We’re all familiar with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This week, let’s talk about how SDG 4 (ensuring equitable education) can be achieved by executing SDG 17- by strengthening “the means of implementation... and the global partnership for sustainable development”.

To ask “to be or not to be?”, IS NOT THE QUESTION. With the EdTech market in India growing at a gigantic rate, there should be no dilemma about the urgent need for a national EdTech policy, for numerous reasons. 

Hear 3 of our Volunteers’ stories on why they decided to volunteer at Turn The Bus, the value it has brought to their lives and one key lesson they are keen on sharing with you! Maybe it will make you want to Turn The Bus too?

Turn the Bus Application

Ensuring that students passing out of 12^th grade  have access to reliable course learning is a challenge organizations like Turn the Bus are addressing in rural Bihar. For a state that has struggled hard to achieve a literacy rate of 63.82% (73.39% for males and 53.33% for females), not paying attention to literacy of girls will only pull back the gains made thus far, especially with the closures in schools across the country in wake of COVID-19.

Green Jobs create a solution to climate change

With pressure mounting on families to sustain their livelihoods, there is a continued trend of migration from rural to urban areas. Low literacy levels, lack of sustainable livelihood options, indebtedness, and climatic degradation are some of the factors pushing young people to move to lucrative low-skill jobs that are often available in cities.

Significance of gender equity and equality:

Gender equality is intrinsically linked to sustainable development and is vital to the realization of human rights for all. Gender equality is the creation of a society in which women and men have same opportunities and rights in all spheres of life. The country is striving towards equality in distribution of power and influence; equal opportunities for education and financial independence; opportunity to develop personal ambitions, tackle gender-based violence at home or at work.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in most people taking to internet-based services to communicate, educate and continue with their job responsibilities from home. Access to smartphones and data connections became all the more important in 2020; despite the growing importance of connectivity there is still a significant mobile gender gap.

Curating the problem in achieving quality education

The National Population Policy 2020 aligns with transformative knowledge for young people in India (NPP 2020). The NPP 2020 is one of the steps that the central government of India has taken towards realizing the Sustainable Development Goal-4 ‘quality  education’. The policy focuses on increased  critical  thinking  abilities,  higher  order  thinking  and  deeper learning, mastery of content, problem solving, team work and communication skills  besides  general  engagement  and  enjoyment  of  learning.

Snapshot of status of education in Bihar

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) #4-Quality Education is one of the most important SDGs to ensure that ‘no one is left behind’. The 17 SDGs were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 and countries are to achieve them by 2030. As a signatory, India is committed to inclusive and quality education to all students by 2030.

Why research is important in social development

Research uncovers knowledge, and has now moved into the dimension of empowerment by engaging communities who are affected by a social problem.