FORUM: UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TOPIC: SDG 4.6, Ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and
women, achieve literacy and numeracy

SUBMITTED BY: Delegate of Republic of Ghana (Saad Hamed Malik)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

Reminding the article 26 of the UDHR for education, a historic document adopted by United
Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948 as the “common standard of achievement for
all peoples and nations”,

Recalling chapter 36 of Agenda 21, on promoting education, public awareness and training,
adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, from 3 to 14 June 1992,

Recalling further the UN general assembly adopted resolution 59/237 for education on 22
December 2004,

Recognizing the efforts of MALALA YOUSAFZAI and her organization “Malala Fund” in order to
promote education of girls,

Emphasizing the fact that long term planning is require for this SDG rather than short term
planning,

Deeply convinced with the efforts of UNESCO in providing education to different segment of different
societies,

Realizing that the ban to violence on children in schools is necessary for every nation,

Fully aware with the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic extremely effect the world’s education system,
Noting the developments and the past efforts of the UN for increase of literacy and numeracy rate of
the world,

1. Recommends all UN Nations that they take immediately such steps to increase literacy
and numeracy rate of the world:
a. Under developed or developing countries or the countries where literacy rate is less
they declare education emergency and tackle myriad challenges involved including
out of school children, quality of education, uniform education system and skill
development,
b. Sustainable increase in education sector budget is required at least 8-10% of GDP at
National level,
c. Increase in budget at Provisional/State level and minimum allocate 25% of total
budget to reach the target in 4-5 years,
d. A big jump in the construction of new schools in public sector, furniture, pure water,
recruitment and training of large number of teachers etc. is recommended,
e. Makes schools on public-private partnership (semi-government schools),
f. Basic facilities missing in the existing schools will have to provide on a fast track,
g. Ghost/ Non-functional school (Schools where infrastructure is already present, the
teachers are being paid regularly but the schools are not functional and are used by
influential people) may be made functional;

2. Further recommend all member states that in all countries a consolidated National Plan
is required with ownership both at political and executive level, based on the
Provisional/State and National plans, situational & gap analysis and challenges covering
the following areas to increase literacy and numeracy rate in short and long term.
a. Year-wise Realistic Targets,
b. Strategies to Achieve the Targets,
c. Coordination and Collaboration,
d. Implementation Framework,
e. Resources Needed (Human & Financial),
f. Output and Outcomes,
g. Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms;

3. Requests all members states that they take such steps to improve their literacy and
numeracy rate:
a. Make Vocational Educational Institutes in their countries because vocational
educational institutes is also a very successful method to increase literacy and
numeracy rate that students get education with skills,
b. they shift some part of their education system to online education,
c. used AI technology and also maintain in person (physical) classes,
 d. ban child labor in every part of the country immediately,
e. Makes school where other sports facilities present. It’s an easy way to improve
literacy rate because many students interested in sports and in other co-curricular
activities so it’s easy way to promote education,
f. teach in mother tongue because it’s easy for children to catch and understand
everything but English is compulsory as a subject and delivered English and Science
lectures in English from class/grade 3,
g. recruit competent teachers to promote quality of education and then provide them
special training because for holistic approach good teachers is necessary and also it’s
very important for increasing literacy and numeracy rate that how teacher imparts
education and deliver lectures to students,
h. government ban teachers that no government teacher give private coaching to
students who study from them in school and introduce free remedial institutes after
school timings to every children who’s weak in their education,
i. a big reason of illiteracy is poverty or jobless parents so governments try to combat
poverty and provide job to civilians and developed countries help poor and
developing countries to overcome this issue,
j. try to introduce LGBTQ+ community in education sector,
k. introduce initiatives and special incentives for students that those students who
perform well government provide scholarships at Bachelor’s level and send
outstanding students to abroad for higher studies so students motivate and try to
get education,
l. government provide financial aid to students who cannot afford education or other
educational expenses;

4. Calls upon all UN nations that they take such steps and make changes in their education
system at national level to improve their literacy and numeracy rate:
a. Uniform education syllabus in all over the country that no student of any class/grade
of government school face discrimination from private schools curriculum (syllabus)
[public and private education institutions curriculum will be same from class/grade 1
to 12 class/grade]
b. Make a committee who designed the uniform education syllabus in which all
stakeholders, experts and also international famous education stakeholders
[Cambridge(O/A Levels) and IB] representatives are also include,
c. A special think tank can be constituted at national level comprising experts/
professionals and its performance reviewed on a regular basis,
d. In uniform education syllabus, give special preference to minorities of their
countries that give them right to read their own religious books at each level rather
than community majority religious book and ensure the availability of minorities
religious book teachers at each level (class/grade),
[P.S. In Pakistan, it’s compulsory for Muslim students to study Islamic Studies as a
 subject from class/grade 1 to university level and government give minorities a
choice to study Islamic Studies or Ethics (a special book designed for minorities) but
unfortunately in many parts of Pakistan especially in government schools Ethics
teachers are not present or said only for few students it’s not possible to teach
Ethics and minorities students forcefully take Islamic studies because they have no
other choice]
e. In uniform education syllabus, critical thinking and decision making skills include on
priority basis,
f. In uniform education syllabus, provide problem solving skills especially to children
because through this numeracy rate will increase,
g. Make such kind of uniform education syllabus in which technology plays an
important role,
h. Make a law that in every 5 years syllabus will be revived and the modern and latest
course add to the syllabus;

5. Suggests the government of all UN nations that rather than eliminate private sector
from their country make long term planning and introduce reforms in government
education sector and when the confidence of the people should be restored than
automatically private sector eliminates from any country. This is a long-term process so
till take such steps because the numbers of private sector in mostly countries are so
large and they involved on a major scale in mostly under developed and developing
countries:
a. Regulatory authority is required to regulate these schools and the role of regulatory
bodies needs to be made more effective by appointing proper persons,
b. Hundreds of thousand parents and students are affected by mal-practices of private
schools so Superior Courts needs to be taken so-motto notices against these schools,
c. Immediately all governments makes an constitutional amendment or passes
executive order or issues Presidential Ordinance for next five years that all private
schools fee exceeded from a certain amount they immediately decrease their fee at
least 25-30% and each year they will increase their fee but not more than 5%,
d. Private educational institutions serving sizeable number of students in mostly under
developed and developing countries. While acknowledging the contribution of
private schools in imparting education to large number of school going children, the
Government of such countries should bind private schools to rationalize the fee
structure and to enroll at least 10% children belonging to poor families under their
corporate social responsibility, as it is the responsibility of the state to provide free
and compulsory education to all;

6. Encourages all UN nations that they prioritize girl’s education and take such steps to
eradicate gender inequality from any country at least from education level
 a. Create awareness of girl’s education in every segment of the society especially in
conservative societies e.g. in Afghanistan where mostly girls cannot get even basic
education,
b. Makes such laws that a girl will never be married till 18 years because in mostly
cases girls are getting married at low age and their parents stop them to getting
education,
c. Makes such laws that girls have the right to getting education even without the
permission of their husband and in-laws and if they forcefully stop her in getting
education they will be strictly punished,
d. Provide them a free transport from school to their home and from their home to
school,
e. Makes harassment laws that no one (male students, teachers, faculty or staff) not
harass any girl in school premises,
f. Give special incentives (e.g. stipend them) to girls of conservative societies for
example Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh etc. where girls forcefully stop by
different segment of societies in getting education,
g. Provide them a free education at least formal 12 years of education,
h. Allow girls who want to wear hijab or abaya (cloak) in school premises and do not
discriminate them only due to their dress code [hijab or abaya (cloak)];

7. Recommends all member states that they take such steps to provide education in
transgender community because they are also humans and are a part of every society:
a. Make separate educational institutions for their community,
b. Provide them a job after they get education,
c. Make such steps that no one make discriminations between them and normal
humans and announces strict punishments to the persons who tease them only due
to that why they get education;

8. Calls upon all member states that they take such steps for Special Children Education
and increase literacy and numeracy rate of their own country:
a. They makes an amendments in their constitutions and change the word ‘disable’
with “differently able” at least from primary to high school level because they are
not disable. They are differently abled children,
b. they makes special education institutes for special children,
c. they provide them free transport from home to school and from school to their
home,
d. they introduce special incentives for these children and stipend them monthly,
e. All educational expenses from stationary to books, uniform of these children are
bear by each state,
f. they makes mechanisms to recognize differently abled children talents in education,
g. they take such steps that no one harass these children especially in school premises,
 h. they take such steps that no one make violence on them;
i. they make a mechanism that each special children get basic education and no one
(government employees, teachers etc.) makes corrupt practices with these children;

9. Suggests all member states to take such steps at national and provisional/state level to
increase literacy and numeracy rate:
a. They make a mechanism of controlling population,
b. They collaborate with NGOs and raise awareness of education in all segment of
societies,
c. They make a constitutional amendment that at least formal 12 years of education is
mandatory for every citizen,
d. They make a constitutional amendment and announces that from 2022 to onwards
18 years old boy or girl cannot get their national identity card until they get formal
12 years of education and without ID card he/she cannot travel in all over the world
and cannot get basic facilities,
e. The private entrepreneur firms and individuals should be encouraged and given
incentives to adopt schools for infrastructure development and provision of
necessary facilities. The incentives could be in the shape of tax rebates or attribution
of schools to the sponsors,
f. It is also critical that double shifts are introduced in all schools where sufficient
number of students are available. However in public schools may also facilitate the
non-formal schools in the evening,
g. In Muslim Countries, an important sector of education i.e. Deeni Madarris (Religious
Education Institute), the government of such countries consult with their
representatives should devise a programme for imparting formal education;

10. Further suggests the member states that they make reforms in housing laws to improve
literacy and numeracy rate because under the housing laws, each housing society in
mostly countries is under obligation to earmark amenity plots for community service but
usually most of these plots are leased out to private elite schools. It is recommended
that directions may be issued to the housing societies to give these plots at subsidized
rates for the establishment of government schools;

11. Recommends all member states that they introduce a Begging Free Society Initiative
through which
a. Governments create a jobs for beggars,
b. First implement this initiative in model cities,
c. Government takes responsibility of all beggars children’s and provide them a free
education and government bear not only their educational expenses but also
stipend them,
 d. Differently abled (special persons) beggars governments provide them a skills and
educations. Because they are not disable. They are differently abled;

12. Condemns the blast and terrorism in schools that

(i) happened in Kabul Afghanistan near girls school in May 2021 in which almost 85-
90 people are killed mostly school girls and hundreds of school girls are injured,
(ii) happened in Peshawar Pakistan on 16 December 2016 in Army Public School
Peshawar in which hundreds of students are killed and hundreds of students are
injured,
And urges all member states that they take following steps to stop such incidents and
for increasing literacy and numeracy rate:
a. they take solid steps to eliminate terrorism from all over the world because due to
terrorism many students do not get education e.g. in Afghanistan,
b. they provide protection to unsung heroes who works for education in terrorism
region same like Malala Yousafzai (Pakistani brave girl who attacked in Swat,
Pakistan by Taliban only due to that they provide education to the girls),
c. improve security of schools,
d. ban all kind of dangerous activities near to schools,
e. security forces visits areas near to schools in school timings to maintain school
security;

13. Urges all member states that these proposals cannot deliver, unless an effective
oversight and monitoring mechanism is established than any country literacy and
numeracy rate will be increase. So, the following oversight and monitoring
arrangements is recommend:
a. Keeping the large number of schools in view, local committee at the district level
under the Deputy Commissioner (18 Scale officer) are recommend with heads of
education department, regulatory agency, civil society and private sector as
members,
b. A committee at the provincial/state level be consulted headed by the 21 scale officer
with representatives of education and finance, planning and development, along
with private sector schools and head of Prov. Regulatory authority as members,
c. The government should in the long run take steps to constitute monitoring
committees at smaller level (Union Council level), having representation of parents,
civil society and school administration to act as watch dog,
d. School management committees may be revitalized and civil society members be
involved apart from school administration and parents,
e. A committee made at the national level under the education minister in which all
provisional/state education ministers and other stakeholders included and this
committee divided into sub-committees and monitor monthly targets,
f. Head of the government (President/ Prime Minister/ Monarch/ Chancellor)
personally takes keen interest in education sector and require progress report from
his/her education minister especially in every cabinet meeting and then investigate
the statistics presented to him/her from any other independent and unbiased
organization/ authority.