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UN Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 4: Quality Education

2025 SDG report

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SDG 4: Quality Education

Toronto Metropolitan University is committed to advancing quality education at all stages of life: from early childhood through to postsecondary and beyond. Through our academic programs, research and community partnerships, we work to remove barriers and expand access to meaningful learning experiences.

TMU trains the next generation of educators, supports lifelong learning, and provides opportunities for personal and academic development for children and youth, from infancy to high school. Our faculty, students and staff also play a vital role in developing and delivering educational programming that uplifts underrepresented and underserved communities locally and globally.

3,014 K-12 students reached through SciXchange engagement events in 2025

Our goals in action

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As outlined in the university’s Academic Plan, TMU prioritizes a high-quality, accessible and inclusive education for all learners, whether undergraduate, graduate or continuing education. The university offers a wide range of programs designed to support diverse pathways to postsecondary education and lifelong learning. TMU is also home to innovative academic offerings in early childhood studies, education, and youth and child care, helping to equip students with the skills and knowledge to support learning and development from the earliest years of life. 

  • As outlined in both TMU’s Academic Plan and Strategic Vision, the university is committed to delivering an inclusive, accessible and high-quality learning experience for all students. This commitment guides the design of programs, supports for learners, and teaching practices across the institution.
  • TMU’s Faculty of Community Services offers Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts programs in Early Childhood Studies. The School of Early Childhood Studies prepares students for a range of careers working with young children and their families, as well as in the areas of early childhood research and policy.
  • The Faculty of Community Services also offers undergraduate and graduate programs in Child and Youth Care, which seek to prepare students to promote the rights of children and youth, enrich the everyday lived experience of young people facing adversity, and advocate on behalf of young people. TMU is the only university in Ontario that offers a BA in Child and Youth Care. TMU’s Chang School of Continuing Education also offers courses in child and youth care.
  • The Spanning the Gaps – Indigenous Foundations Program, in partnership with The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, offers Indigenous TMU students a free, flexible and culturally grounded way to strengthen writing and critical thinking skills while preparing for postsecondary studies. Delivered online, the course includes Indigenous cultural teachings, articles by Indigenous authors and highlights an adaptable, relationship-based teaching style that respects students' cultural backgrounds, all within a trauma-informed learning environment.
  • The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education offers programs for education system leaders, including courses on Procedural Fairness in School Discipline and Data Literacy.

TMU’s scholarly, research and creative (SRC) activity contributes to more inclusive and enriching education for children. Our researchers lead projects that address systemic barriers and generate insights to inform inclusive teaching, curriculum design and student support services. This work includes a focus on enhancing learning opportunities for marginalized communities, such as individuals with disabilities and people from low-income backgrounds.

  • The Inclusive Early Childhood Service System (IECSS) project is a longitudinal study interviewing families over a 14-year period starting prior to school entry up to grade 3. The study is informed by a social relational theory of disability that recognizes that disablement is the result of an interaction between individual characteristics, social experiences and access to community social capital. This project was developed through a partnership with community, academic and policy organizations and covers various areas of the country. These partners offer diverse cultural perspectives encompassing different approaches to supporting families in rural, remote and urban communities. In addition, our partners bring service experience from the childcare, early intervention, health, development and Indigenous service sectors.
  • The Siakam EdTech Engine is a 12-week virtual accelerator program designed to help early-stage education technology (EdTech) startups from across North America scale their impact. Co-founded by former Toronto Raptor and NBA champion Pascal Siakam’s PS43 Foundation and powered by the DMZ, the program offers mentorship, resources, real-world testing, and funding opportunities.
  • Psychology professor and principal investigator of the Memory Lab at TMU, Karl Szpunar’s newest work, In-lecture quizzes improve online learning for university and community college students, helps university and community college students learn better in online courses. It can lessen the impact of digital distractions and close achievement gaps for underrepresented groups. The Memory Lab is also collaborating with community partners, including the Toronto Public Library, to share evidence-based study strategies with a more diverse and representative population of learners across the Greater Toronto Area.
TMU students sit on wooden steps and chat with each other while on their laptops.

TMU is deeply committed to expanding access to postsecondary education for students facing legal, financial, or social barriers. The university offers a wide range of scholarships, bursaries and awards to support equitable participation and success, including funding opportunities for students from equity-deserving groups. By promoting affordability and reducing barriers, TMU aims to create an environment where all qualified students can thrive and pursue their educational goals.

  • The Sanctuary Scholars program offered at TMU via the Office of Social Innovation provides an access pathway specifically for students who hold precarious immigration status. While students with precarious immigration status can enroll in school at the elementary and secondary levels in Ontario, accessing the post-secondary level is often very difficult or even impossible. Sanctuary Scholars may have completed all of their education in Ontario, or may be coming to Canada with high school or even university-level education, but they cannot join their friends and peers in pursuing post-secondary education. This is why at TMU we have worked hard to develop a new access pathway specifically for Sanctuary Scholars. 
    • Sanctuary Scholar students can study in nearly all departments and programs at TMU. The program allows eligible students to access undergraduate degrees at TMU at domestic tuition fee rates instead of international tuition rates. Access to support to help navigate the university and address any status-related barriers or obstacles is also provided.
  • The World University Services of Canada (WUSC) Local Committee is a group of TMU students that facilitates the Student Refugee Program (SRP). The SRP sponsors and supports students with refugee backgrounds to come to Canada to study and become permanent residents (known as WUSC Scholars at TMU). The committee’s duties include providing resettlement support to students with refugee backgrounds by offering connections, academic support, and integration support through the SRP. Through the program, TMU has sponsored a total of 12 WUSC scholars to date.
  • In summer 2025, 187 students from 12 South Korean universities participated in TMU’s English Language Institute’s four-week immersion program, designed around the SDGs. The program included an SDG Solutions Day, a mini-hackathon where students compete to address SDG 4. Student teams tackled educational barriers around the world, from Afghanistan to Ghana, Romania, Honduras, and also Indigenous communities in Canada. Students presented innovations ranging from AI-powered learning software for personalized education to solar-powered education kits designed to overcome infrastructure gaps in remote communities.

Through community outreach and global engagement, TMU extends educational opportunities far beyond the classroom. Faculty and staff regularly lead initiatives that bring science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning to children and youth, with a focus on fostering curiosity and encouraging future participation in higher education. TMU also works with international partners to share knowledge and build capacity in communities around the world, helping to expand access to quality education on a global scale.

  • TMU's Early Learning Centre (ELC) has provided early learning and care to the community since 1963. The ELC is the school of Early Childhood Studies licensed laboratory early learning and child care centre that provides care for children between the ages of 18 months to five years. Early Childhood Educators create opportunities for children that promote their freedom of expression and enable them to be responsible for their own learning, form positive relationships and actively engage in stimulating experiences that respect their views and ideas. 
    • Visit the centre’s website to learn more about registering a child for a spot at the ELC. 
    • The EarlyON Child and Family Centre on campus is a place for families to gather, explore, engage with others and have access to resources that will support the development of their child’s sense of belonging, identity, dispositions and independence. The centre hosts free drop-in activities for young children of varying ages.
  • SciXchange is the outreach office for the Faculty of Science. The centre offers innovative outreach programs that reach a wide-ranging audience of youths and adults while actively addressing traditional imbalances in STEM disciplines. SciXchange delivers numerous initiatives and partnerships, including Soapbox Science, which showcases the work of women and non-binary scientists; Let’s Talk Science, which delivers free, hands-on engagement opportunities to schools and the community; Eureka Camp, which is accessible to children with financial need; and the Stoodis Science program, which engages First Nations, Inuit and Métis high school students. 
  • The Peel District School Board and TMU’s School of Medicine, Faculty of Community Services and Student Affairs office are collaborating on the Future of Healthcare Initiative. The project allows students to explore, engage and experience the field of health care through mentorship and coaching, a speaker series, a university course offering, and experiential learning opportunities. The aim is to encourage students to consider post-secondary education and careers in health care and related fields. 
    • This initiative also includes an admissions pathway that intends to strengthen and increase the volume of applications from students from diverse backgrounds and equity-deserving communities to programs including those in science, community services and medicine. 
  • Following the closure of the Ontario Science Centre, its popular Grade 12 DNA fingerprinting workshop relocated to TMU. The lab activity, which has engaged thousands of students across Ontario, continues to provide hands-on biotechnology experiences using university-level equipment and facilities. Delivered by Ontario Science Centre educators at TMU, the full-day workshop teaches students key molecular biology techniques, including DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and gel electrophoresis. Students analyze their results to determine genotypes and explore patterns of inherited alleles, gaining valuable experience with advanced scientific tools and methods. TMU science students also volunteer and help teach the sessions.
  • P2E x TMU Community Tutoring is a collaboration between the Pathways to Education program at Regent Park Community Health Centre and the Student Life and Learning Support unit at TMU. The program offers high school students a variety of support services aimed at fostering academic success and personal growth. Through this collaboration, TMU undergraduate student tutors provide academic tutoring and mentoring to students in grades from the Regent Park neighbourhood, helping them succeed in their classes while also preparing them for their future beyond high school.
  • In October 2025, TMU and Times Higher Education (THE) hosted the Global AI Summit — an international gathering focused on balancing social responsibility with innovation in the age of emerging technologies. The event brought together leading researchers, policymakers and industry experts to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can be developed and deployed ethically and equitably in post-secondary education and in the world.
Students and community members at the Farmer's market

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