SUMMARY G LO B A L E D U C AT I O N M O N I TO R I N G R E P O R T 2 0 1 6 Education can help reduce disaster-related deaths, since educated people tend to exhibit more awareness of risks, a higher degree of preparation and appropriate responses, and smaller average losses when disaster strikes. If universal secondary education were achieved by 2030, then by 2040–2050 there would be 10,000 to 20,000 fewer disasterrelated deaths per decade, compared to the 250,000 deaths between 2000 and 2010, if disaster frequency remained constant. Universal secondary education would have a particularly strong impact on disaster-related deaths in Asia, since it has the largest populations and many of the most vulnerable reside in coastal areas. Education and sustainability: what we know and what we need to do T he preceding section has showcased the many links between education and sustainable development. They suggest that the benefits of completing primary and secondary education are substantial, not only for individuals but for their families, communities and workplaces. More educated men and women tend to be more environmentally aware, more resilient to the impact of climate change, more productive and income generating, and more likely to live healthy lives, be politically engaged and exercise control over their lives. The benefits of educating girls and women are numerous and intergenerational. There is concern that evolving global conditions are altering education’s effects. The world economy, for example, has created enormous wealth for some but left many behind, their lives and livelihoods vulnerable to economic dislocation, persistent poverty or both. Economic down cycles exacerbate political insecurity and conflict, forcing millions to flee. Dislocation due to natural disasters For education to be and climate change undermines country efforts to ensure all young people complete transformative in support at least 12 years of education and to provide ample opportunity for lifelong learning. of the new sustainable development agenda, ‘education as usual’ will not suffice For education to be transformative in support of the new sustainable development agenda, ‘education as usual’ will not suffice. Learning should foster thinking that is relational, integrative, empathetic, anticipatory and systemic. Schools should become exemplary spaces that breathe sustainability – inclusive, democratic, healthy, carbon-neutral places that lay the foundation for achieving the SDGs. The policy recommendations below suggest how education systems can contribute more effectively to sustainable development. ■■ Support collaborations and synergies across all sectors and partners. Since systemic problems require multiple actors and diverse perspectives, stronger efforts are needed to involve all partners, including ministries, education experts, and civil society, at the local and national level, and across sectors. ■■ Governments need to view formal and non-formal education and training as key to their efforts to tackle cross-sector problems. Education can be an important tool for capacity-building in all sectors. Many SDG targets require specialized skills and expertise that education systems provide. ■■ Education can help reduce income inequality, but not on its own. Expanding access by marginalized groups to good quality primary and secondary education will help ensure decent incomes and reduced disparity. Changes to labour market regulations and technology should not penalize workers in less secure jobs, especially in the informal sector. ■■ Education systems need increased and predictable financing to (a) universalize completion of primary and secondary education; (b) increase numbers of qualified, knowledgeable and motivated teachers; (c) provide good quality education to marginalized populations; and (d) prepare for the impact of climate change and the possibility of protracted conflict. 34