Global Conversation: Quality Education
This is the third chapter of our Global Conversation series, relating to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. If you’ve missed a previous post, you can find them here.
Today we are going to look at Goal 4: Quality Education.
One of the most important ways that we can affect lasting change in the world is by properly educating the next generation. To create this positive foundation for the future, we must ensure that education is inclusive, equitable and is made accessible to all people. The main target of this goal is the provision of primary school education to all girls and boys worldwide.
The second part of this goal is the promotion of life-long learning. This refers to the education that can be made available to those above school-age who are seeking further education and training. One way to achieve this goal is through the creation of affordable technical and vocational education. This will lead to an increase in the number of people with the skills necessary for trade employment, among other professions.
How is Himalayan Life addressing this goal?
Following the earthquake in 2015, HL saw how the right to education was going unfulfilled during the reconstruction process. To remedy this, the Yangri Academic Centre was built to serve those living in the rural mountain communities of the Yangri Valley. YAC opened its doors to the public in 2018 and is proud to currently host 132 students from Kindergarten to Grade 5. Our nurturing staff help care for each of our students in order to provide the most supportive education possible! Currently underway is our YAC Phase Three expansion, to increase our class and curriculum capacities.
As we entered 2020 with the appearance of COVID-19, our Yangri Academic Centre was forced to temporarily close to ensure the safety of our children and staff. Within the past weeks, our teachers have worked tirelessly to create a new distributed learning program that allows for the kids to still experience some form of education during these uncertain times. This program is not without challenges however, as many of the students live in homes in which their parents are working or are illiterate, unable to assist in the learning process. Despite these barriers that may have stopped them from even attempting this program, our Teacher Team is determined to give access to education to these remote villages in the Yangri Valley and they have trudged through mud and monsoon to make it happen.
To learn more about our work with education, visit our Projects page.
To learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals, visit the UN page.
