The International Day of Education is an occasion set up every year with the goal to revive the importance of education and its role in building nations. This day clarifies the importance of education in building international development and achieving peace. Receiving a good education is one of the human rights. In addition to that, it builds an individual and social personality that contributes to achieving a sustainable future.
“We must work more on intensifying efforts to advance with the fourth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, which calls for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.“
– Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres. [1]
1- The General Assembly of The United Nations proclaimed the 24th of January as the International Day of Education to celebrate the role of education in achieving peace and development. [2]
2- The general assembly of The United Nations decided on the third of December, 2018 to establish the International Day of Education. The International Day of Education was celebrated for the first time on 24/January/2019. [3]
As it was a clear continuation of the fourth goal of Sustainable Development Goals which states “ Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all“ According to the UNESCO World Education Report, changing the future requires us to refind balance in our relationships with each other, as well as our relationship with nature and technology that infiltrated our lives, and to deal with the numerous opportunities of scientific breakthroughs, which also bring along serious concerns about equality, inclusion and democratic participation. [4]
There is no doubt that the international days celebrated by the United Nations and international organizations reflect the significance of the celebrated subject. In addition, the existence of international days aims to encourage the world to achieve its related goals.
Speaking of goals, these are some of the goals of the International Day of Education:
Education is a human right, and on the International Day of Education, we shine a light on the most important human right which is (education). This aims to spread education in developing countries and prevent its monopolization by developed communities. Furthermore, the right to education is stated expressly in /Article 26/ of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights; which calls for free and obligatory elementary education. The Convention on the Rights of the Child – adopted in 1989 – goes further and states that higher education shall be made available to all. [1]
This year, the celebration of the International Day of Education will be a platform to present the most important transformations that must be developed in order to save the basic right of all to education and build a future characterized as more sustainable, inclusive and peaceful.
The celebration of this day will spark discussions on how to promote education as a public work and benefit, and how to guide digital transformation, support educators, and preserve the planet Earth. It will also release the latent potential of each person for them to be able to contribute to the achievement of our collective well-being and the preservation of our mutual home. [2]
The importance of education lies in the fact that it forms an escape from poverty and a way to find a promising future. However, there are approximately (265 million) children and adolescents in the world who have neither the access nor the means to complete their education. There are (617) million children and adolescents who cannot read or perform basic mathematical operations. In addition, less than 40% of girls in Africa – south of the desert – were able to complete secondary education. And nearly four million children, boys, and girls, in refugee camps are not enrolled in schools. All of this is a violation of the right to education for all those individuals and this is unacceptable.
Violating the right to education and not securing it will negatively affect developing countries that are making their way toward a better future. It will also cause a gender inequality cycle and a lack of inclusive and equal educational opportunities. [1]
The UNESCO report on the future of education portrays the reality of digital technologies, climate change, democratic decline, societal polarization, and the future of work. It also urges every member of society to work to achieve the desired radical change in the future of education. We can also benefit from millions of individual and collective actions marked by courage, leadership, resistance, and creativity.
To read more about the UNESCO report on the future of education, from here: UNESCO report.
One of the main goals of the initiative is to provide educational opportunities for young women and men through free online courses. Through these opportunities, the initiative seeks to achieve the fourth Sustainable Development Goal, along with the goal of gender equality. On this day, we cannot help but focus on the importance of education in building a peaceful and sustainable society.
International Day of Education is the ladder through which we can advance education in the world. It is also the unified and only way to solve the problem of poverty and ignorance and achieve the goals of sustainable development. On this day, we invite everyone to reflect on the importance of education and to gather voices to call for science.
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References:
[1] UN
[2] UNESCO
[3] MOE
[4] UNESDOC