SDG 4 - Quality education

SDG 4

Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning

Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to creating sustainable development. In addition to improving quality of life, access to inclusive education can help equip locals with the tools required to develop innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems.

Over 265 million children are currently out of school and 22% of them are of primary school age. Additionally, even the children who are attending schools are lacking basic skills in reading and math. In the past decade, major progress has been made towards increasing access to education at all levels and increasing enrollment rates in schools particularly for women and girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet bolder efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. For example, the world has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but few countries have achieved that target at all levels of education.

The reasons for lack of quality education are due to lack of adequately trained teachers, poor conditions of schools and equity issues related to opportunities provided to rural children. For quality education to be provided to the children of impoverished families, investment is needed in educational scholarships, teacher training workshops, school building and improvement of water and electricity access to schools.

Facts and Figures

  •     Enrolment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91 per cent but 57 million primary age children remain out of school.
  •     More than half of children that have not enrolled in school live in sub-Saharan Africa.
  •     An estimated 50 per cent of out-of-school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas.
  •     617 million youth worldwide lack basic mathematics and literacy skills.

Space-based Technologies for SDG 4

Worldwide, significant challenges remain in access to, quality of and infrastructure for education. UNOOSA spreads knowledge and technical experience on space science and technology to make the benefits of space available to all countries. Through the six Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education affiliated with the UN, UNOOSA brings education and research opportunities to young people in developing countries. Read more here.

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Capacity Building and Training Material

The Potentials of Space Data

  • Objective: The last webinar introduces the audience into the space-world of data. Questions will be answered:
    • What is Space Data actually?
    • Can Space Data be linked with the satellite industry?
    • What is the impact of Space Data nowadays and what will it mean for in the future?
    • Would Space Data be the new gold?

                   Examples or case-studies will strengthen this presentation even more.

Event

Project / Mission / Initiative / Community Portal

Space-Enabled Modeling of the Niger River to Enhance Regional Water Resources Management

River and floodplain landscapes are constantly undergoing change due to natural and manmade processes putting pressure on fluvial systems, such as reservoirs, intensive agriculture, high-impact repetitive droughts and floods and the overall effects of climate change. All these bring about considerable changes, some of which irreversibly degrade ecosystem services, local economies and impact lives, particularly in sensitive transitional zones such as the Sahel region in Africa and its Niger River Basin (NRB).

Stakeholder

Remote Sensing, GIS and Climatic Research Lab, University of the Punjab

The emerging demand of GIS and Space Applications for Climate Change studies for the socio-economic development of Pakistan along with Government of Pakistan Vision 2025, Space Vision 2047 of National Space Agency of Pakistan, and achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) impelled the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) to establish Remote Sensing, GIS and Climatic Research Lab (RSGCRL) at University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.