Paris: President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for greater global investment in education, warning that quality learning must never become a privilege reserved for a few, as world leaders met in Paris to accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).
According to South African Government News Agency, President Ramaphosa addressed the SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee Leaders Group Meeting at UNESCO Headquarters in France. He emphasized that education remains the foundation for achieving all other Sustainable Development Goals and is essential to building resilient and sustainable societies.
The President expressed honor in co-chairing the Leaders Group meeting alongside the Director-General. He highlighted the central role of SDG 4 as the bedrock and enabler of other SDGs, acting as a catalyst for expanding human capability, unlocking opportunity, and delivering progress across the full ambition of Agenda 2030.
President Ramaphosa outlined the mounting global challenges, including conflict, pandemics, poverty, inequality, and climate change, making the global education agenda more crucial than ever. He underscored that inclusive and equitable quality education is key to building resilience and fostering sustainable societies.
The committee's work, as explained by the President, focuses on three priorities: foundational and lifelong learning, strengthening the teaching profession, and promoting inclusive digital transformation. Strong literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills are vital for the educational journey, while digital transformation is necessary to prepare learners for future workplaces and societies.
Education, according to President Ramaphosa, is a universal human right and public good that must be protected from becoming inaccessible to vulnerable communities. He stressed the need to safeguard education against commodification and ensure it does not become a privilege excluding millions based on geography, age, income, gender, or personal circumstances.
The President highlighted the importance of fixing the way education is financed to deliver on its universal promise. He welcomed the Sustainable Financing Pathways endorsed by global partners, describing it as a blueprint that moves away from fragmented aid to credible, long-term fiscal frameworks.
Leveraging domestic resources, aligning concessional finance and private capital with national priorities, and using innovative financing instruments such as debt-for-education swaps are key to closing the education funding gap. However, he warned that corruption, poor planning, and financial mismanagement continue to deprive education systems of necessary resources.
Looking to the future of global education, President Ramaphosa noted that preparations for the post-2030 agenda are underway. Consultations with thousands of young people and education experts are shaping the next phase of global education policy, with calls for improved access to education, mental health attention, flexible learning pathways, and meaningful youth participation in decision-making.
The President urged governments, development partners, and international organizations to translate commitments into action. He called for embedding risk-informed policies into every sectoral strategy, aligning partners with country-led investment plans, treating young people as co-creators, and ensuring gender-responsive planning becomes the norm.
The meeting is part of President Ramaphosa's official visit to France, during which he is co-chairing high-level UNESCO engagements and holding bilateral discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron.