Education 2030 From a Youth Lens by Victoria Ibiwoye
There is a ray of hope as countries strive to achieve the historic agenda 2030 on sustainable development, one of the most successful agreements ever made in the history of mankind. More than ever before, duty bearers are finally coming to terms that to achieve this groundbreaking agenda, they cannot continue to work in silos. Therefore, there is
Right at the
Charged with the responsibility to coordinate the action plan on SDG-4 is the SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee, the main global multi-stakeholder mechanism for consultation and coordination for SDG 4 and has been mandated to play a key role in the global review of progress on education in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Steering Committee provides strategic guidance to
The Steering Committee recognizes that young people have been on the receiving end for so long. Therefore, it is vital to engage them not only as beneficiaries but as implementing partners of the sustainable development goals. Within the Steering Committee, youth and students’ organisations have a seat at the table and a space to shape the future of education through advocacy and in decision making processes.
According to Jose Mateo Ramos Dela Cruz, a Global Partnership for Education youth leader, “Our generation serves as the largest and still growing age-specific sector that can determine the success and failure of nations, as most countries are now seeing their youth bulge as their countries’ demographic dividend. With little focus and investment on education, neglectful countries might be preparing to fail as an unskilled and ill-equipped generation is brewing, pursuing greater societal divides and non-achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals – the new development agenda agreed upon by all nations.
“Focus on the issues of delivering culturally-sensitive, gender-responsive and intersectional education, providing education in protracted crisis, and standardizing quality education governance and financing are the key priorities that governments and development partners to ensure that quality education for all will be available to all youth, especially young women and girls as envisioned in the SDGs. Achieving these priorities is to prepare our young citizens of the world towards an era of informed choice, from
“With the opportunities and capability-building on policy-making, monitoring and evaluation, and leadership available and accessible, plus with the access of new technologies, the youth of the 21st century can maximize their chances to advocate and influence policy and decision-making. But, to make this potential turn into an active driving force, genuine and meaningful youth-adult partnerships must be done in preparing the youth in policy-making, decision-making, monitoring and evaluating education measures and programs. Hand-in-hand with these measures
Steven Li, co-founder of ProjectileX and member of the Global Business Coalition for Education, also reinforced Jose’s statement, adding that when it comes to education, the youth should have more of a say. The current education system, particularly at the K-12 level appears to be rigid, and this often holds students back in pursuing and furthering their interests in school. An inclusive youth space would allow students to voice their concerns and interests and have administrators implement changes that would benefit students. This could start with project-based learning. Students may have certain ideas as to what kinds of projects they would like to pursue but naturally would need the support of educators and their peers. If schools and educators can take a more proactive approach in setting up platforms for students to work on “passion projects,” they can open many more doors for students to do beyond the typical. This might look like a collaboration between schools and incubators or funders; regardless, an inclusive youth space should allow youth to make the choices that impact their future careers.
In the words of Elizabeth Adeyemo, youth advocate of
Going forward, we encourage the SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee to create mechanisms to expand youth representation in the regional level so that more issues and concerns on youth in education and related matters can be brought into the table of the steering committee, help in the data gathering and policy recommendation crafting of the current youth representative, and create a bridge between the representation and the constituency of the youth.
"Mwaka wa 2030 kwa vijana, Victoria Ibewoye, alisema, ""Kuna mwangaza wa matumaini wakati nchi zinapojitahidi kufikia ajenda ya kihistoria ya 2030 juu ya maendeleo endelevu, moja ya makubaliano yenye mafanikio zaidi kuwahi kufanywa katika historia ya ubinadamu.""" Zaidi ya hapo awali, wamiliki wa wajibu hatimaye wanakuja kwa masharti kwamba kufikia ajenda hii ya kuanzisha, hawawezi kuendelea kufanya kazi katika silos. "Kulingana na taarifa ya shirika la WHO, ""Kwenye jukumu la kuratibu mpango wa hatua juu ya SDG 4 ni Kamati ya Usimamizi ya SDG-Elimu 2030, utaratibu kuu wa kimataifa wa wadau wengi kwa ajili ya mashauriano na uratibu kwa SDG 4 na imepewa jukumu muhimu katika ukaguzi wa kimataifa wa maendeleo ya elimu katika Agenda ya 2030 kwa ajili ya Maendeleo Endelevu.""" Kamati ya Usimamizi inatoa mwongozo wa kimkakati kwa Kamati ya Usimamizi inatambua kwamba vijana wamekuwa katika mwisho wa kupokea kwa muda mrefu. Kwa hiyo, ni muhimu kuwaingiza sio tu kama wapokeaji bali kama washirika wa utekelezaji wa malengo ya maendeleo endelevu. Ndani ya Kamati ya Usimamizi, vijana na wanafunzi'mashirika na kiti kwenye meza na nafasi ya kuunda siku zijazo za elimu kwa njia ya utetezi na katika michakato ya kufanya maamuzi. "Jose Mateo Ramos-Dela Cruz, kiongozi wa vijana wa Global Partnership for Education, alisema: ""Kizazi chetu ni kizazi kikubwa zaidi na kinachokua ambacho kinaweza kuamua mafanikio na kushindwa kwa mataifa, kwani nchi nyingi sasa zinaona ukuaji wa vijana kama faida ya idadi ya watu." "Kwa kuzingatia kidogo na kuwekeza katika elimu, nchi zinazopuuza zinaweza kuwa zikijitayarisha kushindwa kama kizazi kisicho na ujuzi na kilicho na vifaa vibaya kinazidi kuongezeka, ikifuatilia mgawanyiko mkubwa wa kijamii na kutofanikiwa kwa Malengo ya Maendeleo Endelevu - ajenda mpya ya maendeleo iliyokubaliwa na mataifa yote. """ "Kujishughulisha na masuala ya kutoa elimu ya utamaduni, ya kijinsia na ya msalaba, kutoa elimu katika mgogoro wa muda mrefu, na kuimarisha usimamizi wa elimu ya ubora na ufadhili ni vipaumbele vya msingi ambavyo serikali na washirika wa maendeleo wanahakikisha kuwa elimu ya ubora kwa wote itapatikana kwa vijana wote, hasa vijana wanawake na wasichana kama ilivyoelezwa katika SDGs. """ """Kufikia vipaumbele hivi ni kuandaa wananchi wetu vijana wa ulimwengu kuelekea enzi ya uchaguzi wa habari, kutoka kwa fursa na kujenga uwezo wa utengenezaji wa sera, ufuatiliaji na tathmini, na uongozi unaopatikana na unaopatikana, pamoja na upatikanaji wa teknolojia mpya, vijana wa karne ya 21 wanaweza kuongeza nafasi zao za kutetea na kushawishi sera na maamuzi." Lakini ili uwezo huu uwe nguvu ya kuendesha, ushirikiano halisi na wenye maana wa vijana na watu wazima lazima ufanyike katika kuandaa vijana katika utengenezaji wa sera, maamuzi, ufuatiliaji na tathmini ya hatua na programu za elimu. "Steven Li, mwanzilishi mwenza wa ProjectileX na mwanachama wa Global Business Coalition for Education, pia aliongeza kuwa ""juu ya suala la elimu, vijana wanapaswa kuwa na maoni zaidi.""" Mfumo wa sasa wa elimu, hasa katika ngazi ya K-12, unaonekana kuwa mgumu, na hii mara nyingi huwashikilia wanafunzi nyuma katika kufuatilia na kuendeleza maslahi yao shuleni. Maeneo ya vijana yanayojumuisha watawawezesha wanafunzi kutoa sauti zao na maslahi yao na kuwa na wasimamizi kutekeleza mabadiliko ambayo yatasaidia wanafunzi. Hii inaweza kuanza na kujifunza kulingana na mradi. Wanafunzi wanaweza kuwa na mawazo fulani kuhusu aina ya miradi ambayo wangependa kufuata lakini kwa kawaida wangehitaji msaada wa walimu na wenzao. Ikiwa shule na walimu wanaweza kuchukua mbinu ya proactive zaidi katika kuanzisha majukwaa kwa wanafunzi kufanya kazi kwenye "mipango ya shauku", wanaweza kufungua milango zaidi kwa wanafunzi kufanya zaidi ya kawaida. Hii inaweza kuonekana kama ushirikiano kati ya shule na incubators au wafadhili; bila kujali, nafasi ya vijana ya ujumuishaji inapaswa kuruhusu vijana kufanya chaguzi ambazo zinaathiri kazi zao za baadaye. "Kwa maneno ya Elizabeth Adeyemo, mtetezi wa vijana wa Going Forward, ""Tunahimiza Kamati ya Usimamizi ya SDG-Education 2030 kuunda mifumo ya kupanua uwakilishi wa vijana katika ngazi ya kikanda ili masuala zaidi na wasiwasi juu ya vijana katika elimu na masuala yanayohusiana na elimu yaweza kuletwa kwenye meza ya kamati ya uongozi, kusaidia katika kukusanya data na kuunda mapendekezo ya sera ya mwakilishi wa vijana wa sasa."