On September 4, the coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) met with Argentinean minister of education Alejandro Finocchiaro and formally presented him with their policy papers. The minister thanked the groups and committed to being their “voice within the G20”.
The education ministers’ communique, issued after their G20 meeting on September 5 clearly acknowledged the four areas of concern raised by CSOs, including teachers; skills, equity; and the need for education systems to keep pace with “societal and technological innovation”.
In their communique, the ministers also endorsed a range of concrete policy ideas to address the global education crisis which closely mirrored the key recommendations of the CSOs’ policy papers.
Central to these recommendations were calls by civil society for the international community to recognise the importance of teachers in education, for governments to invest in teacher training and improve the “quality, attractiveness and status of the teaching profession.”
It was urged that this meeting be seen as the beginning of an ongoing process of engagement and dialogue – and not the end of a one-off discussion. At UNGA this year, it was clear that the international community is falling short of its Sustainable Development Goal on education – and forums like G20 are where world leaders can gather to agree on action.
The G20 should make education a standing agenda item, and continue to heed the many and diverse voices of independent civil society groups.