Education for All?

Ask participants what they know about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). If necessary, explain briefly about the SDGs and explain that SDG 4 is to ensure quality education for all by 2030. 

Start with a memory game:

There are twenty pairs of cards (see materials). Each pair consists of a topic card and a picture card, and the task is to compare them. The statements on the topic cards are all related to SDG 4 and children's rights and education. The questions (in italics) are for later discussion.

The cards are placed face down on the floor or on a table. One person starts and turns over two cards. If one (or both) cards is a topic card, the player reads out loud the title and the statement (not the question in italics - that is for Part 2!). If the cards do not match, he/she turns them back over so that they are face down on the floor again, in exactly the same place as before. The next player then takes turns taking two cards. The game ends when all cards have been picked up. The winner is the player who has the most pairs.

Ask if participants know a game called Concentration, Memory, Pelmanism or Pairs because this is what they are going to play in small groups of four.  

Continue the exercise by reporting the issues on the cards:

• List the issues on a flipchart. Ask volunteers to read out the headings on the cards as you write them down.
• Ask the group to identify four to six issues that interest them most.
• Divide the group into subgroups of four or five people. Ask each subgroup to choose two of the issues they would most like to discuss.

• Once the topics have been agreed and assigned, the groups are given 20 minutes to discuss their chosen two topics. The question in italics on the cards serves as the starting point for the discussion.
• After 20 minutes, call people together to report back. Take each topic in turn. Give each group only 5 minutes to give feedback and do not give more than 5 minutes extra for questions from the audience.

After all groups have reported on all issues, proceed to debrief. Ask some questions to reflect on the game (see additional game information).