Ramaphosa Urges Global Leaders To Prioritise Education At France Summit

By IOL Reporter

President Cyril Ramaphosa called on global leaders to prioritise education as the bedrock and enabler of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during his three-day official working visit to France, which aimed to strengthen bilateral relations, honour fallen South African soldiers, and advance global education reform.

Drawing upon President Nelson Mandela’s profound insight that “education is the most powerful weapon which one can use to change the world”, Ramaphosa emphasised that education is vital to unlocking human potential, transforming lives, and empowering nations to build a more inclusive and prosperous future.

The visit featured high-level engagements with French President Emmanuel Macron and a leadership role at UNESCO headquarters, where Ramaphosa co-chaired the High-Level Steering Committee leaders’ meeting on Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) at the invitation of Director-General Khaled El-Enany.

Ramaphosa cautioned in his speech that intricate global difficulties, ranging from conflict and pandemics to poverty, inequality, and climate change, have rendered the international education agenda “ more crucial than ever.”

“We meet at a time when our world faces complex and interconnected challenges, including conflicts, pandemics, poverty and inequality, and the worsening impacts of climate change. This makes the global SDG 4 agenda more critical than ever. Inclusive and equitable quality education is the key to building resilience and to fostering sustainable societies,” Ramaphosa said.

He outlined three pillars for action: foundational and lifelong learning, strengthening the teaching profession, and inclusive digital transformation.

He maintained that robust literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills provide the essential scaffolding for a student’s educational journey.

Furthermore, he noted that learning outcomes improve when teachers are adequately empowered, equipped with the necessary resources, and fully supported in their work.

He stressed that digital transformation is “non‑negotiable if we are to adequately prepare today’s learners for the workplaces, economies and societies of the future.”

Ramaphosa emphasised to delegates that education is both a universal human right and a “public good” that must be protected against exclusion and commodification.

Identifying financing as the vital catalyst for education to deliver on its potential, he called for a thorough restructuring of existing funding frameworks.

Ramaphosa pointed to the Sustainable Financing Pathways as a blueprint for long-term fiscal stability, citing innovations like debt-for-education swaps successfully piloted in Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire.

He additionally highlighted the necessity of tackling corruption and mismanagement to safeguard resources, advocating for more robust public financial management on a global scale.

Ramaphosa emphasised that youth must be engaged as active co-creators rather than simply serving as beneficiaries.

To support this generation, he called for the development of resilient educational frameworks that can anticipate disruptions, adapt equitably, and ultimately deliver transformative outcomes.

He declared, “Let us leave Paris today with the resolve to turn the decisions of this Committee into the daily reality of every learner. The generation of today and the generations of the future are counting on us.”

To accomplish this, he pressed Member States to adopt risk-informed policies, align their investments with national strategies, and carry out gender-responsive planning.

nokubonga.ndlovu@inl.co.za