SGG 4: Educational Equity and Lifelong Learning
A core pillar of the Agenda for Social Equity 2074, establishing a universal reference standard for equitable, inclusive, and lifelong access to education and skills development.
Goal Statement and Definition
Goal Statement
Ensure equitable access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all individuals, enabling the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for personal dignity, meaningful participation in society, and adaptive capacity across changing social and economic conditions.
Definition
For the purposes of Agenda 2074, educational equity and lifelong learning refers to the condition in which all individuals—regardless of gender, socio‑economic status, geography, disability, age, or migration status—are able to access, progress through, and meaningfully benefit from education and skills development across the life course. Equity requires that structural barriers to access, retention, completion, and relevance are identified and removed, and that education systems adapt to diverse learning needs, pathways, and life situations.
Strategic Rationale
Educational inequity is one of the most durable drivers of social exclusion and intergenerational disadvantage. Where access to learning is unequal, rigid, or misaligned with social and labor realities, societies experience diminished productivity, weakened civic participation, and reduced capacity to manage economic, technological, and environmental transitions.
Agenda for Social Equity 2074 therefore treats education not as a one‑time institutional process, but as a lifelong social infrastructure. Educational systems must enable initial learning, reskilling, upskilling, and recognition of prior learning throughout the life course. Equity in education is achieved not solely by enrollment, but by relevance, adaptability, inclusion, and the capacity of systems to respond to social change. Progress under this goal strengthens the foundation for decent work, social mobility, democratic participation, and ethical technological adoption.
Targets
In order to realise this goal, institutions across the public, private, cooperative, and civil‑society spheres should, as a minimum:
- Ensure equitable access to quality education at early, primary, secondary, and post‑secondary levels, free from discrimination or exclusion.
- Establish inclusive lifelong learning systems that enable reskilling, upskilling, and vocational progression across the life course.
- Remove structural barriers to educational participation, including financial, geographic, digital, and disability‑related barriers.
- Align education and training pathways with societal needs, technological change, and labor‑market transition, without reducing education to short‑term employability.
- Ensure transparency, accountability, and learner‑centered support mechanisms throughout education and training systems.
Targets are context‑adaptive and may be implemented through diverse institutional arrangements, provided that educational equity and lifelong accessibility are preserved.
Indicative Indicators
Progress under SGG 4 may be illustrated through proportionate, non‑financial indicators, including but not limited to:
- Participation and completion rates across education levels, disaggregated by socio‑economic and demographic factors.
- Availability and accessibility of lifelong learning and vocational reskilling pathways.
- Recognition mechanisms for prior learning and non‑formal competencies.
- Inclusion measures addressing disability access, digital equity, and geographic reach.
- Learner support, guidance, and grievance mechanisms within education and training institutions.
Indicators focus on access, progression, relevance, and system adaptability rather than aggregate education spending.
Alignment with Global and Regional Frameworks
Social Global Goal 4 strengthens and extends the educational commitments of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), while reinforcing linkages to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) by embedding lifelong learning and equity as structural requirements.
The goal aligns closely with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, notably Aspiration 1 (A Prosperous Africa Based on Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development) and Aspiration 6 (An Africa Whose Development Is People‑Driven), by emphasizing human capital development, inclusive skills formation, and access to education as foundations for dignity, productivity, and social cohesion.
In European contexts, SGG 4 complements the European Green Deal by supporting the skills and learning transitions required for a just and inclusive shift toward climate‑neutral and digitally enabled economies. It reinforces the role of equitable education and reskilling in ensuring that individuals and communities are not excluded from green and technological transformation processes.
Position within Agenda 2074
