IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/glopol/v10y2019is1p39-51.html

The Many Meanings of Quality Education: Politics of Targets and Indicators in SDG4

Author

Listed:
  • Elaine Unterhalter

Abstract

The formulation of the SDG education targets was more inclusive than the processes linked with the MDGs. Key constituencies making representations through the Open Working Group and other consultative processes succeeded in formulating targets that stressed inclusion, quality and equality in all phases of education. However, the development of the global indicators for SDG4, has resulted in metrics that miss many of the values of the targets, most notably with regard to quality and free education and substantive, not simply distributive, meanings of equality. The article analyses why some of these slippages took place, and what potential there may be to mobilise for metrics that better depict the key tenets of the education goal and targets. The analysis thus considers ways forward for exploring measurement of the many meanings of quality and equalities in education, reflecting on numbers as instruments that impose power and hierarchy, and the possibility of using reflections on numbers and indicators for critical dialogue and an enhancement of participation, accountability, and work to change injustices in education.

Suggested Citation

  • Elaine Unterhalter, 2019. "The Many Meanings of Quality Education: Politics of Targets and Indicators in SDG4," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 10(S1), pages 39-51, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:glopol:v:10:y:2019:i:s1:p:39-51
    DOI: 10.1111/1758-5899.12591
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12591
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1758-5899.12591?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Abdellah Kabli & Alessandro Rizzello & Annarita Trotta, 2021. "Roadmapping New Impact Bonds in a Post-COVID World: Insights from Case Studies in the Education Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-16, April.
    2. Antoninis, Manos, 2023. "SDG 4 baselines, midpoints and targets: Faraway, so close?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    3. Almulhim, Abdulaziz I. & Abubakar, Ismaila Rimi, 2026. "The role of renewable energy in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: A systematic review and conceptual framework," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    4. Nkrumah, Rodney Buadi & Sinha, Vandna & Hanley, Jill & Denov, Myriam, 2026. "Beyond macro-indicators: Exploring micro-level educational experiences (MLEs) reinforcing learning inequality in rural northern Ghana," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    5. Boadi, Samuel & Osei-Tutu, Paul & Acquah, Emmanuel & Tenkorang, Mary, 2025. "Physical injuries among illegal miners in Ghana: Implications for attaining the sustainable development goals," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    6. S. Vögele & K. Govorukha & P. Mayer & I. Rhoden & D. Rübbelke & W. Kuckshinrichs, 2023. "Effects of a coal phase-out in Europe on reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 879-916, January.
    7. Langthaler, Margarita & Malik, Julia, 2023. "Inequalities in education from a global perspective: Theoretical approaches, dimensions and policy discussions," Briefing Papers 34, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE).
    8. Liliana Pedraja-Rejas & Emilio Rodríguez-Ponce & Camila Muñoz-Fritis & David Laroze, 2023. "Sustainable Development Goals and Education: A Bibliometric Review—The Case of Latin America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-19, June.
    9. K. Kougias & E. Sardianou & A. Saiti, 2023. "Attitudes and Perceptions on Education for Sustainable Development," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 425-445, March.
    10. Francesco Chelli & Mariateresa Ciommi & Francesca Mariani & Gloria Polinesi & Maria Cristina Recchioni & Giuseppe Ricciardo Lamonica & Luca Salvati, 2022. "A Story of Strengths and Weaknesses in Tertiary Education: Evaluating ‘Mobility’ and ‘Opportunities’ in OECD Countries with Composite Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-19, December.
    11. Ydesen, Christian & Elfert, Maren, 2023. "SDG4 as a global governance tool and the quest for recognizing diversity – Implications emerging from the intersections between inclusive education and assessment," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    12. Jiacheng Xu & Jianjun Bai & Jun Chen, 2019. "An Improved Indicator System for Evaluating the Progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Sub-Target 9.1 in County Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-22, September.
    13. Fukuda-Parr Sakiko & Smaavik Hegstad Thea, 2018. "“Leaving No One Behind” as a Site of Contestation and Reinterpretation," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 9(2), pages 1-11, December.
    14. Danli Yang & Jianwei Sun & Shuangyu Xie & Jing Luo & Fangqin Yang, 2025. "Spatial Accessibility Characteristics and Optimization of Multi-Stage Schools in Rural Mountainous Areas in China: A Case Study of Qixingguan District," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-20, April.
    15. Ismael Moya Clemente & Gabriela Ribes Giner & Gisela Sanahuja Vélez, 2020. "Towards Sustainability in University Education. Improving University Graduates Chances of Employability by Participation in a High Achievement Academic Program," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-17, January.
    16. Fontdevila, Clara, 2023. "The politics of good enough data. Developments, dilemmas and deadlocks in the production of global learning metrics," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    17. Sotiria Grek, 2022. "The education Sustainable Development Goal and the generative power of failing metrics [The Learning Metrics Task Force 2.0: Taking the Global Dialogues on Measuring Learning to the Country Level]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 41(4), pages 445-457.
    18. Adeniran, Adedeji & Ishaku, Joseph & Akanni, Lateef Olawale, 2020. "Is Nigeria experiencing a learning crisis: Evidence from curriculum-matched learning assessment," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    19. Isabela Caroline de Sousa & Tiago F. A. C. Sigahi & Izabela Simon Rampasso & Gustavo Hermínio Salati Marcondes de Moraes & Walter Leal Filho & João Henrique Paulino Pires Eustachio & Rosley Anholon, 2024. "A Delphi–Fuzzy Delphi Study on SDGs 9 and 12 after COVID-19: Case Study in Brazil," Forecasting, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-18, July.
    20. Ana Carolina Ferreira Costa & Andresa Monique de Brito Silva & Maximilian Espuny & Aglaé Baptista Torres Rocha & Otávio José de Oliveira, 2024. "Toward quality education: Contributions of EdTech to the achievement of the fourth United Nations sustainable development goal," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 1634-1651, June.
    21. Baoqing Song & Jie Ren & Xiaohu Wang & Xiang Xie, 2025. "College Students’ Views on Museum Learning: A Sustainable Aesthetic Education Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-14, January.
    22. Thor Olav Iversen, 2023. "Boundary experts: Science and politics in measuring the Sustainable Development Goals," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 14(4), pages 600-610, September.
    23. Liu, Huacong & Fernandez, Frank & Grotlüschen, Anke, 2019. "Examining self-directedness and its relationships with lifelong learning and earnings in Yunnan, Vietnam, Germany, and the United States," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1-1.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Paulina Schiappacasse & Bernhard Müller & Le Thuy Linh, 2019. "Towards Responsible Aggregate Mining in Vietnam," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-15, August.
    2. Pina Puntillo, 2023. "Circular economy business models: Towards achieving sustainable development goals in the waste management sector—Empirical evidence and theoretical implications," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 941-954, March.
    3. Mariana Chudnovsky & Diana Martínez Medina & Agustín Filippo, 2026. "Parity in Public Administration as a Moving Target: The Role of Women Policy Agencies in Mexico," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46(1), pages 60-76, February.
    4. Schlör, Holger & Venghaus, Sandra & Hake, Jürgen-Friedrich, 2018. "The FEW-Nexus city index – Measuring urban resilience," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 382-392.
    5. Jean-Louis Combes & Alexandru Minea & Pegdéwendé Nestor Sawadogo, 2019. "Assessing the effects of combating illicit financial flows on domestic tax revenue mobilization in developing countries," CERDI Working papers halshs-02019073, HAL.
    6. Hussain Zaid H Alsharif & Shu Tong, 2019. "Green Product Innovation Strategies for Environmental Sustainability in the Construction Sector," Journal of Contemporary Research in Social Sciences, Michael Laurence, vol. 1(6), pages 126-135.
    7. Cromwell R. Cabalu, 2026. "Community Needs Assessment among Residents of Barangay Palico II in Imus City, Cavite: Basis for Community-Based Extension and Development Programs," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 10(2), pages 6907-6920, February.
    8. Huang, Yatao & Jiao, Wenxian & Wang, Kang & Li, Erling & Yan, Yutong & Chen, Jingyang & Guo, Xuanxuan, 2022. "Examining the multidimensional energy poverty trap and its determinants: An empirical analysis at household and community levels in six provinces of China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    9. Samed Yasin Öztürk & Gonca Yangın Ekşi, 2025. "Fostering Intercultural Competence through Telecollaboration on SDGs: A Multinational Study With Student Teachers," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(4), pages 21582440251, November.
    10. Beata Kalinowska & Piotr Bórawski & Aneta Bełdycka-Bórawska & Bogdan Klepacki & Aleksandra Perkowska & Tomasz Rokicki, 2022. "Sustainable Development of Agriculture in Member States of the European Union," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-21, March.
    11. Roxana Maria Bădîrcea & Nicoleta Mihaela Doran & Alina Georgiana Manta & Camelia Cercel (Zamfirache) & Elena Jianu & Axinte Gheorghe, 2025. "Bridging Regional Development and Sustainability: The Contribution of the European Regional Development Fund to Sustainable Development Goals Progress in the EU," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-25, April.
    12. Marta Marson & Donatella Saccone & Elena Vallino, 2023. "Total trade, cereals trade and undernourishment: new empirical evidence for developing countries," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 159(2), pages 299-332, May.
    13. Topalli Margerita & Papavangjeli Meri & Ivanaj Silvester & Ferra Blerta, 2021. "The Impact of Foreign Direct Investments on Poverty Reduction in the Western Balkans," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 15(1), pages 129-149, January.
    14. Jorge Cerqueiro-Pequeño & Alberto Comesaña-Campos & Manuel Casal-Guisande & José-Benito Bouza-Rodríguez, 2020. "Design and Development of a New Methodology Based on Expert Systems Applied to the Prevention of Indoor Radon Gas Exposition Risks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-32, December.
    15. Nelson, Ewan & Warren, Peter, 2020. "UK transport decoupling: On track for clean growth in transport?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 39-51.
    16. Brenda Imelda Boroel Cervantes & José Alfonso Jiménez Moreno & Salvador Ponce Ceballos & José Sánchez Santamaría, 2021. "An Evaluation of the Formative Experiences of Students Enrolled in Postgraduate Studies in Education: Case Study in Northern Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-16, April.
    17. Lui, Jade & Chen, Wei-Hsin & Tsang, Daniel C.W. & You, Siming, 2020. "A critical review on the principles, applications, and challenges of waste-to-hydrogen technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    18. Raïssa Shiyghan Nsashiyi & Md Mizanur Rahman & Lawrence Monah Ndam & Masahiro Hashizume, 2025. "A subnational socioeconomic assessment of family planning levels, projections, and disparities among married women of reproductive age in Cameroon," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(2), pages 1-18, February.
    19. Andrea Gatto, 2020. "A pluralistic approach to economic and business sustainability: A critical meta‐synthesis of foundations, metrics, and evidence of human and local development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 1525-1539, July.
    20. Ibrahim Ari & Muammer Koc, 2018. "Sustainable Financing for Sustainable Development: Understanding the Interrelations between Public Investment and Sovereign Debt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-25, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:glopol:v:10:y:2019:i:s1:p:39-51. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lsepsuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.