Ramaphosa: Education the bedrock of sustainable development

Ramaphosa’s visit included high‑level diplomatic engagements with French President Emmanuel Macron and a leadership role at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation headquarters in Paris. He co‑chaired the leaders’ meeting of the UNESCO High‑Level Steering Committee (HLSC) on Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) at the invitation of UNESCO director‑general Khaled El‑Enany.

Why education matters, Ramaphosa said

In his address, Ramaphosa warned that the world’s complex challenges make the global education agenda “more critical than ever.” He said:

“We meet at a time when our world faces complex and interconnected challenges, including conflicts, pandemics, poverty and inequality, and the worsening impacts of climate change. This makes the global SDG 4 agenda more critical than ever.”

Three pillars for action

Ramaphosa outlined three pillars for action: foundational and lifelong learning, strengthening the teaching profession, and inclusive digital transformation. He said:

“Strong literacy, numeracy and socio‑emotional skills are the scaffolding that holds up the educational journey.”

He added that outcomes improve when teachers are “capacitated, given the necessary resources, and supported in their work.”

The president also described digital transformation as “non‑negotiable” for preparing learners for the future.

Financing and accountability

Ramaphosa emphasised that education is both a universal human right and “a public good” that must be protected from commodification and exclusion. He said financing is the critical lever:

“For education to deliver on its universal and timeless promise, we have to fix the way it is financed.”

He pointed to the Sustainable Financing Pathways endorsed the previous year as a blueprint for long‑term fiscal frameworks and highlighted innovations such as debt‑for‑education swaps piloted in Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire. He also warned against mismanagement and corruption that drain resources and urged support for initiatives to strengthen public financial management in countries including Jordan, Madagascar, and Burkina Faso.

Young people and resilience

Looking beyond 2030, Ramaphosa noted that 20 000 young people from 95 countries had voiced demands for greater access, mental health support, flexible learning pathways and participation in decision‑making, saying:

“Young people must be treated as co‑creators and not only beneficiaries.”

He called for resilient education systems that “anticipate disruption, adapt with equity, and are ultimately transformative,” urging member states to embed risk‑informed policies, align investments with national strategies, and ensure gender‑responsive planning. He concluded:

“Let us leave Paris today with the resolve to turn the decisions of this Committee into the daily reality of every learner. The generation of today and the generations of the future are counting on us.”