UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday urged governments around the world to increase funding for education, stressing that this is the “most important investment any country can make.”
Guterres was speaking on the last day of the Summit on the Transformation of Education, one of the main events of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, in which he praised Education as “transformer of lives, economies and societies”but he stressed that it also needs transformation, since it is in a “deep crisis”.
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The Secretary-General warned that about 70% of 10-year-olds in poor countries cannot read a basic textexplaining that developed nations also suffer from problems, where “education systems generally consolidate, rather than reduce, inequalities, reproducing them across generations.”
The rich have access to the best resources, schools and universities, which leads to the best jobs, while the poor, especially girls, face enormous obstacles in acquiring life-changing skills. Displaced people and students with disabilities face the biggest obstacles of all,” she said, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a “devastating impact on learning around the world”.
Spearheading education systems that encourage machine learning and competition for qualifications, the UN leader noted that often, “school curricula are outdated”, your “Educational systems give little importance to learning throughout life.”, your “teachers are poorly trained, undervalued and underpaid”, The “The digital divide penalizes poor students” and the “The education funding gap is wider than ever“.
We are not going to end this crisis by simply doing more of the same, faster or better. Now is the time to transform educational systems”, he appealed.
In this sense, and to move “from vision to reality”, the former Portuguese Prime Minister presented five steps, with which he hopes the leaders present at the summit will commit.
First, and in a direct message to Afghanistan, where the Taliban has banned girls’ secondary schools, Guterres called for the right to quality education is protected for all, especially girls.
Schools must be open to all, without discrimination. (…) From this platform, I call on the Afghan authorities: immediately lift all restrictions on girls’ access to secondary education. Educating girls is one of the most important steps in achieving peace, security and sustainable development everywhere,” she urged.
The second step was dedicated to teachers, whom Guterres called the “vital force of educational systems”, advocating for a new approach to your roles and qualifications.
We must also address the global shortage of teachers and seek to increase their quality, raising their status and ensuring they have decent working conditions and continuous training and learning opportunities,” he said.
Third, the United Nations leader stressed that the Schools must become safe and healthy spaces, with no room for violence, stigma or bullyingand that Education systems must promote the physical and mental health of all students — including sexual and reproductive health.
A digital revolution accessible to all students It was the fourth point indicated by Guterres, urging countries to improve connectivity for students and educational institutions.
It also encouraged governments and teachers to work with private sector partners on high-quality digital educational content.
Finally, António Guterres asked for a commitment to a larger education budgetstressing that none of the above points will be achieved without increased funding for education and global solidarity.
During these difficult times, I urge all countries to protect education budgets and ensure that spending translates into progressive increases in resources per student and better learning outcomes. The financing of education should be a priority for governments. It is the most important investment any country can make in its people and in its future,” she advocated.
The secretary-general also called on international financial institutions to make resources and budget space available for developing countries to invest in this sector and urged “development partners to reverse cuts and spend at least 15% of official assistance to education.
Guterres also encouraged international financial institutions to use the International Financing Fund for Education, “a new tool that aims to mobilize 10 billion dollars (approximately the same amount in euros) to help 700 million children in poor countries will have access to quality education.
We will ensure that today’s students and future generations can access the education they need to create a more sustainable, inclusive, just and peaceful world for all.”
The Summit for the Transformation of Education, which began last Friday, brought together in New York young people, teachers, civil society and other organizations to support the transformation of education around the world, as well as members of governments, who issue a series of National Declarations of commitment expected.
Portugal was represented at the Summit by the Minister of Education, João Costa, who met on Friday with António Guterres, and by the Prime Minister, António Costa, who will be present at the event on Monday.
Source: Observadora
