New education data refresh

In response to the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the education systems, our efforts to produce statistics supporting policy development have intensified in the last year.

Education Data Release for SDG 4

The UIS has launched its 2022 Survey of Formal Education for the reference year ending in 2021 to ensure the timely collection of data for the monitoring of SDG4. The questionnaires and the related materials are available on the UIS website at: http://uis.unesco.org/uis-questionnaires.

The 2021 edition of the SDG 4 Data Digest, National SDG 4 Benchmarks: Fulfilling Our Neglected Commitment by the UIS and the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEMR) presents the idea behind benchmark setting in education and the steps taken since 2017 to fulfil this commitment, including the selection of SDG 4 benchmark indicators.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions to education. Countries have been forced to find ways to adapt to these educational disruptions (such as school closures), by providing remote learning for students, adapting curriculum and assessments, and supporting the health and wellbeing of students, teachers and families.

Science, technology and innovation (STI) is increasingly viewed as fundamental to achieving economic and sustainable growth. Crucially, advances in STI could be harnessed to help overcome some of the greatest challenges to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As part of the SDG Agenda 2030, countries have pledged to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”.

With just a decade remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for Education (SDG 4), relevant, timely, and quality data is key to monitoring progress and informing policy responses. This was further highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted progress on school participation and learning, widened gaps between and within countries and underscored the urgency to re-examine efforts to achieve SDG targets.

SDG 11.4.1 is the only direct culture indicator of the SDGs, which calls on countries to “strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage.” Key insights from the 2020 data collection cycle were encapsulated in the report Tracking investment to safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.  

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, most governments worldwide have implemented policies to contain the disease's spread. While incurring high economic costs, restrictive procedures such as schools closures and the changes of learning methods risk hindering effective learning during the pandemic and the progress made towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).