based Violence.
The Foundation has been working in partnership with UNESCO since 2015 and Ann Beatty our CEO is the UNESCO ASPnet Co-ordinator in the UK. There are 145 schools in the programme and Coventry City is currently supporting all schools in the city with the opportunity of accreditation. In January, Warwick University and Coventry City Council hosted an event at the House of Commons to celebrate UNESCO ASPnet schools’ contribution to the UK. Saarah Rahman who helped organise the event, is currently studying at the University of Warwick in her final year, reading politics and international studies. Saarah shares her thoughts on ASPnet and her personal journey in education. I believe that being a part of UNESCO ASPNET and the Hidden Heroes project will help to lift hundreds of schoolchildren out of educational deprivation. This is an issue that I have personally grown up with my entire life. Educational deprivation is a very personal topic for me, as someone who originates from Tower Hamlets and as a British Bangladeshi Muslim, I am already socially and economically hindered. I went to your average underperforming state school, where I was never able to take part in programmes which helped to improve my confidence and critical thinking skills, as well as deepen my awareness of the world around me. I was always stuck in a bubble at school, believing that students like me would never be able to leave Tower Hamlets; that my whole life would only start and end here, in this small pocket of London. From not having a laptop until I was seventeen and being on Free School Meals when I was younger, I have faced the brunt of deprivation in education. It was when I got into The University of Warwick that I realised the deprivation gap between me and my classmates was much greater than it seemed. My classmates had opportunities to take part in initiatives such as Model UN at school, Pupil Parliament, and so many other extracurriculars that they had at their disposal, because of the type of funding their school during sixth form and secondary had received. Meanwhile, I had to scout for my extracurricular opportunities during school, alongside the challenge that they had to be free. The disparity gap is prominent in who runs for execs or higher student positions, and the common denominator between these types of students is they had leadership positions and extracurriculars handed to them during their time in compulsory education. They were given the confidence at an early age to apply for these roles inside and outside of the University, which will ultimately lead to them being in a better position to take up opportunities. This is why I am a massive advocate for initiatives such as UNESCO ASPnet, because giving young people the confidence to explore social issues alongside critical thinking skills, will boost their confidence in academic and nonacademic settings. Working-class, underprivileged students are always in competition with students who have been given the resources to enrich their education throughout their lives, which shows in their confidence in applying for and receiving opportunities throughout their time inside and outside of higher education. Hopefully, with initiatives such as Hidden Heroes and UNESCO, we finally give underprivileged students the stepping stones they need to get out of their comfort zone and take up opportunities. To find out more about UNESCO ASPnet in the U.K. and how your school can join, visit https://www.stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk/unesco-aspnet
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