Keywords

Education is a component of sustainable development with its strong effects at global, regional and local levels. The biggest challenge the world faces in this context is the preservation and continuous improvement of the effort put forward to provide sustainable education in studies on education (Franco et al. 2020). The lack of chances for learning (also education) stymies social, economic and sustainable development and long-term stability and peace. Learning is especially essential for individuals who have been banned from formal schooling or who have not achieved basic skills and education. Learning is required to accomplish the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, titled Transforming Our World (UN 2015), including 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and 169 related targets. The goal of providing opportunities for lifelong learning for everyone emphasises the global education agenda’s comprehensive character and its importance for achieving all SDGs by 2030. To provide comprehensive learning opportunities and systems, this integrated approach supports the concept that bridges must be built among and amongst actors, institutions, processes, learning places and times (Hanemann 2019).

The main purpose of the fourth SDG, under the title of “Quality Education”, put forward by the United Nations, is to encourage the principles and practices of sustainable development to create societies with exceptional opportunities in all fields of education (Franco et al. 2020). Today, almost 262 million children and adolescents are out of school. Sixty percent of school goers do not acquire basic numeracy and literacy skills in their first few school years. Seven hundred fifty million adults in the world are illiterate, which adversely affects the welfare of societies and reveals marginalisation (UNESCO 2021). Despite this situation, the enrolment rate in regions that continue to develop rose to 91% in 2015 because of active work carried out since 2000. As a result of these efforts, the number of children who are out of school has nearly halved. In addition, the significant increase in girls’ school enrolment and literacy rates are also among the remarkable achievements (United Nations Development Programme 2021). At the micro-level of society, the impact of epidemics of acute infectious disease on people, families and communities may be enormous. Children may lose their chance of going to school due to consequences or demands at home in the event of a large epidemic, at least until they are older (Kekić and Miladinovic 2013). These adverse outcomes of epidemics can easily be caused by pandemics as well. For example, the COVID-19 outbreak caused widespread school cancellations in 188 countries, affecting almost 1.5 billion children and adolescents. Only 30% of low-income countries have built a national distance learning platform. Nevertheless, over 65% of countries have done so. Almost 33% of young people in the world were already digitally excluded before the crisis. Also, girls have less access to digital technology than boys, restricting their online learning opportunities. It is especially challenging to reach children with mental or physical disabilities through online education programs. Distance education quality and accessibility will vary considerably within and between nations. Only 15 countries worldwide offer distance education in several languages (United Nations 2020). As a result, education plays a massive role in bringing societies to a certain level of resilience. All kinds of education are essential in generating sustainable development and in environmental problems, employment problems and industrial operation (UN Environment Programme 2021).

The objectives of SDG-4 concerning the problems as mentioned above are to present equality of opportunity based on literacy, numeracy and broader learning competencies, which are the most basic learning levels of education in general, from kindergarten, or nursery, to vocational schools and university (Unterhalter 2019). Expanding possibilities throughout all levels of education (preschool, primary, secondary, vocational, higher and adult education) is one of SDG-4’s goals. The goals expand the definition of education as a worldwide enterprise to include objectives in reading, numeracy and other areas such as global citizenship, sustainability and gender equality (Unterhalter 2019). Figure 6.1 demonstrates the targets set by the UN in the field of quality education under the name SDG-4 (United Nations 2021a, b, c).

Fig. 6.1
An illustration of the U N's view of targets of S D G 4 is represented in 10 boxes. Targets 4.1, 4.3, 4.5, 4.7, and 4. B are on the left boxes. Targets 4.2, 4.4, 4.6, 4. A, and 4. C are on the right boxes. A diagram is along with each box. Target 4.1 free primary and secondary education. Target 4.6 universal literacy and numeracy.

Targets of SDG-4 quality education (United Nations 2021a, b, c)

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“Quality education”, one of 17 different development goals, emphasises an egalitarian, inclusive, quality and lifelong education content. Achieving the goals set in the scope of SDG-4 is also of great importance in terms of achieving other sustainable development goals. Along with literacy and access to primary education, higher educational institutions are considered to be highly influential in achieving sustainable development, with a social responsibility to bring forth a setting that cultivates sustainable development amidst their students and communities (Ferguson and Roofe 2020). In addition to SDG targets, trade activities in countries are directly related to education. The lack of educational opportunities in a particular region, that is, the lack of professional and personal skills of the people living in that region, has a significant impact on the creation of new business areas in the region and the disruption of various entrepreneurial and investment activities. Investing in people is of great importance for faster economic developments (Cervelló-Royo et al., 2020).

Although primary school attendance in developing nations has reached 91%, 57 million children are excluded from school. Many of the other SDGs can only be achieved through a good education. If people can get a good education, they can break the cycle of poverty (United Nations 2021a, b, c; Patel20 2019). Due to high poverty levels, armed conflict and other emergencies, progress has also been hampered in developing regions. The number of youngsters out of school has risen due to the continuous violent situations in West Asia and North Africa. Although Sub-Saharan Africa has accomplished the most improvement of any developing region regarding primary school enrolment, substantial inequities still exist. Children from the poorest homes are four times more likely to drop out of school than those from the wealthiest households. Inequalities between rural and urban areas continue to be significant (Joint Sdg Fund 2021). Education has a critical role in reducing inequity and achieving gender equality. It also allows people worldwide to lead healthier and more sustainable lives (United Nations 2021a, b, c).

Education also plays a role in fostering intercultural tolerance, promoting a more peaceful society (United Nations 2021a, b, c). It is also a potent instrument for enhancing societal resilience. Formal and informal education and public awareness and training are essential for encouraging sustainable development, strengthening people’s and countries’ capacity to handle environmental and development concerns and establishing green and decent employment and industries (UNEP 2021). Education plays a significant part in developing tolerance in people interactions and the development of much more friendly communities. Fair access for females to education, medical care, decent jobs and involvement in economic and political institutions would improve humanity and the world economy’s sustainability. Funding in educational initiatives for females and raising the age of marriage would provide a fivefold return on investment (Koßmann 2019).

SDG-4 aims for all boys and girls to have equal access to elementary and secondary education and early childhood development programs and accessible university education for both men and women by 2030. This goal’s main aim is to increase young people’s numeracy and literacy abilities while also ensuring that all people, regardless of gender or handicap, have an equal chance (Joint SDG Fund 2021). Simultaneously, increased access to university education, as well as vocational and technical training, is emphasised. Within this context, available scholarships for students from developing nations to enrol in higher education, vocational training programs and other science programs in developed or developing countries are gradually increasing (Patel20 2019).

SDG-4’s main goal, which is to ensure that everyone, regardless of their race, gender, age or other characteristics, has access to inclusive and equal quality education, is ambitious and challenging to achieve. The way knowledge is passed down is presumed to change dramatically due to technological advancements, with a big move towards online platforms.

As an alternative to conventional methods of education, online education can be used to address specific challenges of SDG-4. Projections are ambiguous regarding the mix of online materials available to students in the future. Existing patterns indicate that a lot more online educational information is accessible, but it appears that considerably less of it would be used successfully by students. The ratio of rationales and ideologies between public and private content will continue to shift, but it appears that a few international content producers will start to control the industry (Unwin et al. 2017). A growing body of research aims to understand and explain the aspect of gender in online learning (Latchem 2014). Some suggest that online education methods are non-sexist and more gender-inclusive (Margolis and Fisher 2002). In contrast, others report that it does not solve pre-existing problems of traditional methods (Anderson 2004). Nevertheless, there is consensus that online platforms may offer more accessible knowledge, free exchange of information, networks and learning communities without regard to gender (Latchem 2014). Despite offering promising solutions, online education systems are not perfect. Literature suggests that, in developing regions and countries, women face the same challenges regardless of the educational platform, e.g. online vs traditional (Glen and Cédric 2003). It has been suggested that providing women with training and support in creating content that is appropriate to their needs and addresses their particular viewpoints, experiences and concerns would greatly help prevent their absence in online educational platforms (Latchem 2014).

Furthermore, virtual reality (VR) and different methods may also be used in the classroom. This would permit students to learn how to negotiate difficulties and communicate ideas online using new platforms. Forecasts regarding the future of education and the use of VR suggest that as gaming technologies are being created for the classrooms, augmented reality (AR) and VR are likewise expected to become much more common (Unwin et al. 2017). Campuses, as we know them today, may cease to exist. This would free learning from the confines of a physical school. A new campus would likely consist of mobile classrooms and a real-world setting. On the other hand, city libraries and laboratories would coexist to assist students in completing their assignments. Games that teach youngsters how to code, toys that teach robotics and various apps that help teachers quickly deliver knowledge to children are highly likely to become commonplace. The use of technology in education is expected to increase exponentially, aiding teaching and learning processes, thus evolving learning into being more creative and practical as time goes on. Conventional methods of performance and learning evaluations, such as tests, will likely be replaced by evaluations of students’ critical thinking and problem-solving abilities through their performance in creative projects (Nerdy Mates 2021).

Forecasts indicate that by 2025, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in schools will be substantially more diversified. This makes predicting how it will be utilised in any given situation exceedingly challenging. Similarly, there will be some imaginative and unique situations in exceedingly disadvantaged contexts, where well-trained, incredibly inspiring educators will use ICTs to encourage kids to critically discover a wealth of information and thoughts, allowing them to build the abilities and understanding required to change the world in which they live. Furthermore, many governments’ educational systems will probably change. Many of these systems will expressly urge wider use of ICT in schools, driven in part by the interests of big multinational businesses and by a growing understanding of the impact advantages such technologies may provide. Educators will continue to play a critical role in education systems that schools still control. In the finest systems, even so, their function will have shifted from that of knowledge suppliers to that of mentors, assisting youngsters in learning to navigate the universe of digital data. This is especially important when working with disadvantaged children who may lack the parental and community support needed to organise and socialise education (Unwin et al. 2017).

6.1 Companies and Use Cases

Table 6.1 presents the business models of 49 companies and use cases that employ emerging technologies and create value in SDG-4. We should highlight that one use case can be related to more than one SDG and it can make use of multiple emerging technologies. In the left column, we present the company name, the origin country, related SDGs and emerging technologies that are included. The companies and use cases are listed alphabetically.Footnote 1

Table 6.1 Companies and use cases in SDG-4
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