Education as the Catalyst towards Building Sustainable Communities

• In Event: Contributions to the achievement of the SDGs through education programming

Proposal

In the global development agenda, education is often prioritized due to its relevance as an entry point towards progressing broader achievements in all areas of sustainable development. To support this perspective, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in which “ESD’s role as ‘an integral element of the SDG on quality education and a key enabler of all other sustainable development goals’ was explicitly affirmed” . Holistic approaches to education, such as ones that engage broader communities in educational processes and which include intentional design components that intersect with crosscutting 2030 goals, can promote sustainability far beyond the classroom. Reach Out to Asia (ROTA), a program of Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, is a Qatar-based non-traditional donor which has taken such an integrated approach to funding educational initiatives across Asia and MENA regions for more than a decade. In contributing to SDG 4, ROTA’s strategy is focused on achieving lasting change at the community level.

This paper draws upon ROTA’s experience by highlighting how SDG4 is used as the entry point to deliver change at the community level. It highlights the approach of leveraging education-focused programs for broader aims by presenting representative case examples from various communities where ROTA has made long-term investment. The paper shows how these approaches have led to advancement of related and intersecting development goals at the community level. It will draw on two examples from ROTA’s projects. Each example shows how SDG4 was used as the dynamic driver that supported the achievement of other goals such as SDG5 on gender equity, SDG8 on decent work and economic growth, SDG10 on reduced inequalities, and SDG17 on partnerships. The first example of this integrated approach to sustainable development at the community level is from a 10 year investment with a small community based NGO in Indonesia. This partnership ranged from school reconstruction, scholarships, teacher training to support community learning centers. The second case presented is from ROTA’s work in Pakistan which was a three phase project focused on girls education, TVET and increase social cohesion through youth development.

The paper’s intent is to show the relationship between sustainable communities and national and global development targets. The paper discusses instances where such sustainable development has been fostered in communities based on add-on effects of quality education programming. The key institutional practices which underpin this approach are identified; such as carrying out country needs assessments; development of long-term community focused strategies; developing partnerships with local stakeholders; and building and strengthening the human and institutional capacities of partners, communities and public sector institutions. Some of the key learning presented in this paper include: i) overlooked opportunities during the conceptualization, development and implementation of context specific education programs; ii) identification of natural fits such as focusing on gender equity and the reduction of inequalities and other cutting themes; and iii) developing and strengthening linkages between broader ranges of education stakeholders beyond those traditionally targeted.

Author

• Samah Al-Sabbagh, Reach Out To Asia/Education Above All Foundation