[COMPLETE SPECIAL ISSUE] Critical Perspectives at the Midpoint of SDG4 (2024)

International Journal of Educational Development

Hidden in plain sight: The foundations and limitations of global governance and global goals

2024 •

D. Brent Edwards Jr.

This article takes a critical look at the practices and foundations of global governance and global campaigns such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It does so by discussing the case of global citizenship education (GCEd). In addition to highlighting severe limitations related to the practice and monitoring of GCEd, it makes explicit the onto-epistemic assumptions that are embedded in these structures, but which are infrequently acknowledged—and are thus “hiding in plain sight.” It shows that common conceptions of GCEd hide the Christian-positivist-liberal-capitalist foundations from which GCEd and global governance have emerged and by which they are constrained. It argues that GCEd and global governance thus tend to serve as a force for exclusion rather than inclusion.

International Journal of Educational Development

[SPECIAL ISSUE INTRO] Critical perspectives at the mid-point of Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality education for all-progress, persistent gaps, problematic paradigms, and the path to 2030

2024 •

D. Brent Edwards Jr.

This editorial essay introduces the 27 papers included in the special issue proposed by the SDG Academy of the U. N. Sustainable Development Network on the nature, extent, and challenges to progress towards SDG 4: Quality Education for All at the mid-point of the 2030 campaign. Problematic paradigms, and potential pathways towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4. With contributrions from leading scholars and practitioners working in the areas of global governance, international development education, and comparative education, this special issue reflects on how far the world has come, provides clarity on what the fundamental obstacles to progress have been, and offers suggestions for ways forward, in addition to raising issues and posing (at times, uncomfortable) questions with which stakeholders should grapple as they work towards SDG 4-and future global goals. The commentaries are focused on five interconnected themes. These themes relate not only to progress on SDG 4 but also to the key conditions (capacity), processes (measurement), and contexts (e.g. vulnerable contexts) that are relevant to debates about how to make progress on SDG 4, or whether a different approach (geo-political and/or onto-epistemic in nature) is necessary. This essay concludes by encouraging the reader to decide for themselves which arguments they see as being more persuasive. We wouldencourage readers to reflect on why one argument or line of reasoning may resonate more or less-and to consider what the cause of that resonance could be. It is suggested that each reader, each of us, also has work to do when it comes to reflecting on the positions that we take or favor, why, and which voices or perspectives are left out by our answers to these questions. As the contributions to this special issue suggest, there are no easy answers.

International Journal of Educational Development

Global indicators of progress on climate change education: Non-state actor data collaboration for SDG 4

2024 •

Marcia McKenzie

Despite their limitations as proxy measures, indicators can serve as leverage points in encouraging policy change. Facing the global urgency of climate change and increasingly recognizing the role of education in providing the social and political impetus for climate action, indicators on climate change education can help. However, despite the encompassing of climate change education in several Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, the associated global indicators currently rely on country self-reported and otherwise inadequate data. This paper describes a collaborative process of developing publicly available third-party data sources to support more robust indicators of climate change education, including in relation to the SDGs.

Journal of International Cooperation in Education

Can we transform global education without transforming how wemonitor progress?

Aaron Benavot

PurposeThis paper critically aims to review existing monitoring strategies of Target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals and proposes an alternative approach for reporting country progress on relevant Target 4.7 themes. Since this target constitutes one of the most ambitious and transformative education targets there is considerable value in developing a comprehensive reporting and monitoring strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on key policy documents to clarify processes leading up to the definition and measurement of a global indicator for Target 4.7. It also discusses limitations associated with the current reporting and measurement strategy.FindingsThe paper finds that the current monitoring approach to Target 4.7, based on an existing reporting mechanism for the 1974 Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom, is unfit for purpose and needs to be ...

Intensions, tensions and resistance: International organizations' struggles in monitoring and measuring SDG4

Camilla Addey

Social Sciences & Humanities Open

Assessing SDG 4 indicators in online and blended higher education within conflict zones: A case study of northern India's higher education institutions

2024 •

Sheriya Sareen, sayantan mandal

Resilient higher education is fostered, and further assessed, by the United Nations through the metrics provided by Sustainable Development Goal 4, called indicators. These indicators serve as a yardstick to evaluate a country's success in sustainability. Concerningly, the recent scholarly work highlights the limitations associated with Sustainable Development Goal 4 indicators, including the associated political connotations and fuzziness. However, we note a dearth of attempts to unwrap the merit of Sustainable Development Goal 4 indicators in online and blended learning in higher education, specifically in conflict zones. This study aims to bridge this gap by exploring the challenges and opportunities presented by the current Sustainable Development Goal 4 indicators in evaluating online and blended learning in higher educational institutions in India's conflict-affected northern areas. Employing a needs assessment methodology, the research draws on data from two distinct sources: primary data from 3,353 learners obtained through a self-constructed questionnaire for higher education institutions in northern India and secondary data gleaned from international and national policy documents. The thematic analysis of results, underpinned by the barriers model, underscores significant concerns regarding the comprehensiveness, validity, and relevance of the prevailing SDG 4 indicators, particularly the Gross Enrolment Ratio and Gender Parity Index, in northern India. It is argued that these indicators fall short of accurately capturing the nuances of online and blended learning within the local contexts, thereby questioning their utility for such purposes. The study reveals that the Gross Enrolment Ratio is not successful in giving a complete picture of its variations by failing to reveal the political reasons behind its drop during emergency remote teaching in the northern conflict zones of India. Moreover, the Gender Parity Index is endowed with interpretative challenges, where despite an increased value being deemed affirmative for gender equity, its increase ironically highlights a new gender divide because of an increased dropout rate among male learners from tribal communities. Through the case of higher education institutions in J&K and Ladakh, the study further provides keywords which could bolster the effectiveness of the SDG 4 indicator framework by making it more responsive to the changing educational landscape, thus making it an indispensable tool in the hands of researchers and policy-makers. Consequently, this study positions itself at the forefront of scholarly efforts to critically re-evaluate and propose revisions to the SDG 4 indicators in light of the shifting teaching and learning paradigms.

Sustainability

A Human Rights-Based Approach in Implementing Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) for Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam

2020 •

tran thành trung

Seventeen sustainable development goals (SDG) by the United Nations in its 2030 Agenda have been nationalized and implemented in Vietnam. One of the country’s priorities is making educational provision accessible to all of its residents, especially for marginalized groups, while enforcing their human rights. In this context, this article examines the implementation of SDG4 (quality education) in combination with the practice of human rights for ethnic minorities in Vietnam. With access to jurisprudence, this research provides a detailed assessment of the compatibility between SDG targets and the legal rights to education of ethnic minorities. Additionally, this research employs an exploratory method to investigate the four major conditions for the implementation of quality education for ethnic minorities, namely legal–political, economic, socio-cultural factors, and participation pride. We also investigate three main barriers that hinder SDG4 implementation and human rights practice...

Portugal’s Process for Incorporating the SDGs in Education

Rui da Silva

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Portugal are being discussed in a wide public consultative process and are perceived as global. Nonetheless, one year aft er the approval of the SDGs we still remain in a consultative process and no strategy or priority(ies) are in place. The SDGs may help to stop the gradual transformation that was taking place in Portuguese development cooperation in the education sector. This was a consequence of the narrower agenda promoted by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Global Goals and Targets versus National and Regional Plans: The Case of Argentina

Mercedes V . Andrés

The main global concern related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cen- tres around how to achieve these goals proposed by the UN. Meanwhile, the differences between countries mean that achieving them is an easier task for some, and a very difficult one for others. In Argentina the SDGs only express an ideal ‘want to achieve’ situation, acting more like a wish list than real targets. On the other hand, this struggle between global vs. regional vs. national indica- tors can be seen in higher education (HE) in South America where the priority is on regional coopera- tion rather than in global competition.

ARC9 Mapping Asia Europe HE Policies Practices SDG

daniel dufourt