Education

The number of out-of-school children around the world has increased from 244 million to 250 million
since 2021. Meanwhile, nearly 120 million students who are attending school are often not attaining
minimum proficiency in reading and math. This is the result of education systems being under-equipped to provide children with the values, knowledge and skills needed to thrive in today’s complex world.

Globally, school systems are still recovering from the impact of COVID-19, with challenges such as increased student dropout rates and absenteeism, poor student engagement, mental health issues and teacher shortages. By 2030, an estimated 44 million more primary and secondary school teachers will need to be recruited globally. The pandemic has revealed the ways in which technology can support learning during school closures, especially for geographically and socially isolated children. Yet more than half of all students and teachers still have no access to the internet or digital devices. The provision of education needs to be reimagined so that in the future, school systems can respond to rapidly changing economies, climate change, political and social instability, and the digital technology revolution.

Inclusive and quality ECD programs unlock the potential of young learners. They promote school readiness by providing children with early brain stimulation, foundational literacy, numeracy and social skills. This prepares them for successful lifelong learning and well-being in primary school and beyond. However, 60 per cent of children in low-income countries do not have access to ECD opportunities, and 37 per cent of the world’s children—over 300 million—are projected to fall short of minimum proficiency levels in reading by 2030. These numbers are reflective of significant inequalities in education access and learning outcomes. Children growing up in the poorest households and in rural areas are the furthest behind, with only 55 per cent of children aged 36-59 months being developmentally on track, compared to 78 per cent of children in the richest households.

The divide between the haves and the have-nots is worsening, despite school being among the most important spaces for equalizing opportunity. The family and home environment play a critical role in a young child’s survival and development. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 40 per cent of children have experienced a positive and stimulating home learning environment, compared to 90 per cent of children in Europe and North America. Quality ECD remains unreliable and often of low quality, rendering the learning experiences of young children less than optimal for their holistic development.

In 2022, UNESCO reported that 250 million children aged 6-18 were out of school, 122 million of them being girls and young women. Estimates show a slowdown in global progress to reduce the number of out-of-school children. Regional disparities persist, with the number of out-of-school children increasing in sub-Saharan Africa (98 million) and remaining very high in Central and Southern Asia (85 million). If these trends continue, then Sustainable Development Goal 4—quality education for all by 2030—risks not being achieved.

The barriers to children’s education are numerous and vary among countries and communities. Families facing poverty and food insecurity may rely on their children, especially boys, to support the family through agricultural work or child labour. For girls and children with disabilities, stigmatizing barriers such as poverty, cultural norms and practices, child marriage, and gender-based violence are more pronounced.

Girls who are managing their periods face obstacles to education. A combination of factors, including stigma and a lack of access to information, hygiene products and safe, private washing facilities keeps girls out of school. For example, according to a 2022 UNICEF report: 15 per cent of girls in Burkina Faso; 20 per cent in Ivory Coast; and 23 per cent in Nigeria had missed school in the past 12 months because of their period. Even as global school enrolment rates equalize for girls and boys, completion rates for girls remain lower in low-income countries.

Education systems need to be gender-responsive and inclusive of the unique learning needs of girls and children with disabilities. National policies that prevent pregnant or young mothers from re-entering and finishing school must be revised to allow them to return to their studies, as was done in Tanzania in 2021.

Globally, 267 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are not in employment, education or training, and almost three out of four lack the skills needed to enter the workforce. Disparities in education and employment for youth are influenced by gender, poverty, rurality, disability and migrant/refugee status. About 156 million young people in low- and middle-income countries are working poor, and nearly 30 per cent of the poorest 12- to 14-year-olds have never attended school. This leaves the door open for harmful survival and coping behaviours, including violence, gang
affiliation, drugs, migration, trafficking, anti-social habits, depression or suicide.

Many factors prevent youth from being fully engaged economically, such as low education, mental health challenges, and a lack of access to life skills opportunities or technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Youth from vulnerable populations encounter other obstacles to quality skills training, including language barriers, lack of foundational skills such as literacy and numeracy, inability to pay fees, familial responsibilities, and inadequate social and emotional support. There is growing recognition of the role of TVET in upskilling youths with the necessary competencies to fully participate in the workforce. However, most TVET institutions are insufficiently equipped to serve large populations of vulnerable youth.

When children living in emergency contexts are asked what they most need, their response is most often to continue their education. Education protects against trauma, injury and death during a crisis but also against repeat future threats to child well-being. Safe and nurturing learning opportunities provide a return to familiar routines, instill hope for the future and mitigate the psychosocial impact of violence and displacement.

An estimated 224 million children and adolescents are affected by crises, with 32 per cent of those out of school. Girls make up 53 per cent of crisis-affected, out-of-school children. About 127 million school-aged children, accounting for 47 per cent of those affected by crises, are estimated to fall below the minimum proficiency standards set by SDG 4.

In 2021, only 2.9 per cent of global humanitarian financing went to education, considerably less than the UN’s target of four per cent. However, with increasing emergencies and polycrises globally, aid to education continues to lag. The sector ranks tenth in donor priority in the context of emergencies, receiving only 3.8 per cent of the total humanitarian funds distributed by the end of 2023. The promise of SDG 4 will not be achieved without greater commitment to investing in, prioritizing and protecting education, particularly in conflict and crisis contexts.