Ensuring Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education: A Pillar of Sustainable Development

Alarmingly, 258 million children and youth are denied access to education, and approximately 773 million adults remain illiterate, highlighting a critical need for improved educational opportunities worldwide (UIS 2021a). When individuals are deprived of adequate education and struggle with literacy, they are often constrained in their ability to seek out and obtain essential information. This ultimately results in widespread disadvantages that impact daily activities and overall well-being. Gaining education can have a transformative impact on these individuals, enriching their daily experience and career prospects.

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen also states that “widening the coverage and effectiveness of basic education can have a powerful preventive role in reducing human insecurity of nearly every kind” (Sen 2003). Consequently, education plays a vital role in achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), encompassing aspects such as knowledge acquisition, skill development, and human capital formation which will be explored in more detail later. This chapter begins with an examination of global trends in educational cooperation (Sect.4.2). It then delves into the concept of inclusive and equitable quality education, a central tenet of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), the primary education-focused SDG (Sect.4.3). Additionally, this chapter provides a brief overview of education for children with disabilities in Ethiopia, highlighting issues of equity, inclusion and educational quality.