International Day of Education 2020: Ensuring that education continues being a key to upward social

By Harrish Thirukumaran

2020 marks the beginning of a new decade along with a new year for a population of 7+ billion. This new year will be accompanied by a series of new resolutions among the population in order to better themselves. One way this can be realized is through education. It can also be beneficial for the advancement of education as a tool of mobility in peoples’ livelihoods. On January 24 annually, the United Nations (UN) has marked this occasion with International Day of Education.

As a relatively young day of observance, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed January 24th as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. Without inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind.

Today, 258 million children and youth still do not attend school; 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable. After adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, the international community recognized that education is essential for the success of all 17 of its goals. Sustainable Development Goal 4, in particular, aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030.

Generally, education offers children a ladder out of poverty and a path to a promising future. But about 265 million children and adolescents around the world do not have the opportunity to enter or complete school. More than a fifth of them are of primary school age. They are thwarted by poverty, discrimination, armed conflict, emergencies and the effects of climate change. Migration and forcible displacement also affect the achievement of the education goals, as presented in the 2019 Global Education Monitoring report. By proclaiming the International Day of Education, UN member states recognized the importance of working to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels.

The 2020 celebration will position education and the learning it enables as humanity’s greatest renewable resource and reaffirm the role of education as a fundamental right and a public good. It will celebrate the many ways learning can empower people, preserve the planet, build shared prosperity and foster peace. The theme for 2020 is ‘Learning for people, planet, prosperity and peace,’ which highlights the integrated nature of education, its humanistic aims, as well as its centrality to our collective development ambitions. It also gives stakeholders and partners flexibility to tailor the celebration for diverse audiences, a variety of contexts and for priority themes. You can access more information on activities from the United Nations website about how you can support efforts to ensure education continues being a key to upward social mobility.