So the Chinese debate class is moving along, now to the meat of proper debate rules.
Asia Debate will announce the debate topics toward the end of May. Our team will get to know their assigned topics then. At the mean time, the coach gave reading-aloud assignment from United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to build up their Chinese vocabulary and familiarize themselves with UN topics. The website has simplified Chinese version, which I then copied and converted to traditional Chinese for my girls. For their initial readings, I changed the font to one with zhuyin to make it easier for them, though alternative pronunciation would not be accounted for. I sometimes find the translation less than optimal.
Here is what they have to read for Goal 4 on Quality Education:
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. 目標4：確保包容和公平的優質教育，讓全民終身享有學習機會
Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to creating sustainable development. In addition to improving quality of life, access to inclusive education can help equip locals with the tools required to develop innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems.
獲得高質量的教育是改善人民生活和實現可持續發展的基礎。除了提高生活質量之外，獲得包容性教育還有助於本地人掌握開發創新型解決方案所必需的工具，以解決世界上最棘手的問題。
Over 265 million children are currently out of school and 22% of them are of primary school age. Additionally, even the children who are attending schools are lacking basic skills in reading and math. In the past decade, major progress has been made towards increasing access to education at all levels and increasing enrollment rates in schools particularly for women and girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet bolder efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. For example, the world has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but few countries have achieved that target at all levels of education.
目前，超過2.65億兒童失學，其中22%為小學適齡兒童。此外，上學的兒童也缺乏基本的閱讀和數學技能。過去十年間，在增加各級教育機會、提高入學率，尤其是婦女和女童的入學率方面取得了重大進展。基本的識字技能大有提高，但還需作出更為大膽的努力，在實現普及教育的目標方面取得更大進展。比如，世界在初級教育階段已經實現了男女平等，但在所有教育階段都實現這個目標的國家並不多。
The reasons for lack of quality education are due to lack of adequately trained teachers, poor conditions of schools and equity issues related to opportunities provided to rural children. For quality education to be provided to the children of impoverished families, investment is needed in educational scholarships, teacher training workshops, school building and improvement of water and electricity access to schools.
缺乏優質教育的原因在於缺乏訓練有素的教師、學校條件不佳以及農村兒童機會公平問題。為了給貧困家庭的兒童提供優質教育，需要在教育獎學金、師資培訓、學校建設和改善學校飲用水及電力設施方面進行投資。
Facts and Figures 事實與數據
- Enrollment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91 per cent but 57 million primary age children remain out of school. 發展中國家的初等教育入學率達到了91%，但仍有5700萬兒童失學。
- More than half of children that have not enrolled in school live in sub-Saharan Africa. 未入學的兒童中，超過半數生活在撒哈拉以南非洲。
- An estimated 50 per cent of out-of-school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas. 據估計，50%的小學適齡失學兒童生活在受衝突影響的地區。
- 617 million youth worldwide lack basic mathematics and literacy skills. 全球有6.17億名青少年缺乏基本的數學和識字技能。
Goal 4 targets 目標4的具體目標
4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes. 到2030年，確保所有男女童完成免費、公平和優質的中小學教育，並取得相關和有效的學習成果。
4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education. 到2030年，確保所有男女童獲得優質幼兒發展、看護和學前教育，為他們接受初級教育做好準備。
4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. 到2030年，確保所有男女平等獲得負擔得起的優質技術、職業和高等教育，包括大學教育。
4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. 到2030年，大幅增加掌握就業、體面工作和創業所需相關技能，包括技術性和職業性技能的青年和成年人數。
4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations. 到2030年，消除教育中的性別差距，確保殘疾人、土著居民和處境脆弱兒童等弱勢群體平等獲得各級教育和職業培訓。
4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy. 到2030年，確保所有青年和大部分成年男女具有識字和計算能力。
4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development. 到2030年，確保所有進行學習的人都掌握可持續發展所需的知識和技能，具體做法包括開展可持續發展、可持續生活方式、人權和性別平等方面的教育、弘揚和平和非暴力文化、提升全球公民意識，以及肯定文化多樣性和文化對可持續發展的貢獻。
4.A Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all. 建立和改善兼顧兒童、殘疾和性別平等的教育設施，為所有人提供安全、非暴力、包容和有效的學習環境。
4.B By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries. 到2020年，在全球範圍內大幅增加發達國家和部分發展中國家為發展中國家，特別是最不發達國家、小島嶼發展中國家和非洲國家提供的高等教育獎學金數量，包括職業培訓和信息通信技術、技術、工程、科學項目的獎學金。
4.C By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states. 到2030年，大幅增加合格教師人數，具體做法包括在發展中國家，特別是最不發達國家和小島嶼發展中國家開展師資培訓方面的國際合作。
