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.

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HELEN PORTER • December 17, 2021

An Education Revolution

By Ann Beatty • April 6, 2025

This week while out and about in Hertfordshire and we visited the British Schools Museum. We discovered the first school opened by Joseph Lancaster, was known as the ‘Poor Childs Friend”, was in 1810. It was his lifelong mission that all children regardless of their circumstances, should benefit from an education. Apparently, Joseph heard a small girl say, “Oh that I could read!” and this inspired him to create a simple education system that eventually would benefit children across the world. Joseph was the tenth son of a poor man himself from South London. His aim was to offer free education for everyone. However, it would be 93 years before the U.K. government finally made education free for all. There are still many countries today where education is still not free to access and it is certainly not compulsory for primary and secondary age pupils. Joseph’s mission really resonates with that of the Foundation, to support access to education for all. We enjoyed our visit and appreciated the tour given by two of the Museum’s volunteers, Angela and Clare. They described some of the challenges faced in the early years of formal education and shared some of the rules that teachers and students had to abide by with us.

Sparks Bristol

By Ann Beatty • April 4, 2025

Sparks Bristol is a collaborative community project initially envisioned by The Global Goals Centre, (GGC) more of which below. A few years ago, GGC took over an empty Marks and Spencer store and that’s how Sparks was born. Sparks is a department store with a difference, co-created by Global Goals Centre and Artspace Lifespace. On the ground floor is a huge range of shops, installations, events and more. Upstairs is a hub for local artists, it offers affordable studios as well as rehearsal and performance space. The Global Goals Centre is a Bristol-based educational charity inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. (SDGs). GGC believe the SDG’s or Global Goals as they are sometimes known, can be reached, with imaginative solutions and widespread education and engagement. They work with partners to promote creative solutions and deliver ground breaking projects that work towards these ambitious goals. The Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the Global Goals Centre with seed funding when it first started over 5 years ago. This month we went to visit them to see how they are getting on and we were taken aback by the volume of work they have achieved since they started. It is amazing to see how though working together with other local community groups it has grown into the vibrant centre it is today. All of the creative projects they host are linked to the SDGs. They cover topics that tackle poverty, education, climate change, fashion recycling and upcycling, to name a few.

Spring is Here! Looking Ahead!

By Ann Beatty • March 28, 2025

Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.