Sneaking out the back door? Interrogating the role of governments in the global governance of SDG 4

In 2015, the governments of United Nations Member States agreed on an ambitious agenda for people, planet and prosperity. Support for the unprecedentedly ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda was obtained, however, on the condition that there would not be any accompanying enforcement or accountability mechanisms. The non-binding nature of the SDGs is characteristic of the process of “governance through goals”, with governments enjoying a large degree of freedom in their implementation. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, however, and its impact on national education systems, political consensus has emerged that education must be an urgent policy priority, evidenced by multiple global initiatives to accelerate progress towards achieving the targets of SDG 4 on Quality Education. Drawing on the emerging literature on governance through goals, as well as relevant policy documents, the author examines two specific global initiatives aimed at making headway through increased Member State engagement; namely, the reform of the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM) and the Transforming Education Summit (TES). Discussing the role of governments in global education governance, this article examines whether such initiatives signal a new approach to implementation and accountability in relation to SDG 4 – and thus to the global governance of education. The findings have important implications for the remaining SDG period until 2030, and demonstrate the critical need for increased accountability as well as mechanisms to assess the implications of different policy measures, evaluate funding arrangements, and interrogate the roles of different actors in education.