Equal Educational Opportunities: A Catalyst for Sustainable Economic Development

Abstract

The study holds significance in revealing how ensuring fair access to education can fuel economic growth, promote social cohesion, and guide policymaking for sustainable development. The objective of current research is to empirically examine the relationship between gender disparity in educational attainment within social, and ecological systems. The data is collected for the period 1990-2022. In the presence of cross-sectional dependence 2nd generation unit root test is applied. CS-ARDL technique is considered to examine the short-run as well as the long-run relationship between Gender disparity in education and the socio-ecological system. Achieving environmental sustainability and minimizing our ecological footprints depend critically on gender parity in education. Equal access to high-quality education gives women the knowledge, analytical abilities, and self-assurance to stand up for their communities and themselves. Findings describe that in the long run, there is a statistically significant negative correlation between the GINI-Coefficient and school enrollment tertiary and School enrollment primary. This indicates that, over time, a decrease in income disparity is linked to an increase in enrolment in primary and postsecondary education.  In the long run, the GINI-Coefficient and Secondary school enrollment has a positive and statistically significant relationship. The data in Model 2 appear to indicate that the relationship between education and environmental sustainability is more intricate than the EKC hypothesis predicts. Higher education can raise one's knowledge and understanding of environmental issues, but it can also increase consumption and have an adverse effect on the environment. The findings of the study suggest that implementing policies with the goal of removing obstacles to education based on gender. This could entail giving families financial incentives to send their daughters to school and making sure that all genders have access to high-quality education.