A radical proposal: Evidence-based SDG 4 discussions

The overarching assumption of SDG 4, that progress towards ‘quality education’ will lead to greater sustainability, is not rooted in evidence but instead in ideology. From the outset, a wider set of sustainability indicators (such as ecological footprint) were excluded, and even today, after a decade of work, there exists no indicator to capture ‘sustainability’. Instead SDG 4 discussions remain a mixed bag of routine monitoring of outcomes, advocacy for more funding, and banal policy recommendations. The development ‘specialists’ leading all of this have turned a blind eye to this obvious fact, and shown strikingly little willingness to think differently – a position that is intellectually irresponsible, politically unaccountable, and deeply unethical in the context of an accelerating climate crisis. The next 7 years should be refocused on highlighting alternatives and developing evidence for the post-2030 agenda.