Local challenges, global imperatives: Cities at the forefront to achieve SDG 4

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

As the world is going through the COVID-19 pandemic, cities are at the forefront to cope with the education crisis that has affected over 60 percent of the global student population (UNESCO, 2020a and 2020b). In today’s increasingly decentralized education systems, cities, through their local elected authorities, are playing a growing role in the implementation of national and local education policies, in partnership with ministries of education and other local actors, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on their territory. Cities have a social responsibility to their citizens to provide them with equitable and quality education and lifelong learning opportunities. Such is their anticipated contribution to 2030 Agenda, put forward in SDG 11 calling for ‘sustainable cities and communities’, that the OECD queries whether cities are ‘the new countries’ (OECD, 2016: 61).

By their unique position, cities are able to connect multiple state and non-state actors that compose the local education community, including education staff, parents, pupils, civil society, and public and private institutions. Cities provide a holistic approach to education, completing formal education through the provision of extra-curricular activities and non-formal education in collaboration with state and non-state actors. Furthermore, cities are the locations where the interdependence between education and other development sectors like culture, sports, health, welfare or urbanism, is most emphasized. Cities are thus in a position to articulate the voices of the different stakeholders on their territory to co-design education strategies that are relevant to local needs.

With more than 66 percent of the world population expected to be living in urban areas by 2050, cities however face increasingly complex and multi-sectoral challenges to meet their social commitments. Most pressing issues affecting city-level educational planning include the global migration and youth booms, as well as the rapid growth of slums, which reinforce the demand for education and lifelong learning opportunities. Cities work in quick and complex changing contexts, as highlighted by the ongoing sanitary crisis. In most countries around the world, cities must articulate national imperatives with local challenges, with little support and guidance from national authorities. Disparities within their own territories increase. Local resources are shrinking, in particular for public services like education, while the imperative to develop local education strategies that meet the needs of the overall education population and of specific groups, becomes stronger.

The development of education strategies by cities, relying on sound planning and management tools and processes, is essential for cities to ensure equitable access to and provision of quality education for all their citizens. When articulated with other development sectors, education planning can lay down the foundations for intersectoral collaboration and integrated planning, which constitute a prerequisite to provide a collective and coordinated answer to the complex challenges raised by our world. However, while available research and debates around cities focus on their overall contributions to sustainable development, and on urban planning, there is a dearth of analysis on how cities efficiently plan for education.

Based on the results of qualitative and quantitative research projects conducted in diverse geographical areas and socioeconomic contexts, and from the experiences of cities, this panel precisely aims at discussing strategies to guide cities to successfully plan for SDG 4. The panel focuses on cities that have made education a priority for their territory, and that have developed holistic, innovative and successful strategies to guarantee - access to quality education for all children and youth. Specific attention will be given to the city’s education strategy and its planning cycle, as well as the ecosystem of actors and sectors involved in educational planning and management at the city level.

In particular, presentations will shed light on the following aspects:
1) The educational planning cycle at the city level, focusing on the main strengths and assets, but also the challenges that cities face in this process;
2) The relationships between educational planning and urban planning at the city level;
3) Experiences of co-design and community-based planning approach;
3) Processes and challenges linked to monitoring and evaluation of cities’ education strategies.

The ultimate objective of the panel is to foster knowledge sharing and critical thinking with members of the research community and partners on the key role played by cities in planning for SDG4. It will also provide an opportunity to take a step back in a quick changing and complex context, to reflect on the most relevant approaches for cities to plan for sustainable and inclusive quality education for their youngest citizens, children and youth.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Michaela Martin, International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) UNESCO

Individual Presentations

• Planning for SDG4 at the city level: Learning from experiences - Candy Lugaz, International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) UNESCO; Chloé Chimier, International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) UNESCO

• Kigali toward achieving SDG4. Progress and Challenges in Education Planning - Léon MUGABE, University of Rwanda; Vincent Manirakiza, University of Rwanda

• Educational planning in cities: Building a monitoring and evaluation framework for lifelong learning - Alex Howells, UNESCO Institute for lifelong learning (UIL)

Discussant

• Michael Osborne, Professor of Adult and Lifelong Learning and Director of Research, School of Education, University of Glasgow