Measuring the success of global education

Kiwi comic artist and illustrator Toby Morris affirmed the expression ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ when he was commissioned by UNESCO to condense a 500-page global report on education recently.

The creator of the monthly comic series ‘Pencilsword’ and half of the Toby and Toby duo responsible for the series ‘That is the question’ on Radio NZ, illustrated a seven-page youth version of UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report Education for people and planet: Creating sustainable futures for all.

The report is the first in a 15-year series that monitors global progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Education (SDG4), led by UNESCO, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Through remote collaboration with a representative at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, Toby managed to capture the essence of the report. He spoke about his experience at the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO’s launch of the report in September.

“Basically what I try to do is boil an issue down to its purest form and present it in a way that’s clear, approachable and engaging,” Toby said. “I was really excited to see an organisation like UNESCO thinking about using comics to reach a broader, younger audience, because that’s what I try and do too."

“At the core of this report is a really clear, strong message,” he stated. “At a time of vast change – political, social, technological and environmental – I think if we remember to keep education at the core of what we do, particularly education that focuses on sustainability and fairness, it will set the path for a future that’s sustainable, prosperous, fair and safe.”

Toby spoke alongside prominent educationalist Dame Karen Sewell, former Secretary for Education.

Dame Karen noted that “New Zealand’s Curriculum is open and enabling but we still need to focus on participation and the quality of delivery.”

“It gives us the freedom now to engage with the kinds of education that will contribute to the Sustainable Development Agenda,” she said.

“What we need to do now is to include a focus on global citizenship and sustainability.”

Ian McKinnon, Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, who hosted the evening, says the GEM Report raises interesting points about how education is delivered.

“We need to see education as more than transferral of knowledge – it’s about empowering citizens of all ages to think critically and find innovative solutions to today’s global issues.”

The youth version of the GEM Report summarises the measures that need to be taken in order to reach SDG4. It can be used as a classroom resource to discuss global issues.

You can download the Youth Report from the UNESCO(external link) website .