The International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)-UNESCO first explored how cities are becoming crucial stakeholders in pursuit of the sustainable development goal for equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all (SDG 4) in four French cities and has since put together recommendations on how to improve the role of cities in educational planning and management.

This actionable research  - Cities and Education 2030 - has now gone global, encompassing five cities on three continents. We are now collaborating with the  GCRF Centre for Sustainable, Healthy and Learning Cities and Neighbourhoods (SHLC) at the University of Glasgow and the PASCAL Observatory’s Learning Cities Network

The new cities are Dhaka and Khulna (Bangladesh), Manila (Philippines), and Kigali (Rwanda), each cities who are part of SHLC and alongside Medellín (Colombia) involved in the PASCAL Network.

Michael Osborne, Professor of Adult and Lifelong Learning, Director of PASCAL and co-Investigator within SHLC at the University of Glasgow, told IIEP how he encouraged their partners in Bangladesh, Rwanda, and the Philippines in SHLC to participate in the research because of their mutual understanding of education’s role in urban development and the need for robust quantitative and qualitative data. 

Smart cities, healthy cities, sustainable cities – many of today’s urban centres are increasingly solution-driven, dynamic, and innovative as they address often-interlinked challenges, such as pollution, lack of green space, or overcrowding. “There are many adjectives put in front of cities,” says Osborne. But more often than not education is not seen as a primary aspect of urban development. However, this research should raise more awareness in these cities on the role of education – and learning more broadly – as the foundation of development, and urban development.”

For more information on this programme of work please follow this link.

In a separate posting at this link, Alexandra Agudelo Ruíz, Secretary of Education, for Medellín explains how this research will contribute to both local and global education goals.