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Quality education is among the sustainable development goals (SDG-17) adopted by the global community already about a decade ago. The “educational SDG-4” has set some vital parameters for national and global governance to assist political economies’ patterns towards progressive growth. The SDG-4 for long is being an integral part of the EU’s member states’ policies, and providing additional important elements in modern education and training to streamline job creation and new trends in employment.
Background
It is apparent that qualified and experienced workforce has to be, first of all, “qualitatively taught”: that means the whole education process and teaching methods have to be up to the modern time requirements, while facing existing and mounting challenges.
Therefore, it is important to see the world-wide sustainable development goals’ (SDGs) implementation through one of the most vital goals, i.e. the SDG-4 aimed at providing the “quality education for all”.
With global and European growth challenges while looking into future, it has to be acknowledged that teaching and –most probably- the whole education providing systems and processes must evolve. It means that the education policies will need to be oriented not only towards optimal growth and sustainable development; teaching students has to be environmentally oriented in training “deep-thinking” abilities to create responsible and moral leaders, ready to face unprecedented challenges.
Modern research facilities in education
Annual world-wide growth in scientific research and academic papers related to SDG-4, i.e. concerning the education quality during last ten years (2015-2024, measured e.g. by the number of citations), is regarded low and various aspects of the SDG-4 targets remain underexplored.
Analysis of ten most productive global journals in SDG 4 research during the decade (with the most cited articles) has shown that in order to accelerate progress toward SDG-4, future research should address existing gaps, such as inclusive education policy development, equitable access to educational technology, as well as sustainable and AI models for lifelong learning, particularly for women and informal sector workers.
Besides, there is a need to strengthen teachers’ training in low-resource and conflict-affected areas, to improve early childhood education for marginalized groups, and build crisis-resilient education systems.
Additionally, some researchers add, “efforts should focus on tracking progress in non-formal education, evaluating the role of civil society in accountability, and exploring innovative financing models to ensure universal, quality and equitable education for all”.
Source and citations from: https://ijmrast.com/index.php/ijmrast/article/view/160/136
Global analysis
The educational SDG-4 conditions in the world has attracted contributions from researchers across 145 countries, according to the mentioned study: the top 10 countries are USA (659 articles), the UK (479), Australia (290), Spain (256), China (253), South Africa (241), Canada (220), Germany (209), India (158) and Russia (131).
The analysis reveals a strong concentration of SDG-4 research in developed countries. “These nations benefit from established research infrastructure, enabling them to lead in educational development,” the study stated. The number of published research papers increased from 270 in 2015 to 752 in 2024: it reflects a threefold increase in growing emphasis on SDG 4-related research over the years.
“However, there was also a noticeable increase in research output from developing countries, reflecting a growing recognition of SDG-4’s relevance and the need to address specific regional challenges,” the study pointed out. “This upward trend signals a positive shift toward a more inclusive global research landscape committed to advancing education for all.”
The study found that the top five journals publishing SDG 4-related research during 2015-24 included: – the International Journal of Inclusive Education, – Sustainability, – the International Journal of Lifelong Education, – the International Journal of Inclusive Education, and – the European Journal of Special Needs Education.
Based on World University News’ publication, the most substantial contributions to SDG 4 research were made by the following scientific disciplines: e.g. social sciences (3,405 articles) and computer science (756); the trend was followed by psychology (542), arts and humanities (461), and engineering (412).
The decade-long analysis has confirmed that the so-called inclusive education and lifelong learning have been dominant themes in SDG 4 research, reflected in frequently cited articles and publication in leading journals and influential publications.
Reference to: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250825134112798
Recommendations
The University World News has formulated some recommendations based on the mentioned research data; thus, the study mentioned some points for accelerating progress toward SDG-4, including addressing critical research gaps, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and ensuring equitable educational development worldwide as the 2030 Agenda progresses.
Because of the interdisciplinary essence of research on SDG 4, the study emphasised the necessity for collaborative endeavors across diverse academic fields in tackling intricate educational issues.
It was also pointed out a need to strengthen teachers’ training and awareness in approaching modern global challenges, such as digitalisation, sustainability, renewables, etc. Thus, to assist in re-skilling existing workforce and educate the newly-needed specialists, the education providers have to be “adequately prepared”. Modernising national education policies is a necessary step in national governance to draft and create crisis-resilient education systems.
Besides, efforts should focus on tracking progress in non-formal education, evaluating the role of civil society when it comes to accountability and exploring innovative financing models to ensure universal, quality and equitable education for all.
Finally, reviewers called for greater investment and engagement from developed countries to less developed ones in tackling global challenges related to educational sustainability, along with addressing region-specific educational challenges.
Source: Quality education research progresses despite low impact, by Wagdy Sawahel (August 2025), in: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250825134112798