Commitment to prioritize education

Jean Maglalang Mercado

The Department of Education (DepEd) has called for the renewal of commitment to prioritize education investment as a mobilizer of COVID-19 recovery efforts and the futures of education.

This was gleaned during the Global Education Meeting 2021 (2021 GEM) recently, co-hosted by UNESCO and the Government of Paris. The high-level segment aims to create a global political momentum to raise the profile of education and its investment imperative, and adopt the “Paris Declaration” to renew national and international leaders’ commitment to education investment and accelerate progress towards UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education).

According to officials, educators should adhere to the principle of shared responsibility to increase education financing. Investing in schools, especially teachers, is one of the vital forces behind global education recovery and a catalyst to education transformation.

Previously, top Education officials highlighted the significance of financing in improving regional and international benchmarks for SDG 2030 indicators during the Ministerial Segment of 2021 GEM last July 13.

On the other hand, an international expert on Tax Policy and Public Expenditure Management supports the Education Minister’s goal in education financing by giving advice.

The real viable way to finance education in a country is through domestic revenue mobilization, experts said, by having a tax system that is simple, fair, transparent, and has good tax administration.

According to the latest GEM report, addressing the gaps in education financing requires policy actions in three key areas: (1) financing, (2) efficiency, and (3) equity.

Meanwhile, UNESCO welcomed the inauguration of the SDG4-Education 2030 HighLevel Steering Committee (HLSC) as a symbol of the global education community’s renewed commitment to quality education and lifelong learning for all, as reaffirmed during the 2020 GEM.

UNESCO stressed that building reinforced global cooperation for the transformation of education towards the full realization of SDG 4 requires prioritization on education investment.

The author

is Teacher

--oOo-

I at Sepung Bulaun Elementary School