Education is one of the fundamental rights throughout the world. In a world strewn with problems and issues, education can be the panacea. When Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful tool which you can use to change the world”, Mandela spoke with hindsight and managed to see the future simultaneously. Despite being eschewed from every possible angle and celebrated by generations of geniuses and common people, education remains the most important and most obvious missing piece of the puzzle for a global community.

UN Secretary-General was right when he stated: “The time has come to reignite our collective commitment to education”.

Thus, another step was taken to highlight the importance of universally available quality education. United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 73/25 to establish 24th January as International Day of Education globally. Resolution co-authored by Nigeria and the other Member States was adopted on December 3rd, 2018. This shall serve as a reminder and stimuli to view education as the key to solving pending global problems.

This 2022-year theme for the fourth International Day of Education, “Changing Course, Transforming Education”, aptly encompasses every problematic zone and shows how education can play a vital role in resolving the issue. The International Day of Education is celebrated during the pandemic, which has led to an unprecedented scale and severity of global disruption and change in the organization of education. The current stage of the development of education cannot fail to take into account all the lessons, mistakes and difficulties that states and societies went through during the pandemic. The challenge now is to make education and lifelong learning the focus of recovery and transformation to more inclusive, safe and sustainable societies.

Transforming the future, as outlined in UNESCO's global Futures of Education report, necessitates an urgent rebalancing of our relationships with one another, with nature, and with technology, which pervades our lives and offers unprecedented opportunities while also raising serious concerns about equity, inclusion, and democratic participation.

Sustainable Development Goal 4 calls for inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all. To achieve this, concerted efforts are needed to ensure that all generations have access to free, fair and quality education, as well as training opportunities tailored to their needs. 

Uzbekistan's social and cultural strategy prioritizes the development of high-quality, lifelong education. To achieve Goal 4, Uzbekistan has set six objectives for itself, including raising the quality of primary and secondary education; ensuring that all women and men have equal access to affordable and high-quality secondary specialized, higher, and professional education; improving vocational training at all levels for persons with disabilities; and improving the conditions of educational institutions that provide a safe learning environment for all.

Among existing issues serving as obstacles for educating the global population, COVID-19 has become the biggest obstacle in the shortest time. COVID-19 exacerbated the gap between the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and the set targets. The key feature of the Sustainable Development Goal was its ability to encompass every human being living on Earth. Likewise, COVID-19 affected the lives of all people, of all races, genders, religions, ages, nationalities and beliefs.

The effect of lockdown during the pandemic ran through all levels of education affecting primary, secondary, and tertiary educational institutions equally. Universities around the world had to abandon conventional curricula and methods of delivery for the opportunities offered by the latest technological development. While, the majority of students in developed countries are well-equipped with computers, laptops and other necessary devices to continue their education online, most students in third world countries and even lower-middle-income countries find it hard to afford themselves the luxury of a computer that has internet access. 

Even the presence of digital devices does not guarantee access to education in underdeveloped and in some developing countries. Lack of internet access or poor quality of connection makes it impossible to conduct online lessons using media materials or video conferencing tools. For instance, understanding problems related to connectivity, Uzbekistan has pioneered distance education over TV channels and remote lessons in human rights have been organized using information technologies.

It is the duty of the global community to care for those who are most vulnerable and maintain its commitment to Sustainable Development Goals that have to be achieved by 2030. 

The 2022 theme of International Day of Education has encompassed full vitality and influence range of education. While this observance reminds the world of the achievements in education, recovery, and transformation, it also allows looking ahead through the lens of obstacles they will peg back all the progress made to this day back to its last century level unless acted upon. Thus, the International Day of Education is the celebration of new challenges.

Robiya Arslonova,

Senior Specialist at the National Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan
for Human Rights