教科文组织报告：数十年努力有所成就，但全球仍有2.51亿学龄人口失学
联合国教科文组织近日发布《2024年全球教育监测报告》，指出过去近10年内全球失学人口仅减少1%。教育领域长期投资不足是导致这一现象的主要原因，低收入和中低收入国家情况尤为严重。教科文组织与20国集团（G20）携手，呼吁会员国采用债务换教育等创新融资方式推动教育发展。巴西是今年的G20主席国。
学生在学校中 © Pixabay / akshayapatra
教育是促进社会繁荣、包容、和平的关键力量。然而，若不采取有效措施，让世界上每个孩子享有平等的学习和成长机会，优质教育就可能成为少数人的特权。在今天的教科文组织“全球教育会议”上，我们呼吁各国发挥积极领导力，改变方针，加强教育投资，通过重建高低收入国家间团结机制等方法发展教育。
—— 奥德蕾·阿祖莱
联合国教科文组织总干事
教科文组织《2024年全球教育监测报告》显示，自2015年“联合国可持续发展目标”通过以来，入学少年儿童和青年人数增加了1.1亿，其中入学少年儿童人数创历史新高。学业完成率也在上升：与2015年相比，如今完成中学学业的青少年增加了4000万。
然而，同期失学人口仅减少1%。该问题在全球停滞不前，致使2.51亿学龄人口失学。地区间差异依旧显著：低收入国家有33%的学龄儿童和青少年失学，而高收入国家仅为3%。全世界一半以上的失学儿童和青少年生活在撒哈拉以南非洲地区。
教育融资是关键瓶颈
教科文组织和世界银行联合发布另一份报告——《2024年教育融资观察》。报告指出，在全球范围内进一步扩大优质教育机会的主要障碍之一仍然是资金短缺：4成国家的教育经费占公共支出总额比例不到15%，占国内生产总值不到4%，而这二者都是商定基准。
各国间教育投资差距同样惊人。2022年，中低收入国家的人均教育支出仅为55美元，而高收入国家则达8543美元。报告还对日益沉重的偿债负担提出警告：非洲各国2022年的还本付息支出几乎与教育支出相当。同时，全球用于教育的政府开发援助份额已从2019年的9.3%降至2022年的7.6%。
严峻的全球教育排斥现象敦促我们加强国际团结，利用债务换教育等创新融资机制。近年来，若干双边合作已为这一目标铺平道路，而今加大投入力度成为可能。20国集团的长期工作在2020年促成首个债务重组共同框架，教科文组织呼吁各国考虑建立多边平台，致力于将债务转化为可持续的教育融资。
通过这一平台，背负不可持续债务的国家可以通过谈判将债务转化为教育投资。平台可依托相关领域关键利益方（教科文组织、20国集团、多边教育基金如全球教育伙伴关系）的专业知识。
教科文组织与20国集团协同增效
上述报告发布于10月30日-11月1日召开的全球教育会议。会议由教科文组织主办，由巴西政府在福塔莱萨承办。这是规模最大的国际教育会议之一，也是自2018年以来，教科文组织为评估全球教育目标进展情况而召开的第4次会议。本次会议首次与20国集团教育部长会议紧密衔接，并与20国集团轮值主席国巴西的优先事项相契合，聚焦公平和包容2大主题。教科文组织也是巴西的重要合作伙伴。
教育中的公平和包容，以及通过教育实现公平和包容，是巴西社会发展愿景的核心。我们期待引领全球对话，消除教育不平等。为此，我们很荣幸借20国集团教育部长会议之势，承办教科文组织的全球教育会议。巴西致力于推动更加包容的教育方式，以帮助克服社会经济差距，并对文化多样性赋予积极价值。我们的目标是确保这些讨论能够在各国和机构的议程中落地为切实行动。
—— 桑塔纳（Camilo Santana）
巴西教育部长
《福塔莱萨宣言》作为全球教育会议的成果文件，将由40余位教育部长签署。《宣言》强烈呼吁优先关注教育，将其用作实现更公平和可持续未来的关键杠杆，并呼吁通过将气候教育融入学校课程、倡导和平教育以应对仇恨言论和歧视、推动教育中的性别平等等方式，应对当代紧迫挑战。
了解更多：
关于2024年全球教育会议：
《2030年教育行动框架》规定，教科文组织应与“可持续发展目标4高级别指导委员会”协商，定期召开全球教育会议，审查实现联合国可持续发展目标4（确保包容和公平的优质教育，让全民终身享有学习机会）的进程。如今距2030年议程设定时间仅剩6年，我们迫切需要转变方针，确保优质教育惠及全民。全球教育会议因此呼吁全球领导人进一步推进教育发展，为更公正和可持续的未来而努力。
关于《全球教育监测报告》：
《全球教育监测报告》于2002年启动，由教科文组织主办和发布，并保持编辑独立。2015年“世界教育论坛”上，160个政府授权该报告监督和报告可持续发展目标中的教育相关目标，尤其是可持续发展目标4的进展情况，以及国家和国际战略实施情况，帮助相关各方履行承诺。
关于《教育融资观察》：
资源链接：
下载报告《2024年全球教育监测报告》
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391406
《教育融资观察》
https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/publications?hub=701#education-finance-watch
2024年全球教育会议
https://www.unesco.org/sdg4education2030/en/2024-global-education-meeting?hub=701
《福塔莱萨宣言》
https://www.unesco.org/sdg4education2030/en/2024-global-education-meeting?fbclid=IwY2xjawGP6TVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQiqDkPgOq81yJvuGQKY7QRcA_FRBkx2BgKqrAlhyEQmCrLAGL0-973gxQ_aem_fzvbJiOUTpnUEbO_t2DqGQ&hub=701#draft-fortaleza-declaration
Students in the school © Pixabay / akshayapatra
Education is the key driver of prosperous, inclusive and peaceful societies. Yet, quality education risks being the privilege of a few, if we do not take serious measures to give every child across the globe the same chance to learn and thrive. Today, at the UNESCO Global Education Meeting, we call for bold leadership to change course and bolster investments in education, including through renewed solidarity mechanisms between high- and lower-income countries.
—— Audrey Azoulay,
UNESCO Director-General
According to the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2024, 110M more children and youth have entered school since the UN Sustainable Development Goal on education was adopted in 2015, with more children in school today than ever before. Completion rates are also on the rise: 40M more young people are completing secondary school today than in 2015.
Education financing is a key bottleneck
The UNESCO–World Bank Education Finance Watch 2024, a second report published today, confirmed that one of the key obstacles in further broadening access to quality education globally remains the lack of funding: 4 in 10 countries spend less than 15% of their total public expenditure and less than 4% of GDP on education, the two agreed benchmarks.
The education investment gap between countries is also staggering: low-income countries spent only $55 per learner in 2022, compared to $8,543 for high-income countries. The UNESCO–World Bank report also warns of the growing weight of debt servicing. In Africa, countries spent almost as much on debt servicing in 2022 as they did on education. At the same time, the share of official development assistance going to education globally has dropped from 9.3% in 2019 to 7.6% in 2022.
The magnitude of educational exclusions globally urges us to strengthen international solidarity and leverage innovative financing mechanisms, such as debt-for-education swaps. Several bilateral initiatives have paved the way in recent years, and it is now possible to scale up these efforts. In line with the longstanding work of the G20, which resulted in the first common framework for debt restructuring in 2020, UNESCO is calling on States to consider a multilateral platform dedicated to converting debt into sustainable financing for education.
Synergies between UNESCO and the G20
The aforementioned reports were released at the Global Education Meeting, organized by UNESCO and hosted by the Government of Brazil in Fortaleza (31 October-1 November). This is one of the largest international education conferences and the fourth in a series of meetings convened by UNESCO since 2018 to take stock of progress towards educational goals globally. For the first time, the event is held back-to-back with the G20 Education Ministers’ Meeting, and is placed under the theme of equity and inclusion, in synergy with the priorities of the Brazilian Presidency of the G20, for which UNESCO is a privileged partner.
Equity and inclusion in and through education are fundamental to Brazil's vision of social development. We are proud to host UNESCO's Global Education Meeting, building on the momentum of the G20 Education Ministers’ meeting, as we seek to lead a global dialogue on overcoming inequalities in education. Brazil intends to chart the path to a more inclusive approach to education, one that can help overcome socioeconomic disparities and that attributes a positive value to cultural diversity. Our goal is to ensure that these discussions result in tangible actions embedded in the agendas of countries and institutions worldwide.
—— Camilo Santana,
Brazil’s Education Minister
More information:
About the 2024 Global Education Meeting
The Education 2030 Framework for Action stipulates that UNESCO, in consultation with the SDG4 High-Level Steering Committee, convenes periodic Global Education Meetings, to review the progress towards the UN Sustainable Development 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. With only six years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda, it is urgent to change course to ensure that quality education is a reality for all. The Global Education Meeting therefore calls on global leaders to further advance progress in education for more just and sustainable futures.
About the Global Education Monitoring Report
Established in 2002, the Global Education Monitoring Report is an editorially independent report, hosted and published by UNESCO. At the 2015 World Education Forum, it received a mandate from 160 governments to monitor and report on progress on education in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular reference to the SDG 4 monitoring framework, and the implementation of national and international strategies to help hold all relevant partners to account for their commitments.
About the Education Finance Watch
The Education Finance Watch (EFW) is a collaborative effort between the World Bank, the Global Education Monitoring Report, and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. The EFW aims to provide an analysis of trends, patterns, and issues in education financing around the world. The EFW uses various sources of education, economic, and financial data from the World Bank, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development.
Download links:
The Global Education Monitoring Report:
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391406
The Education Finance Watch:
https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/publications?hub=701#education-finance-watch
The 2024 Global Education Meeting:
https://www.unesco.org/sdg4education2030/en/2024-global-education-meeting?hub=701
The Fortaleza Declaration:
https://www.unesco.org/sdg4education2030/en/2024-global-education-meeting?fbclid=IwY2xjawGP6TVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQiqDkPgOq81yJvuGQKY7QRcA_FRBkx2BgKqrAlhyEQmCrLAGL0-973gxQ_aem_fzvbJiOUTpnUEbO_t2DqGQ&hub=701#draft-fortaleza-declaration
