GOAL 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning
- 4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
- 4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
- 4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
- 4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
- 4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations
- 4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
- 4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
- 4.a Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
- 4.b By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries
- 4.c By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States
SDG Progress and Industry Notes
Progress
The 2018 Report of the Secretary-General on Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, notes that: “Disparities in education along the lines of gender, urban-rural location and other dimensions still run deep, and more investments in education infrastructure are required particularly in LDCs.”
See Link
SDG 4 will be reviewed during the 2019 UN High Level Political Forum.
Industry Notes
Ensuring equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university, is one of the SDG 4 Targets of note for the Apparel and Textile Industry. Specialized training programs and/or partial or full scholarships for university level or higher degrees related to apparel and textile production skills (e.g., engineering, technology, fiber science and management) can have many direct and indirect benefits to both employers and employees. More basic life skills training, including in personal finance and health, are also important for certain employee populations. Education and training can also contribute to several other SDGs, including SDG 3 (Health and Wellbeing), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Change).