You’ve probably heard people talking about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, right? But, did you know that the fourth goal is focused on ensuring quality education around the world? We’ll tell you all about it in this post, as well as how cultural exchange experiences can help in achieving this global goal.
Sustainable Development Goal No. 4: Quality education
The Sustainable Development Goals comprise the Agenda 2030, which was drawn up in 2015 by the United Nations (UN). It contains 17 programmatic points for all countries and societies around the world to follow so we can start the journey together towards a better future.
Image property of the UN that can be found on their SDG Flickr page
The fourth Sustainable Development Goal is titled: ¨Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. The UN is aware that in order to fulfil these goals, education is a necessary and indispensable foundation.
In fact, quality education for all would be the quickest way to achieve other goals such as ending poverty (SDG1), achieving gender equality (SDG5) or promoting access to decent work and economic growth (SDG8), to mention just a few of the most obvious ones.
The UN hopes that by the year 2030, students around the world will have the knowledge necessary to promote sustainable development, as well as being able to apply this knowledge in their day-to-day lives. Similarly, awareness of human rights, gender equality or the promotion of cultural peace is considered a basic social cornerstone, alongside cultural diversity.
Moving towards SDG4: cultural exchanges as a tool for promoting learning
What types of proposals has the UN made in order to achieve this goal? Well, some examples would be the investments governments have made into grants for education, organising teacher-training workshops, building schools or improving conditions at existing schools, including in underprivileged areas.
Looking at the initiatives outlined by the UN, at dothegap we believe that the cultural exchange could be a hugely useful tool. And why? There’s no better way of discovering the world around us, learning how to be more tolerant and moving towards a more peaceful society than the experience offered by this activity. We have to become well-versed in diversity.
Exchanges fall in line with the Agenda 2030’s proposals, with the investment into “resources in the development of educational tools and facilities”. On the one hand, students learn, open their minds to the world and discover the value of being tolerant.
On the other hand, it is also important to highlight the potential role cultural exchanges could play in helping to train teachers, something of which the UN is also very aware. Learning how teachers work at other educational institutions and soaking up other cultures is a source of knowledge that can be imparted when back on home soil, both with students and colleagues alike.
Do you agree that cultural exchanges are a great way to help us achieve quality education and help us work towards sustainable development, like we do at dothegap? If so, join our community, register and upload your exchange proposal: by embarking upon this journey, you’ll be contributing to a better future that is ready for diversity.
