Education, to many, including me, is the basis to remedying societal issues. For this reflection on Sustainable Development Goals, I decided to focus on the disparities in primary education across the world, which aligns with SDG 4. Primary education is crucial to establishing a foundation for academic success (which is of course often linked with financial stability). While there is an increase in primary education rates from 2013 to 2024, there is still a huge gap between New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and Northern America (as the UN decided to group them) and Sub-Saharan Africa, with the latter having lower education rates. This difference is not only concerning for the individual, but also for maintaining stability within a country. Without education, other social systems collapse and progress (referring to a variety of “veins”) is more stagnant relative to countries with higher rates of education. UNESCO has an article sharing that recently, from 2021 to 2023, the global number of children not in school has risen by 6 million. So progress has not been entirely upward trending, which is another concerning statistic. I wonder about what factors have contributed to the decline in schooling. I imagine that the widening global economic disparities have also impacted the education rates. Lastly, the gender disparity in primary education has and continues to be an issue. A potential cause is not mandating primary education and pre-primary education (preschool), because even if women are allowed to go to school by law, if their parent opts them out and goes under the radar, they are not given the foundation for education which significantly reduces their options in careers and financial independence.
