Abstract
Since education is the most influential factor of a sustainable society and the fourth UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) promotes the importance of the quality of education, the chapter proposes the tripartite research method. Firstly, a qualitative analysis of the sustainability and efficiency of the education system is conducted. Secondly, an assessment of the efficiency of 31 European education systems is provided by applying the benefit of the doubt approach. Thirdly, the ranking of the education systems in question was conducted according to the criterion of their efficiency. The research illuminates that 40% of analyzed education systems are above the threshold when it comes to the indicators of education efficiency. Having in mind that the research database exploited in this research is grounded on the indicators from SDG4, the data-based conclusions from this chapter support education systems' reforms targeted at upbringing their efficiency, inclusion, equality, and finally, sustainability as a public service.
TopBackground
Since the publication of 17 SDGs in 2015, United Nations' activities have been devoted to the increase of lifelong learning opportunities for all citizens. Meanwhile, the numbers are not so promising. In 2018 there were 262 million children outside the education system and 617 million persons in their formative years who did not meet the basic level of reading and calculating ability. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic made disruptive changes to the educational systems by affecting 91% of students’ learning methods. Therefore, future SDG4 goals are to enable education opportunities for all, eliminate gender disparities in obtaining all educational levels, increase the level of basic literacy and numeracy and promote the acquisition of skills that contribute to employability improvement, and all of that need to be achieved by 2030 (United Nations, 2022).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Literacy: Literacy is the ability to read, calculate or apply these skills whenever there is a need in the life of an individual.
Education for Sustainability and Development: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is aimed at the educational process devoted to building sustainability competencies in students and thus preparing them for future sustainable implementation in practice.
Education: Education is a process devoted to giving instruction to children and adults in order to obtain general knowledge.
Efficiency: Efficiency, which is doing things with as less resources as possible, is mostly compared with efficacy as an ability to produce the expected result.
National Development: National development is a sum of steps through which one nation plans to overcome obstacles and reach the target level of development from which its inhabitants will benefit the most.
Assessment: Assessment is a systematic process of application of methods and tools for drawing conclusions and recommendations from its output.