The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers 17 goals, the fourth of which is “quality education”, namely: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.  (Click here for details)

Under this major goal, there are 13 targets, the first of which is “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes.”

● Current Situation

Education enables upward socioeconomic mobility and is a key to escaping poverty. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemics spread across the world, a majority of countries announced the temporary closure of schools, impacting more than 91 per cent of students worldwide.By April 2020, about 1.6 billion children and youth were out of school.The global pandemics have far-reaching consequences that may jeopardize the achievements that have been made in improving global education.

About the World

Gender Equity in Education Carrying Forward

Photo source: unicef.cn

Gender equality in global education has been continuously promoted. More and more countries are committed to taking action to promote gender equality in education. Female enrollment rate and employment opportunities in primary and secondary schools have increased. In the past 25 years, the global primary school female enrollment rate has only increased from 78% to 88%, representing an increase of 10%, i.e. less than 0.5% per year. At such a rate, it is estimated that the target of all girls receiving primary education will not be achieved until 2050.

Text source: China Women's Daily

About China

China Taking Gender Equity in Education Seriously 

Chinese Government has attached great importance to gender equality in education and adopted a series of policies and measures to ensure the equal right of girls to receive education, placing the promotion of compulsory education for girls in an important position. In 2008, China achieved the target of nine-year free compulsory education in both urban and rural areas. The enrollment rate of primary schools for both boys and girls remained above 99% while the gender difference in the enrollment rate of boys and girls was completely eliminated. In 2014, there were 32.458 million female students in secondary school, accounting for 47.84% of the total number of students in school. The number of female students in primary school stage was 43.7196 million, accounting for 46.26% of the total number of students in school. The proportion of boys and girls in primary and secondary schools is basically the same.

Text and photo source: sohu.com

●  Cases

About the World

UNESCO launched initiatives to promote Gender Equality in Education

Photo source: sohu.com

In July 2019, UNESCO launched the "her education, our future" initiative to promote the three priority areas in the Strategy of Promoting Gender Equality in Education (2019-2025) released by UNESCO in 2019 "more accurate data to provide the basis for gender equality action in the whole process of education",“a more comprehensive legal, policy and planning framework to promote rights "and" better education and learning practices for empowerment ". The notice will also boost the implementation of the UNESCO Strategy for Gender Equality in the Whole Process of Education (2019-2025) released in 2019.

Text source: people’s daily.com

About China

Gender Equality in Primary and Secondary Education in Guangdong Province

In August 2018, Guangdong Provincial Working Committee for Women and Children, Provincial Education Department and Provincial Women's Federation jointly issued the Notice on Launching Equality Education in Primary and Secondary Schools in Guangdong Province. In September of the same year, gender equality education was initiated in primary and secondary schools and secondary vocational schools in Guangdong Province. So far, there are all 21 cities carrying out the practice of gender equity education in primary and secondary schools. 

Photo source: sohu.com

Maoming City, Guangdong Province, located in remote rural areas, has a large number of left-behind children. The education department has edited a series of pilot teaching materials for gender equality education suitable for rural left-behind students. It has developed 18-hour courses combining with life education, gender identity and equality education, self-development education and other special topics, and established a supervision system for gender equality education in rural primary schools.

Text source: China Women's Daily

●  Background

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Initiated by the United Nations

On January 1, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including 169 targets, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit — officially came into force. Countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.