By Thapelo Molefe
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a fundamental overhaul of global education financing, warning that quality education cannot remain out of reach for millions because of poverty, inequality and weak public finances.
Speaking at the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 High-Level Steering Committee Leaders Group meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Friday, Ramaphosa said education was central to achieving the broader United Nations 2030 Agenda and urged countries to strengthen investment in resilient education systems.
Co-chairing the meeting with UNESCO Director-General Prof Khaled El-Enany, Ramaphosa said the world was facing interconnected challenges, including conflict, pandemics, poverty, inequality and climate change, making the global education agenda more urgent than ever.
ALSO READ: Cogta committee backs Treasury funding freeze, warns municipalities to fix governance failures
“SDG 4 occupies a unique position in that it is the bedrock and the enabler of the other SDGs. It is a catalyst for expanding human capability, unlocking opportunity, and delivering progress across the full ambition of Agenda 2030,” he said.
Ramaphosa said quality education must remain a public good rather than a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.
“As such, it must be safeguarded against commodification, and from becoming a privilege that excludes millions of people on account of geography, age, income, gender or personal circumstances. This is what leaving no-one behind means,” he said.
The President identified three priorities for the committee’s work: strengthening foundational and lifelong learning, supporting the teaching profession, and advancing inclusive digital transformation.
He said governments must invest more effectively in education and strengthen public financial management to ensure resources reach classrooms.
“We know that in far too many instances globally, scarce financial resources that could be invested in education are being lost or whittled away due to mismanagement, corruption and poor planning,” Ramaphosa said.
He welcomed the Sustainable Financing Pathways endorsed earlier this year by the Global Partnership for Education, UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank and G7 partners, saying the framework would help countries move away from fragmented aid towards long-term, country-led financing strategies.
Ramaphosa also highlighted innovations such as debt-for-education swaps already being piloted in Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire.
ALSO READ: Ekurhuleni Four: Mkhwanazi and Behari granted R50,000 bail as Mashazi and Gxasheka remain in custody
Looking beyond the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, he said young people were already helping shape the future of global education. Consultations involving 20,000 young people from 95 countries had identified priorities including improved access to education, stronger mental health support, more flexible learning pathways and greater participation in decision-making.
He said the work of 747 experts from 111 countries would inform the Global Education Futures Outlook, which is expected to be presented at the 2027 Global Education Meeting.
Ramaphosa also urged countries to maintain momentum on education reforms through international forums, noting that South Africa had promoted foundational learning, teacher development and the mutual recognition of qualifications during its G20 Presidency.
“The responsibility now falls to each of us. Member States must embed risk-informed policies into every sectoral strategy, partners must align with country-led investment plans rather than creating new projects, young people must be treated as co-creators and not only beneficiaries, and gender-responsive planning must become the norm,” he said.
He concluded by urging world leaders to translate the committee’s commitments into tangible improvements for learners.
“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 to build and deliver education systems worthy of their promise,” Ramaphosa said.
