The extraordinary session Global Education Meeting in October 2020 reminded countries of this commitment. Its Declaration called on “UNESCO and its partners, together with the SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee, to … accelerate the progress and propose relevant and realistic benchmarks of key SDG 4 indicators for subsequent monitoring” (§10).

The effectiveness of the process to set, monitor and act on benchmarks rests on two factors:

• agreement on political commitments; and
• overcoming technical challenges.

In response, countries and international governmental organisations have designed regional education plans to articulate the SDG 4 Targets. Some of these regional education plans were designed prior to the adoption of the SDGs, and regional organisations had then generated instruments to articulate their education plans to take into account the SDG 4 Targets.

For others, the consideration of the SDG 4 Targets is included in their plan as they are developing them.

Seven SDG 4 global indicators have been selected in the regional benchmarking process to take into consideration disparities of regions, sub-regions and countries.

 Official list of SDG4 indicators

Technical process for setting regional benchmarks: two approaches

The setting of SDG 4 indicator benchmarks will serve three objectives:

• Availability: identify data gaps that prevent monitoring progress on key SDG 4 indicators;
• Accountability: assess progress relative to feasible, historically observed trends; and
• Actionability: lead to data collection and policy responses to fill gaps and accelerate progress.

Two main ways of selecting the benchmarks for the first five indicators (i.e. all except those related to financing and equity) have been presented.

The first approach is suitable for regions or sub-regions that are relatively homogeneous. A common, regional minimum benchmark is set as a minimum that all countries should achieve by 2030. Different ways can be used to set the minimum. For instance, at the lowest end, the regional benchmark could be equal to the minimum progress the country with the lowest indicator value in the region at baseline can achieve. A more ambitious regional benchmark could be equal to the minimum progress a country with an indicator value, say, at the bottom quarter, third or half of countries in the region can achieve.

The second approach assumes that a common regional benchmark is not realistic because countries differ too much even within a region or sub-region. Instead, every country has its own benchmark.  When all the country-specific benchmarks are added up, an implicit regional target ‘benchmark’ emerges.  In setting their own benchmarks, an important reference point is a country-specific minimum benchmark which reflects feasible progress observed historically for countries with a similar initial level of the indicator or starting point.

Despite the fact that the two approaches differ in this important respect, regions could opt for a variation that includes both. For instance, under Approach 1, a region or sub-region may opt for a common benchmark for all countries. However, this benchmark will be too low for several countries in the region (Table 3). Some of them may therefore select their own more ambitious benchmark.

Under Approach 2, countries may accept the country-specific minimum benchmark based on their initial value and a target feasible rate of progress or they may reject it and adopt instead a higher benchmark depending on their national ambitions and priorities. The need for countries to take an active role in setting their benchmarks is envisaged in the Framework for Action.

Proposed interim national benchmarks:  Until countries select their own benchmark for each of the seven indicators, the following interim national benchmarks are proposed following approach 2.  The method for assigning interim national benchmarks is to take the highest value of the three reference points provided:

1. regional minimum benchmark;
2. country-specific minimum benchmark; and
3. country-specific projection.