The future of sustainable education is largely reliant on the ability to fund it; however, the gap between sustainable development aspirations and financing to meet them has widened, reaching an estimated US$4 trillion annually. This has trickled down to impact how countries budget for education, ultimately affecting the opportunities provided by the teaching profession. Now more than ever, it is essential to invest in teachers and ensure accessible and equitable education for generations to come. 

The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development took place from 30 June to 1 July 2025 in Sevilla among Heads of State and Governments, gathering with the goal of renewing their shared commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). 

Education, culture, and scientific research are among the most powerful levers for peace and the development of our societies. Ensuring sustainable funding for them is now essential—undermining it would mean undermining our shared future. - Audrey Azoulay (UNESCO Director-General) 

Yet, in this conversation of sustainable development, many key areas were not acknowledged, such as SDG 4 and specifically target 4.c: By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least-developed countries and small island developing States. The event glossed over difficulties in funding sustainable education and failed to outline concrete plans to overcome such problems. Instead, it took a broad approach in advocating for sustainable development as a whole, not necessarily going into the details of what sustainable development consists of. 

Education is a necessary component of sustainability plans. A recent UNESCO report highlights that a deficit in basic skills will cost the global economy potentially US$10 billion annually by 2030. Still, continuous financial obstacles, such as rising trade tensions and sovereign debt, serve as a barrier to addressing this deficit. In response to this, leaders at the conference outlined a detailed agenda calling for stronger financial transparency regarding sustainable development generally. 

Debt as a roadblock towards equitable education 

The discussion surrounding debt must be taken into consideration as an element of funding education. Amid successive global crises, sovereign debt has challenged the notion of sustainable development, and therefore the future of education. The UN Trade and Development found that more than 40% of the world’s population live in countries where more is spent on debt interest payments than education or health.  

“There is an alarming tendency among the international community to regard debts in the developing world as sustainable because they can, after some sacrifice, be paid off,” says UN Trade and Development Secretary-General Rebecca Grynspan. “This view overlooks the skipped meals, forgone investments in education, and lack of public health spending, not to mention reduced investment in infrastructure, that forcibly make room for interest payments.” 

Inadequate financing threatens global sustainable development through escalating education inequalities and reducing learning opportunities; the debt crisis is largely responsible for the lack of monetary attention to education. With this, the United Nations Secretary-General is requested to convene a group working with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank assigned to establish guiding principles on responsible sovereign borrowing and lending.   

Closing the digital divide in education 

In addition to financial obstacles, the rapid and unprecedented advancement of science, technology and innovation has also inhibited developing countries’ ability to maximize potential for sustainable development, as it has deepened digital divides both between and within countries. Unintended economic, environmental, and social impacts have worsened gender inequality and further excluded persons with disabilities, older persons, and those in vulnerable situations. 

The Compromiso de Sevilla states: “We will take action to leverage the positive impacts of digitalization in education and reaffirm our commitment to foster innovation, financial literacy and digital capacity building, including through education and skills development.” 

In education, the digital divide persists. Today, 2.6 billion people still lack access to the internet, or about 32% of the global population. That number increases to 60% of primary schools globally that are not connected to the internet. Therefore, the support of developing and deploying technologies that are affordable, available, equitable, and accessible to all is of utmost importance. Leaders from the conference advocate for financing plans that invest in digital infrastructure across societies while continuing to enhance STEM skills among children, youth, women and girls, persons with disabilities, and people in vulnerable situations. 

Investing in the development of teachers 

Investing in education requires investing in teachers, and that implies salary costs and professionalization initiatives. According to the 2024 Teacher Task Force & UNESCO Global Report on Teachers, the urgent need for 44 million primary and secondary teachers worldwide comes at a cost of US$12.8 billion for universal primary education and US$106.8 billion for universal secondary education. Funding towards maintaining strong salaries and enhancing working conditions is not only essential in retaining existing teachers, but also in attracting qualified candidates to fill these missing positions. Teacher attrition is an exceedingly significant financial cause because high turnover rates require additional investment in recruiting and training new teachers. 

Despite its recognized importance as a sustainable development indicator, education and the role of teachers were overlooked throughout the conference. The only reference to education as an element of development was a vague commitment to supporting “adequate financing to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all.” Yet, the implications are clear: without adequate financial planning, reaching the 2030 SDGs in education will be nearly impossible.  In the discussion of financing for the future of sustainability, the inclusion of education and teachers needs to be better addressed. 

The World Summit on Teachers 

The upcoming World Summit on Teachers presents an opportunity to further discuss the funding of the teacher profession through exploring potential partnerships, innovative financing mechanisms, and different funding strategies. Led by UNESCO and the Government of Chile, the event will take place in Santiago, Chile, on 28 and 29 of August 2025. In conjunction with the Summit, UNESCO and the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 will be publishing a paper about the costing and financing of teachers, emphasizing the need for bold investments and increased education budgets. The report further stresses the necessity of reversing high teacher turnover rates, which disproportionately affect low-income and marginalized communities. Check back soon to read the full paper. 

Learn more 

• The World Summit on Teachers 

• 2024 Teacher Task Force & UNESCO Global Report on Teachers 

• The price of inaction: the global private, fiscal and social costs of children and youth not learning 

This blog post is co-authored by Sophia Ashipala, Head for Education at the African Union Commission, and Quentin Wodon, Director of UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa.
 

Education remains a top priority for Africa. As part of work carried under the Year of Education in 2024, the African Union conducted a review of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2016-2025 (CESA 16-25) and prepared a new strategy for 2026-2035 (CESA 26-35). The new strategy was approved at the African Union’s summit in February 2025 and is now available on the website of the African Union. Separately, the African Union also approved a new strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), also now available online.

CESA 26-35 comprises of four parts: (1) A brief investment case; (2) A review of selected challenges; (3) A framework for action; and (4) A discussion on governance, communications, and monitoring. Part I for the investment case considers (i) Human rights, peace and sustainable development, including considerations related to gender, equity, and inclusion; (ii) Health and social benefits; and (iii) Labor market benefits. Part II reviews progress (or the lack thereof) for schooling and learning, as well as the links between both. It also provides a summary of key findings from the CESA 16-25 review. Part III is the core of the strategy. It provides a framework for action with six strategic areas of focus and 20 objectives. Part IV is about governance, communications, and data for monitoring and evaluation (M&E).

Teachers are at the core of CESA 26-35, with three objectives under the second strategic area in the strategy that focuses on teachers. These three objectives are: (1) Improve teacher policies, education, professional development, and accountability; (2) Increase the attractiveness of the teaching profession; and (3) Invest in school leadership including the share of female leaders where needed. The other five strategic areas under CESA 26-35 focus on (i) Resources and the enabling environment; (ii) Pre-primary to secondary education, with a focus on early learning and foundational, socio-emotional, and 21st century and labor market skills; (iii) Higher Education and TVET; (iv) Second chance programs and lifelong learning; and (v) Gender, equity, and inclusion. Several cross-cutting themes are also mentioned, including (1) digitalization and AI; (2) greening education; and (3) education in emergencies.

A simple visual aims to facilitate communications around strategic areas. The Figure below conveys the idea that education systems must be built, like a house or structure. The first two strategic areas, including the area focusing on teachers, are the foundations, followed by three pillars combined into one strategic area. These pillars relate to the foundational, socio-emotional, and 21st century skills that learners must acquire, especially through pre-primary to secondary education. Those skills also need to be emphasized at higher levels of learning, as well as in second chance programs and lifelong learning, but the period from pre-primary to secondary education is essential. Next come educational opportunities through Higher Education and TVET, and programs for children and youth out of school and for lifelong learning for adults. The roof and outside walls that encompass the whole system must ensure gender-transformative approaches, equity, and inclusion. Finally, the text at the base of the structure highlights a few critical mega-trends that education systems must adapt and respond to.

In total, CESA 26-35 has 20 objectives, a smaller than the Action Areas (AAs) in the previous strategy for 2016 to 2025 (CESA 16-25), in part to convey prioritization. For each objective, the strategy provides a brief explanation of the importance of the objective and links to guidance related to promising interventions and approaches for achieving the objective. UNESCO IICBA played an important role in working with the African Union to draft the strategy and conduct an extensive consultation process before its approval.

As CESA 26-35 is now approved and available online, the next steps will consist in planning its dissemination and implementation. A first implementation meeting with members of the CESA task force was organized in Nairobi in May 2025. On matters related to teachers, the CESA teacher professional development cluster is in the process of providing additional guidance. For example, along CESA 26-35, a separate strategy was adopted by the African Union on mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS) for teachers in Africa.

In future articles for this newsletter, we will provide more details on the MHPSS strategy and the broader implementation plans for CESA 26-35, especially as they pertain to the teaching profession in Africa.