
Institute for Sustainable Development and Learning
15
For this, we can build on the fact
that the UN 2030 Agenda recog-
nizes the “role of education as a
main driver of development and in
achieving the other proposed
SDGs.” SDG 4 elevates the im-
portance of education by setting the
goal of “ensuring inclusive and eq-
uitable quality education and pro-
moting lifelong learning opportuni-
ties for all”. This, at least, can be
seen in the commitments of inter-
national policies. Now, it is time to
make this happen in the class-
rooms and to be innovative in think-
ing about what quality education re-
ally means. It is time for universi-
ties, schools, research institutes,
and organizations working in non-
formal education to take a bold step
in the direction of reinventing them-
selves and adjust their practice to
the reality we are facing in the 21
st
century.
More specifically, when looking at
the nexus of education, sustainabil-
ity, and peace, we should seek ways
to move forward with the implemen-
tation of SDG 4.7, which seeks to
“ensure all learners acquire the
knowledge and skills needed to pro-
mote sustainable development, in-
cluding, among others, through ed-
ucation for sustainable develop-
ment and sustainable lifestyles, hu-
man rights, gender equality, the
promotion of a culture of peace and
nonviolence, global citizenship, and
an appreciation of cultural diversity
and of cultures’ contribution to sus-
tainable development”.
In doing so, it is essential to under-
line the linkages between quality
education and education for sus-
tainable development. I would say
that if education for sustainable de-
velopment is really implemented
through a participatory process that
is contextual, meaningful, and
transformative, as desired, it should
be considered quality education.
Gadotti (2010) believed that “the
concept of sustainability contrib-
utes to the construction of a new
quality in education”. In addition, it
is crucial to find synergies and build
bridges among the various types of
education for social transformation
identified in SDG 4.7.
According to the Incheon Declara-
tion and Framework for Action for
the implementation of SDG 4,
“quality education fosters creativity
and knowledge and ensures the ac-
quisition of the foundational skills
of literacy and numeracy, as well as
analytical, problem-solving, and
other high-level cognitive, interper-