An Advocates reflection.
Developing countries are vulnerable to becoming the first states to face inequality, education, and poverty, which is caused by a lack of societal awareness and many other factors. The United Nations as the highest institution in the world is responsible for leading sustainable development and driving everyone, especially youth - who have energy and purpose - to be part of this movement by empowering and educating people to achieve a sustainable future.
World leaders should pay attention to urgent issues and find solutions that can be implemented easily and accessibly. There are many goals that are needed to achieve sustainable development. At the same time, there are a lot of challenges, particularly for developing countries. In developing countries, there are many intersectional issues to address such as society, the economy, and culture. Some people see the Sustainable Development Goals as too hard to achieve and too complicated. Therefore, we need to provide clarity that the SDGs are covering the basic problems mentioned above, especially around education.
Similar to many countries, my country of Pakistan is facing problems regarding the implementation of sustainable development. Pakistan is the second-highest number out of school children, with an estimated 22.8 million children aged 5-16 years old, (Unicef Pakistan). The educational situation in Pakistan might seem dire, but many children still have high motivation to receive quality education no matter what.
I believe that Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) can be a solution for all education problems all over the world including in my country. Many countries implement ESD in order to empower young people and society. In Pakistan, ESD is a new tool and not quite a popular issue even in schools. However, this can be a great opportunity for me as an advocate of Global Schools to begin the acts and influence young people and educators in school communities.
Every young person all over the world can engage and contribute to SDGs related to quality education or those that they are passionate about, including me. The need to educate students and educators can create new habits and new positive environments that will benefit schools and societies.
Writer: Shumile Fatima - Pakistan Advocates
Editor: Dorpaima Lumban Gaol
