Aligning Lifelong Learning With SDGs

The Social Development Goals (SDGs), which are 17 interconnected objectives aimed at promoting economic growth, social justice and environmental sustainability, was adopted by the United Nations in 2015.

The SDGs pledged to eradicate poverty and hunger, ensure quality education and healthcare, promote gender equality and social justice and to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.

Lifelong learning is also imperative to attain SDGs and also important for India in terms of its social and economic development and India should be vigilant in aligning lifelong learning with UN SDGs.

“Currently, only 50 per cent of the SDGs are on track so it's a very gloomy picture when it comes to SDGs. But the hopeful part is India is critical in achieving SDGs. We have one-sixth of humanity residing in India that means one-third of SDGs reside in India. SDG four, which is access to quality and lifelong learning which is critical in the complex time we live in,” said Sukhman Randhawa, Development Coordination Officer, Partnerships and Development Finance, UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, United Nations, India.

Randhawa also highlighted three key challenges that the world is facing viz climate change and its disruption, digital revolution and its opportunities and pitfalls and conflicts and poly crisis which the world is facing. For all these challenges we need unique solutions, skillsets and adaptive mindset that can only be built through lifelong learning.

Ramona Bakshi, President, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS, India Alumni Chapter highlighted, “There are also specific challenges in promoting lifelong learning among communities in India and urged the experts to suggest ways to bridge this gap.”

“Traditionally it's a question of privilege, lifelong learning starts with privilege in most cases. Whereas, communities which are in the survival or scarcity mindset, it's very difficult to get lifelong learning done. Oftenly, the bottom of the pyramid community is told to ‘do or die’ and this mindset seeps in the mindset. Further, the absence of ecosystems in those communities also pose challenges,” said Akshay Soni, Managing Partner, The Nudge Institute.

Bakshi also put forward the idea of teaching life skills and inspiring individuals to embrace lifelong learning and stay adaptable in an ever evolving world.

“Making the individual understand that lifelong learning should be the priority, instead acing in academic benchmarks. Life skills make calmer and impart critical thinking skills which are required for the 21st century,” said Arti Girdhar, Founder and President, ANON Global Foundation.

Krishankant Chourasia

BW Reporters The author is a Jr Correspondent at BW Businessworld