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SDG 4: Quality Education

Selected e-articles

Abstract: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations aim to address the sustainable challenges continuously emerging in the world today. This study analyzes the progress of 27 European countries from 2015 to 2019 in achieving SDG Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), Goal 4 (Quality Education), and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). The implementation of these three goals is interconnected. Good health enhances the effectiveness of education, as healthy individuals can learn and work better. Improvements in education are not only crucial for personal career development but also promote economic growth and social welfare. Stable and sustainable economic growth provides the necessary resources and conditions for improving health and education. This study uses the Parallel SBM DEA model to quantify the performance of EU countries in the areas of economy, healthcare and environment, and education, and standardizes the scores on a scale from 0 (lowest performance) to 1 (best performance). The results are as follows: 1.The economic performance of 12 countries, the employment performance of 6 countries, and the per capita disposable income of 8 countries were below the average level. This study suggests that these countries could pursue industrial upgrading and transformation (e.g., adopting higher value-added industries), which would create better employment opportunities and increase per capita disposable income. 2. Healthcare performance was strong across all countries, but environmental performance in 10 countries was below the average. The study recommends that these countries promote the use of renewable energy, provide subsidies for energy-saving technologies to businesses and households, and promote green buildings and electric vehicles to reduce toxic gas emissions. 3.The educational performance and college completion rates in 6 countries were below the average level. This study suggests that these countries increase education spending and resource allocation, provide employment support for university graduates, and promote digital learning and lifelong learning policies.

Abstract: The education sector has experienced transformative shifts with increased integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and Learning Analytics in higher education, notably within universities. This evolution necessitates the integration of Education 5.0 with Industry 5.0, especially in emerging economies like India, where teaching professionals play an essential part in facilitating this transition. Despite the opportunities for skills enhancement, significant obstacles impede the sustainable technological empowerment of academicians. This study recognizes these challenges in the context of Indian higher education and explores solutions to accelerate the acceptance of Education 5.0. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, semi-structured interviews with 14 academicians were conducted, followed by thematic analysis using NVIVO and ranking via the Best-worst Multi-criteria Decision-Making Process (BWM). The research indicates that resolving these challenges can streamline the transition to AI-enabled educational technologies. The study highlights the significance of university management in formulating targeted policies and training programs that minimize these challenges, ultimately enhancing the educational infrastructure and fostering a technologically proficient academic workforce. Theoretically, this research enriches the discourse on technology empowerment in education by mapping the interplay between educational advancements and organizational change, offering an understanding that can be applied to similar contexts globally.

Abstract: The notion that housing is the bedrock of the social and economic development of families and communities is well acknowledged in all societies. From a social development and social policy perspective, this conceptual paper provides a compelling argument about the dividends that accrue from integrating housing and education planning. The rights to housing and education are social investments that promote human, social and economic development. The impact of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) and its subsequent lockdowns were too severe on children from poor households who occupied inadequate housing. The authors make use of a literature methodology that synthesises United Nations policies and updates on COVID-19, empirical research and government policies and steps taken to attenuate the impact of the pandemic. The paper establishes that the country is still impaired by high levels of poverty which locks poor children in poor schools and poor housing. During COVID-19, millions of these children had their rights to education undermined because their economic and housing circumstances could not allow them to participate in online learning. Having established the essential social development potential of housing it is therefore fitting to rethink how social policy could be employed to dovetail the housing and education nexus. The authors recommend research to help envision this relationship, not only from a theoretical level but also from collaborative implementation processes.

Abstract: Motivation: Despite increases in school enrolment, the world is facing a global learning crisis that suggests a trade‐off between the quantity and quality of education. Purpose: This case study from Ghana examines whether there has been a long‐term change in educational outcomes, measured by population literacy and numeracy rates, in the decades following the implementation of a national free compulsory basic education policy. It further determines whether there are variations by level of education in the changes over time. Approach and methods: This study used nationally representative repeated cross‐sectional data from two Ghana Living Standards Surveys (2006 and 2017) to estimate basic literacy and numeracy. Findings: At the same level of education for the primary and lower secondary school levels, literacy and numeracy were lower in the latter period than a decade previously. These findings suggest that the expansion in gross enrolment at the primary and lower secondary school levels has been associated with a long‐term decline in the quality of education. Policy implications: Considering these findings, it is crucial to consider the long‐term implications of expanding access to education on the quality of the education provided. These findings highlight the need for increased investment in quality education to complement the increase in access. This would ensure that children acquire foundational skills at the basic education level. Failure to maintain quality alongside expanded access could negatively impact workforce productivity, economic growth, and social equality.

Abstract: We evaluate the long-term effects of Uganda’s 2007 Universal Secondary Education (USE) policy, which expanded secondary education access through tuition-fee elimination and increased school capacity. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we exploit variations in birth cohorts and regional exposure to identify the policy’s causal impacts on women’s educational attainment and empowerment. Our results show significant gains in education and empowerment for women in areas with greater program intensity. We also find improvements in women’s labour market outcomes, and in marriage and fertility including delayed age at first sex, birth, cohabitation, and spouse schooling differences. These findings highlight the potential for governments in sub-Saharan Africa to leverage secondary education investments in generating sustained improvement in women’s empowerment.

Abstract: This study examines principals' adaptive leadership practices in addressing the crisis of secondary school quality education, using Northouse's Adaptive Leadership Model. Employing the qualitative approach and phenomenological design, five principals for interviews and 12 teachers for focus group discussions serve as sources of data. The collected data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that adaptive leadership is conceptualized as a situational form of leadership that solves problems contextually to overcome complex challenges. Getting on the balcony and giving work back to teachers are well-practiced dimensions, while principals' behavior of identifying adaptive challenges and maintaining disciplined attention are practiced to some extent. Regulating distress and protecting leadership voices are ineptly practiced behaviors. The findings suggest a need for improved adaptive leadership practices to address educational quality challenges. These findings also accentuate the importance of integrating local knowledge with policy frameworks through training principals to have adaptive leadership behavior. The recommendations from this study are significant for policymakers who aim to develop context-sensitive connections of principals, intending to confront tough challenges like the quality education crisis in the Amhara region by developing adaptive leadership competencies.

Abstract: The study inspects the status of school governance and school outcome at primary school level and set up roadmap for all the stakeholders to achieve the mandate of Goal 4 in SDGs within 2030, especially in the context of rural India. The status of school governance and school outcome are assessed under 4 dimensions and 16 parameters through a survey of 21 rural primary schools from rural Maharashtra. Two different indices have been constructed for school outcomes and school governance using multi-stage principal component analysis. Public and private-aided schools are compared according to the degree of accountability and transparency. It has been realized that there is an absolute need for strong school governance at ground level which is very poor across public schools in rural India. The study followed the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) project and ASER (2014) and considered these baselines to find the present status of school governance and school outcome for the present study.

Abstract: This study focuses on exploring the issue of ensuring quality higher education in the conditions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It synthesizes and analyzes literature sources, legal documents, secondary data, original (survey) data, and the author’s experiences with enhancing the quality of higher education. Using analysis of the legal documents, such as the National Doctrine of the Development of Education, the Law of Ukraine ‘On education’, and the Law of Ukraine ‘On higher education’, I study the legal framework for Ukrainian higher education. Using secondary data obtained from online sources, I find irrefutable evidence of mass destruction from Russian military aggression on educational institutions of Ukraine and the educational process in general, and specific initiatives from the Ukrainian state, Ukrainian universities, and international institutions to support the Ukrainian higher education system in wartime conditions. Using original data collected through surveys, I present first-hand information on the processes of changes in higher education in Ukraine under the conditions of Russia’s ongoing military aggression and the issue of ensuring quality higher education through the prism of the experience of students at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Using the author’s personal teaching experience in the implementation of joint global classrooms, I analyze the possibilities of developed partnerships for motivating students and ensuring quality higher education in the conditions of war. Based on the analysis and synthesis of secondary data, I identify the main responses of the higher education system of Ukraine which enable it to maintain the quality of higher education as the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals during the war, namely (i) improvement and wider implementation of an online education system; (ii) organization of work of higher education institutions relocated from the occupied territories to territories controlled by Ukraine; (iii) support of international institutions; and (iv) partnership programmes with partner universities. The analysis of the results of the survey of students highlighted that the top priority of a Ukrainian university during wartime should be the safety of all participants in the educational and research process and high-quality education, and the most serious problems that create obstacles to ensuring the quality of education are the distressed psychological states of the participants in the educational process and organizational issues in the conditions of military aggression. By analyzing the experience of the implementation of joint global classrooms format, I also highlight that this format can be an effective additional measure in motivating students and ensuring the quality of higher education in the difficult conditions of war, and a developed partnership plays a crucial role in its implementation.

Abstract: This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of recent trends and emerging topics in the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in vocational education. AI technology holds significant potential to enhance accessibility, inclusivity, and equity in quality education. The research utilizes the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach to analyze publications from articles and conference papers published in the Scopus database between 2014 and 2023. The key findings indicate that AI is reshaping vocational education by personalizing learning experiences, improving curriculum development, and enhancing practical training through automation and robotics, particularly in the manufacturing and logistics sectors. Ethical issues, such as privacy and algorithmic bias, are also highlighted as key concerns. The bibliometric analysis reveals that journal articles have a higher citation count than conference papers, reflecting their greater influence in the field. Network visualization demonstrates the interconnection between AI, vocational education, and related concepts, such as e-learning and machine learning. Furthermore, AI contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, particularly SDG 4 (quality education access), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), and SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure). The study also identifies challenges that need to be addressed, including data privacy, infrastructure readiness, and teacher training, while providing guidance for future research and educational policy development.

Abstract: Demographic changes, particularly population aging, influence societal and economic development. While often seen as a challenge, aging also presents opportunities through demographic and educational dividends. This commentary discusses how improvements and expansion of education might generate a demographic dividend. Education boosts productivity and well‐being, helping mitigate the economic pressures of aging. However, realising these benefits requires equitable, high‐quality education and labor market reforms to support diverse and aging workforces. Education is pivotal for sustainable development, especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries. It addresses aging‐related challenges, maximises demographic dividends, and fosters long‐term inclusive economic growth.

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