SDG 4: Quality Education -- An Educator's Message for the Youth

When I was young, I was persistently taught the importance of education. My parents went through the distance to make sure that it was all my brothers and I had to focus on. Their endeavors were not in vain as my brothers and I, finished several levels of formative education with flying colors. Now as an adult and as an educator myself, I realized how privileged we were in that aspect, in belonging to the upper 80th percentile of the population in terms of quality educational support, while realizing that the majority below it, did not possess the same level of support we had.

I have seen how education does wonders for a person, especially in settings in which families are financially challenged. As much as I commend those who did not let their circumstances get in the way of their education, poverty still is the biggest hindrance in education to date, and this is especially true in developing countries such as the Philippines. The irony of it is, while education has the power to lift a person out of poverty, the cost of quality education – education that provides the relevant knowledge and skills enough to promote life-long learning and continuous sustainable development – still remains far from free. In many parts of the world and in our country, quality education still remains inaccessible to the marginalized: the poor, the indigenous, and those living in difficult and oftentimes disturbing circumstances.

Not only that, but without quality education, the attainment of the majority of the SDGs could not be realized and sustained. For instance, goals such as “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure” and “Responsible Consumption and Production” cannot be attained without being taught the relevance of the basic principles from science, mathematics, and economics which could only be done through quality education. “Gender equality” could not be made sustainable if the marginalized are not educated on how empowering it is for societies to promote gender equality in its practices.

Attaining the rest of the goals also becomes easier when quality education is accessible for all, and with it, the rest of the SDGs are ensured to stay sustainable in the long run, as the youth which will become part of the global workforce in the future, will be equipped with the same values and tools from the caliper of education they are provided.

That is why I urge the youth to prioritize and place Goal 4: Quality Education, of utmost importance. While the first three which are “No Poverty”, “Zero Hunger” and “Good Health and Well-Being”, are in no doubt equally important and at times more urgent problems to solve, the youth however, have a larger and more concrete role to play in the former.

For the youth: you are tasked to help attain this goal by not taking for granted the educational opportunities that is handed before you, especially during the pandemic when our educational modalities are reduced to distance learning. While it was correct that education did not always mean the four walls of the classroom then, it similarly also does not only mean the sole content of your textbooks and modules now. The system is far from perfect, that is why apart from these, continue pursuing education from beyond: stay curious, do not stop reading, learn as much as you can with whatever you have, optimize your tools for your educational advantage, and do not be distracted by the trivialities of circumstances. Eventually, you will develop the habit of life-long learning needed to equip you better as a citizen of the world.

Education has always been symbolized as a torch, or a lamp. This metaphor is seen in our school logos and educational infrastructure since education is almost often the way to combat the darkness of confusion, obliviousness, and ignorance. In our current scenario, some torches and lamps are better than others. Some people already have lamps that are running on electricity, while the rest carry only matches, candle sticks and handheld torches, and a great number unfortunately continue to live in the dark. It is up to us educators and educational institutions to equip each student with the same caliper of light, but we cannot do it without the support and cooperation from our institutions and students. The UN envisions "inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030", and while we are only nine years away from the deadline, I believe all of us can attain this goal by being proactive in our roles in the educational system no matter how small.

_{Roxanne Marie is the twenty-year-old something who calls herself the Protean Creator.}

_{She is a chemical engineer by profession, pole-dancer and blogger by passion and frustration, and lastly, a life enthusiast. She is on a mission to rediscover her truth through the messy iterative process of learning, relearning and unlearning. Currently, she works as a science and research instructor in her hometown, Tagbilaran City, all the while documenting her misadventures, reflections and shenanigans as a working-class millennial here on Hive.}

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