people and planet

5
Education is largely absent in discussions of
implementing SDG 11 on cities and human settlements
“
”
decentralization. In a survey of 50 cities in 30 primarily
middle income and high income countries, many city
representatives said lack of local government capacity
and public funding, and unpredictability of resources,
were key governance constraints (LSE, 2014).
Meanwhile, education as a sector is largely absent in
discussions of implementing SDG 11 on cities and human
settlements. For instance, it is rarely mentioned when
considering how urban areas should respond to climate
change, disaster preparedness or urban sprawl. The role
of schools is mostly missing from debates on urban
priorities such as slum upgrading (Minnery et al., 2013).
A relative lack of local government jurisdiction in
education provision also limits education’s inclusion in
an integrated urban planning agenda. City governments
in many high and middle income countries are far less
engaged in the provision of education services than in
other sectors (Figure 5.5).
While local autonomy does not guarantee positive
changes, greater city-level autonomy is a prerequisite
for strong city level ownership of urban reforms that
incorporate education strategies, as was shown in
the case of Curitiba and Medellín. Similarly, a recent
investigation of five cities (Dubai in the United Arab
Emirates, Ho Chi Minh City in Viet Nam, London,
New York City and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil), which
were assessed because their learning outcomes were
improving or high, argued that effective leadership
at all levels, but particularly inspirational education
leadership at the city level, was key to the effectiveness
of education reform (Elwick and McAleavy, 2015).
CONCLUSION
Given the complex and holistic nature of urban
challenges, education and lifelong learning need to be
embedded and integrated in urban planning. They form a
critical instrument for sustainable urban development. In
turn, urbanization and other processes related to cities
FIGURE 5.5:
Local government officials view the education sector as
led by the national or state level
Local government responses to a survey question on who leads
various sectors
Spatial planning
Urban transport
Housing
Social services
Policing and security
Education
Health
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Below city
State
create a need for education system planning. Education
is pivotal to ensure economic growth, innovation, and
improvement in economic inclusion; formal and nonformal
education must also be monitored to ensure that
they help reduce inequality, not exacerbate it.
The broad education sector is largely missing from key
urban development discussions on social inclusion and
environmental sustainability. These aims will very likely
not be achieved unless education is integrated in their
planning. At the same time, stronger advocacy and
leadership by education stakeholders and urban leaders,
such as mayors, are needed if education is to gain a seat
in discussions on the future of cities. Moreover, there
needs to be far more appreciation of education’s role
in transformative urban development, regarding both
formal schooling and beyond.
City
National
Metropolitan
Other
Note: The analysis is based on responses from 50 cities in 30 mostly
high and middle income countries.
Source: LSE (2014).
2016 • GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING REPORT 129