António Guterres (Secretary-General) at Special…

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Almost two years have passed since the Transforming Education Summit in New York.

Since then, the world has grown more unequal.

Climate action has become more urgent.

New technologies have become more disruptive.

War and violence have — sadly — become more widespread.

And all the while, the global crisis in education that we came together to address at the Summit has shown little sign of abating.

Without a dramatic shift in tackling that crisis, we cannot — and will not — shape a more peaceful, sustainable and just world.

Because education is about more than knowledge and skills.

Education is about the future.

The future of children and young people.

The future of economies.

The future of our planet and its natural gifts. 

The future of technology, and whether or not it helps or harms humanity.

And the future of our relations with one another.

Education is not only about learning.

Education is about learning how to learn too.

It extends beyond any individual subject or classroom to the very character of societies themselves.

Every country should be sparing no effort to create true learning societies, grounded in systems that provide lifelong learning opportunities that extend from childhood throughout adulthood.

Given the stakes, the world cannot afford to short-change education.

But by nearly every measure, that is exactly what we are doing.

Some 84 million children are likely to remain out of school by 2030.

Secondary school completion rates are rising, but at a snail's pace.

Getting more learners into classrooms isn't enough.

We also face a problem of quality.

For example, it's truly shocking that some 70 per cent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are unable to read a basic text by age 10.

And education systems are still struggling to close the learning and attendance gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in historic levels of school closures and lost learning for a generation of students – a crisis that remains to this day.

Meanwhile, education systems are not equipping learners with the skills they need to thrive in our rapidly changing world.

Early-childhood education and vocational and adult learning are seen as optional, instead of proven and essential pathways for lifelong learning.

At every step of this crisis, we face a problem of financing.

Last year, UNESCO pegged the investment gap for developing countries to reach SDG4 at a staggering $100 billion per year, as it was just referred.  

Meanwhile, four of every 10 people worldwide live in countries where governments spend more on debt servicing than on education or health.

Excellencies,

At the Transforming Education Summit, more than 140 countries put forward ambitious national commitments to turn this crisis around. 

And international partners came together around a series of special initiatives, with inspiring new progress emerging from last month's Summit Stocktake.

But let's be clear: progress is far too slow and uneven.

Something has to change.

Today, as we look ahead to September's Summit of the Future, November's Global Education Meeting, and next year's major Summits on Social Development and Financing for Development, I am putting forward a four-point plan to end the global education crisis.

First — by closing the financing gap.

Leaders must meet, and where possible, exceed the international benchmark of dedicating 15 per cent of domestic revenue and four per cent of GDP to education.  

In Africa alone, we estimate that better taxation and more efficient public expenditure could unlock more than $115 billion in revenues.

But developing countries cannot do it alone.

Donors must increase their development spending on education, including as part of the World Bank's International Development Association's replenishment.

The International Monetary Fund and other multilateral development banks should protect education spending in countries that are in debt distress.

International partners must speed-up progress on the SDG Stimulus to get the needed $500 billion a year in finance flowing.

And the global financial architecture must be reformed so developing countries can access adequate financing to achieve their development goals, including, naturally, education.

Second — we must close the access gap.

Whether students are in war zones or disaster areas…

Whether they are on the move as migrants or refugees, or they live in poor and under-served communities…

Whether they are girls, persons with disabilities, or part of other marginalized groups…

Or they are victims of self-defeating decrees such as those in Afghanistan banning young women from secondary and tertiary education…

Or they are children coming under direct attack in schools themselves — a shocking and all-too-common occurrence that must never happen, anywhere...

Every child and young person deserves an education.

We must fully invest in programmes, in safe environments and in educational infrastructure that can reach all children with the learning and skills they need and deserve.

No matter where they live. No matter who they are.

Troisièmement, nous devons soutenir les femmes et les hommes qui sont en première ligne : les enseignants.

Nous faisons face à une terrible pénurie : il manque 44 millions d'enseignants dans le monde.

Des millions d'autres ne bénéficient pas du soutien, des outils et de la formation continue dont ils ont besoin.

À la suite du Sommet sur la transformation de l'éducation, le Groupe de haut niveau sur la profession enseignante a formulé des recommandations concrètes visant à garantir que chaque personne apprenante ait accès à un enseignement dispensé par des personnes qui soient dûment formées, qualifiées et bien épaulées.

Je salue l'action menée par l'UNESCO et l'OIT afin de transformer ces recommandations en nouvelles normes mondiales sur la condition du personnel enseignant.

Je demande à tous les pays, aux syndicats de l'enseignement et aux partenaires d'unir leurs forces afin que ces recommandations soient mises en pratique dans les salles de classe du monde entier.

Quatrièmement, il est temps de transformer les systèmes éducatifs de fond en comble.

En se libérant des structures qui limitent l'éducation aux seuls enfants et jeunes gens.

En cultivant le développement et la curiosité de chaque élève, quel que soit son âge.

Et en mettant fin à la dépendance excessive à l'égard des examens et de l'apprentissage par cœur.

Pour cela, nous devons repenser le contenu des programmes – en mettant l'accent sur l'esprit critique des élèves et leur capacité à résoudre des problèmes, ainsi que les compétences dans les technologies vertes et numériques.

Nous devons repenser le mode d'apprentissage des élèves – notamment en tirant parti du numérique pour enrichir l'apprentissage et l'enseignement et faciliter l'accès des élèves dans les zones éloignées ou inaccessibles.

Et nous devons enfin repenser l'organisation des temps d'apprentissage – en remodelant les systèmes éducatifs afin que chaque personne puisse apprendre et se réorienter tout au long de sa vie.

Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs,

L'éducation est le meilleur investissement qu'un pays puisse faire.
Dans sa population et dans son avenir.

Joignons donc le geste à la parole.

Unissons nos efforts pour mettre fin à la crise mondiale de l'éducation.

Maintenons l'éducation au cœur de l'agenda mondial, y compris lors du Sommet de l'avenir en septembre.

Trouvons des solutions et des moyens d'investir afin que chaque pays puisse édifier de véritables sociétés apprenantes.

Aidons chaque personne, de tout âge, à réaliser ses rêves et ses ambitions et à cultiver ses talents tout au long de sa vie.

Merci.