– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Tijjani Muhammad Bande, President of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

24 January 2020

Deputy Secretary-General

Honorable Ministers

Ambassador / Permanent Representatives

Distinguished Participants

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this year’s edition of the International Day of Education. It is the second of its kind since the UN General Assembly through Resolution A/Res/73/25 of December 2018, declared the 24th January of every year the International Day of Education.

In commemorating this year’s International Day of Education, Dr. David Edwards, the General Secretary of the world’s largest teachers’ federation, along with award-winning teachers from different regions were invited to join us, so we can acknowledge, celebrate and hear the vital contributions of teachers to the attainment of inclusive quality education goals.

I am also delighted that youth representatives are also able to join us today. One of them Ms. Lucia Burtnik, is listed as a panelist, and another, a teenager, Marta Borell Fijo, who though fortunate enough to enjoy the benefit of education, continues to draw attention to the plight of other children not so privileged. We appreciate the efforts of Dr. Edwards, Ms. Lucia, Ms. Marta and all other teachers and education enthusiasts for the great work they do.

Excellencies,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have convened this meeting bearing in mind the fact that while we still have tremendous amount of work to do, to ensure that we reach full access, equality and quality of education needed to develop economies and tackle challenges that we face as humans, it is not just a gloomy story.

The progress that we have made and continue to make in Science, Technology, Medicine, etcetera, are pointers to this fact. In the past decades, we have eradicated or found treatments to diseases; our transportation systems are more effective and facilitate trade among nations; citizens around the world can now access information on almost anything in seconds; and young entrepreneurs are better able to access global education. 

There has also been an increase in school enrollment rates worldwide, with more children going to, and staying in school longer. Rising enrollment has translated into high literacy rates within and across countries. For instance, the literacy rate for all males and females that are at least 15 years old is currently 86.3 percent. The literacy rate for males aged 15 and over is 90 per cent worldwide, and for females, 82.7 percent.

While this is commendable, it is unacceptable that twenty years into the 21st Century, about 258 million children and youth do not attend school, 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math and millions of refugees and internally displace persons, and people with disabilities are out of school. 

This is a blight on the progress we have made and governments around the world would have to pay more attention and engender needed partnerships to ensure access to free and quality primary and secondary education, as well as affordable and inclusive vocational and technical education.

It is in drawing attention of governments and other stakeholders in the education sector to the need to act now, that a platform such as this is important. We are bringing together government representatives, policymakers as well as thought and opinion leaders to identify gaps and proffer answers to burning issues in education. 

This is even more so, if we bear in mind that we are already lagging behind in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and that the attainment of knowledge and requisite skills will play a significant role in achieving them.

Accordingly, as we enter the Decade of Action and Delivery for the SDGs, it is instructive that this year’s International Day of Education focuses on – “Aligning Inclusive Quality Education Policies with Sustainable Development Goals”.

Today’s event will, thus, draw attention to the learning crisis and responses thereto. Particular focus is on policy choices and action priorities that are necessary to achieve the progress needed in the education sector. I count on the impressive array of education policymakers, administrators, and thinkers here today, to address these issues and provide solutions.

Excellencies, 

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Education enhances the analytical, inventive, and critical thinking capacities of human beings, and in the process, accelerating each nation’s technological attainments and economic growth. When a society remains perpetually under-developed, it must among other things re-evaluate its education system. If the system is dysfunctional or does not facilitate the acquisition of pertinent knowledge and skills, the economy will, at best, stagnate, and at worst, collapse. 

What contemporary education statistics reveals is as significant as what it conceals. The world has made progress in basic literacy, but it has not reached a stage at which it could confidently equate school enrollment (or even attendance) with the acquisition of treasured knowledge and skills. 

Clearly, to the extent that there is a significant gap between enrollment and acquisition of knowledge and skills, to that extent could we legitimately talk of a “learning crisis”.

We will have to do our best to ensure that our education systems respond to several issues, to fix the crisis in learning, and raise the standards and quality of education around the world.

 These include ensuring that:

  1. As school attendance is on the rise the ability to read, write and converse in basic languages of instruction does not decline;
  2. There must be no dissonance between school curricular and the world of work’s growing need for specialized competencies and skills;
  3. Education must promote gender equality, facilitate social mobility, foster inter-cultural understanding, and bridge the digital gap between learners in developed countries and their counterparts in under-developed nations;
  4. Effective partnerships are formed, to assist countries that are most in need of help with curriculum development, teacher training, provision of adequate infrastructure, scholarships and student exchange programmes;
  5. Persons with disabilities are included in the benefits of education and of living more broadly;
  6. Education authorities anticipate and respond to the challenges caused by conflict and extreme climatic fluctuations, as well as the hazards they pose to learning;
  7. Institution of higher learning are provided with the resources which will enable them to overcome current knowledge imparting challenges, while at the same time performing the critical humanizing, professional, scientific, policy analytic and management capacities needed for economic growth and sustainable development.
  8. Governments around the world work in tandem with education planners and administrators, curriculum development specialists, and corporate bodies to enhance the capacities of their education systems;
  9. The current gender, digital and financing gaps in education is bridged. Access to education must be broadened, to allow currently excluded groups enjoy the benefits of learning.;

The international community pays more attention to the millions of children that are trapped in conflict zones through no fault of theirs. We must pay attention to their educational needs.

Kindly forgive my giving this long list of asks. I did so very certain that we are equal to the challenge. Certainly, failure to address the needs of the educational sector will mean failure to attain the SDGs. This is a price we cannot, and must never be willing to pay.

It is unacceptable that twenty years into the 21st Century, about 258 million children and youth do not attend school, 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math and millions of refugees and internally displace persons, and people with disabilities are out of school. 

Tijjani Muhammad Bande

President of the UN General Assembly

Excellencies, 

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

I strongly believe in the role that partnerships can play in the implementation and attainment of the SDGs. This is why my office has placed strong emphasis on engendering partnerships across key priority areas. In this regard, I am grateful to member states who are engaging my office, by suggesting among other things concrete proposals to attend to some of the aforementioned issues.

The collaboration by my office, with India and Palau, through the India UN Development Fund, for the implementation of a school renovation project in Palau will help bring education to hundreds of children in that country. The school will also serve as a venue for the Ocean’s conference, and it is a practical demonstration of partnerships, South-South Cooperation and international collaboration, that I will continue to encourage. 

We are also currently exploring a partnership with several countries on what new commitments they are able to make, to alleviate the plight of refugees and displaced children, who are unable to get the education they need and deserve among other areas.

Finally, I urge Member States and key partners to examine the feasibility and value-add support the establishment of a network which will bring together key existing networks of education actors and stakeholders, to share information and ideas, including sources of support, relating to all aspects of education.

I must before concluding, thank my team headed by Professor Balogun and thank UNESCO officials both in Paris and here and others for getting us this far. 

I thank you and wish you successful deliberations.