Written by Louise Gookey | Published: 9th May 2021
Quality education is one of the 17 Global Goals and sits alongside no poverty, gender equality and good health.
Two of the targets set within quality education are:
‘By 2030 to ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.’
And, ‘by 2030 to ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.’
However, according to the international children's charity Humanium there are still 72 million children of primary school age who are not in education and 759 million adults who are illiterate and do not have the tools available to improve their living conditions. Also, with only 6.7% of the world having obtained a bachelor's degree, these goals seem somewhat far away.
Education is one of the fundamental factors of development, both personally, as it improves quality of lives and leads to wide social benefits, but also economically as it increases creativity, productivity and promotes entrepreneurship.
During the pandemic there has been a huge shift to online education with mixed results. The poverty gap has become wider, or we certainly have become more aware of it, with issues such as a lack of teacher training, no support within the home and accessibility to technology as huge problems.
According to a report from Statista, as of January 2021 there were 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide which is only 59.5 percent of the global population.
Those who have had access to technology have had the world of education open up to them and the ability to learn on a global scale has become a tool, not just for the pandemic, but for the future.
Virtual reality training, flexible learning, modular degrees, are just some of the benefits of a global, online, education system. This system allows you to learn from experts and receive high quality education from anywhere in the world.
As we continue to fight for internet access across the globe, many learning platforms and charities have discounted or even made resources freely available for those from a disadvantaged background. Many are also working closely with refugee camps to offer education for the vulnerable.
At present the only way of ensuring these free education tools and programs get to the right people is by doing it manually.
The Digital Education Awards are launching an initiative called ‘GiftEd’ this summer where educational establishments can directly donate resources in the form of a discount code to the platform. We will ensure that this code goes directly to the people who need it the most, the aim is to improve the quality of education for the most vulnerable around the globe in a simple straightforward way ensuring no one is missed.
Small steps add up and make a massive impact. Every course we gift to someone who otherwise would not have access to it, every teacher who is trained, every item of technology received changes not just that person's life but the lives of those around them.
Please do get in touch if you would like to develop this with us: ravi@digitaleducationawards.com
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