In celebration of this year's International Day of Education, students from the Alternative Education Center, Odessa, TX, researched and compared the education systems of Germany and the U.S.A. Germany. was the country of interest because it is where the IJWC adviser is set to travel through Fulbright after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. AEC students studied the evolution of education outcomes of the two countries in terms of literacy, school enrollment and attendance, years of schooling, and attainment by level. Using a Venn diagram, students then compared and contrasted the current education systems of the two countries in terms of the 10 targets of SDG 4: quality education, namely: (1) universal primary and secondary education, (2) early childhood development and universal pre-primary education, (3) equal access to technical/vocational and higher education, (4) relevant skills for decent work, (5) gender equity and inclusion, (6) universal youth and adult literacy, (7) education for sustainable development and global citizenship, (8) effective learning environments, (9) scholarships, and (10) supply of qualified teachers.
International Day of Education is observed worldwide on January 24th annually to celebrate the role of education in bringing global peace and sustainable education. On December 3, 2018, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to proclaim January 24 as International Day of Education. With the theme, “Recover and revitalize education for the COVID-19 generation,” this year's celebration was memorable because it occurred in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that led to a global learning interruption of unprecedented scope and gravity. This year's theme signified humanity's resilience and determination to continue education despite the pandemic.
