International Day of Education 2024: It is said that Education is a human right, a public good, and a public responsibility. International Day of Education is celebrated on 24 January to raise awareness about the importance, the role of education for peace and development. If a country wants to achieve gender equality, and break the cycle of poverty, it is possible with inclusive, equitable quality education, and lifelong opportunities for all.
According to UNESCO, around 258 million children and youth still do not attend school, and 617 million children and adolescents cannot read or do basic math. Also, less than 40% of girls in Sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school, and around 4 million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated.
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International Day of Education 2024: Message from the UNESCO's Director-General
On the occasion of International Day of Education, Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, "Education is a fundamental human right. It’s the bedrock of societies, economies, and every person’s potential. But without adequate investment, this potential will wither on the vine. It has always been shocking to me that education has been given such a low priority in many government policies and in international cooperation instruments. The theme of this year’s International Day of Education reminds us that “to invest in people, prioritize education.” Investment is critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Last year’s Transforming Education Summit gathered the world together to reimagine education systems so every learner accesses the knowledge and skills required to succeed. Over 130 countries made commitments to ensure that universal quality education becomes a central pillar of public policies and investments. A Call to Action on Educational Investment and the establishment of the International Financing Facility for Education created a fresh push on domestic and international financing.
And the Summit launched a range of global initiatives to mobilize support for education in crisis settings, girls’ education, foundational learning, transforming teaching, digital tools, and green education systems. Now is the time for all countries to translate their Summit commitments into concrete actions that create supportive and inclusive learning environments for all students.
Now is also the time to end all discriminatory laws and practices that hinder access to education. I call on the de facto authorities in Afghanistan in particular to reverse the outrageous and self-defeating ban on access to secondary and higher education for girls.
I also encourage countries to place education at the heart of preparations for the SDG Summit in 2023 and the Summit of the Future in 2024.Most of all, I urge civil society and youth to continue calling for more and better investment in quality education. Let’s keep the flame of transformation burning.
Let’s deliver education systems that can support equal societies, dynamic economies and the limitless dreams of every learner in the world."
International Day of Education 2024: Theme
The fifth International Day of Education will be celebrated on 24 January 2024 under the theme “to invest in people, prioritize education”. UNESCO is dedicating this year's International Day to girls and women in Afghanistan who have been deprived of their right to education. It is calling for the immediate lifting of the ban restricting their access to education.
International Day of Education 2024: History
In 2018, United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 24 January as the International Day of Education to mark the importance of education in global peace and development. The resolution was authored by 59 member states to mark the International Day of Education. It also illustrates the process to reinforce the transformative actions for equality, quality, and inclusive education to all.
International Day of Education 2024: Celebration
The fifth International Day of Education will be celebrated on 24 January 2024 under the theme “to invest in people, prioritize education”. The UN Transforming Education Summit in September 2022 gave rise to a global movement, and this year's Day will emphasize maintaining that momentum while outlining the steps needed to put commitments and international initiatives into practice. In light of the current global recession, widening inequalities, and the climate crisis, education must be given priority in order to advance toward all of the Sustainable Development Goals.
International Day of Education 2024: Significance
The day highlights how to strengthen education as a public endeavor and the common good, how to steer the digital transformation, support teachers, safeguard the planet, and unlock the potential in each person to contribute to collective well-being and our shared home.
It is correctly said that education is a weapon to improve one's life. Probably, it is an important tool to change one's life. Education determines the quality of an individual's life. It helps in improving knowledge, and skills, and develops personality and attitude. Education is important for employment. It provides an opportunity to make a decent living. Education makes an individual better use of technology. A person becomes more mature with the help of education.
United Nations has been working towards poverty eradication and also focusing on generating opportunities for minimizing the effects via education as it is one of the salient powers to do so.
International Day of Education 2024: Objectives
As per UNESCO, objectives are as follows:
- Focusses on essential triggers of transformations to build more equitable and inclusive education systems. It will accelerate progress towards SDG4.
- Scaling advances towards digital inclusion, green competencies, skills, and gender equality.
- Reduce the gap in inequalities in access and completion of education, in line with SDG4.
- Find out the voices of students and spotlight them to know about the changes and innovations they want to see to make their education fitter for purpose.
- Also, spotlight the voices of teachers from integrating technology in their practice to orienting teaching and learning new skills, etc.
Source: UNESCO
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