Sustainable Development Goal 4 is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, often abbreviated as SDG 4: Quality Education. The aim of this goal is to ensure universal and free primary education for all children; to ensure men and women have equal access to affordable, quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, and to ensure that learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable and inclusive development and principles of gender equality, promotion of non-violence and an appreciation of cultural diversity. Quality education is a specific development challenge for people and communities with diverse SOGIESC as a result of the social norms that are perpetuated through the education system.
SDG 4 is a diverse SOGIESC issue because people with diverse SOGIESC experience high levels of bullying and discrimination within the education system, and because education curricula often reiterate harmful norms that exclude people with diverse SOGIESC. For instance, education curricula often assume that all people are heterosexual and cisgender: for students with diverse SOGIESC, this contributes to a feeling of alienation and can result in bullying and poor mental health. Furthermore, young people with diverse SOGIESC often leave school early as a result of the discrimination and bullying they face.
There are few resources available under SDG 4. The resources that are available consider the specific ways education can be used to promote inclusion. More resources will be added to this category as they become available.
These resources have been compiled to enable development practitioners to develop and implement diverse SOGIESC-inclusive education programming, and to empower practitioners with the knowledge they need to better meet the targets of SDG 4.
