The United Nations have decreed 24 January as International Day of Education to remind us of the powerful role education can have in building communities, strengthening economies, and empowering individuals. Education is one of the most effective ways to ensure that young people’s life chances and opportunities are enhanced, and in turn improve their prospects for employment, health, and prosperity. We are blessed in the UK with an excellent education system, but some places are not so fortunate.
While it is recognised as a fundamental human right and even enshrined in Article 28 of the UN convention on the Rights of the Child, there remain huge barriers to ensuring that all children have access to a quality education around the world.
According to the National Education Union (NEU), 250 million worldwide children are out of school, while millions are in school but receiving a substandard learning experience. Worryingly, only one in six countries are expected to achieve universal access to education by 2030, leaving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which aims for an inclusive and equitable quality education for all, in limbo.
One key challenge is the impact of crises such as conflicts, natural disasters, and public health emergencies. Just nine years ago, 75 million children were not getting a quality education due to displacement, humanitarian crises, or climate disasters. That figure is now 224 million.
In Gaza, 95% of schools have been partially or completely destroyed and most school buildings will require significant reconstruction to be functional again. The war in Sudan has resulted in the displacement of over 4.6 million children, and 17 million children now lack access to a formal education. In the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 1.3 million children are out of school because of an escalation of violence, and children risk being killed, abducted, or recruited into armed groups.
The lack of proper financial support from the global community is also a real barrier to universal quality education. Children in war-torn countries or the Global South where the effects of climate change have impacted most severely aren’t given the learning opportunities afforded elsewhere, with emergency international aid rarely going towards schooling. Education receives less than 3% of humanitarian aid, and children-focused overseas development aid fell by 56% from 2016-2022.
This funding gap is exacerbated by the debt burdens of low and middle-income countries. In some instances, the interest on debt repayments that are owed to private creditors is more than those countries’ entire education budgets. This is true for 25 African nations, including Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Zambia. Unless the international financial system and debt architecture is remade to tackle unsustainable debt, education in low-income countries will not get fixed, and any international aid we give will not be effective.
Another tenet of achieving SDG4 is the supply of teachers. Teachers are paramount to a child’s learning outcomes, and their role in supporting economic transformation, conflict prevention and empowering women and girls makes them central to any of the UK’s efforts to improve global learning outcomes.
However, there is a global shortage of teachers, and the NEU estimates 44 million more will be needed to meet any sustainable development goal for global education. In low-income countries, teachers are often the victims of attacks on schools or denied regular or adequate pay in fragile economies. To this end, the UN high-level panel on the teaching profession argued for the creation of a global fund for teachers’ salaries so children can continue to receive an education during crises. It is also imperative that teachers are provided with the right training, resources, and support in emergency contexts to continue doing their work.
During my recent Westminster Hall debate I asked the Government to consider bolstering their financial contributions to global education initiatives and ensure that funds are directed towards crisis-affected children. Organisations like Education Cannot Wait do amazing work delivering education in emergencies through their multi-year resilience programmes and aid that supports them would help plug the $97 billion financing gap for education in low-income nations.
Along with aid, educational institutions must be protected in conflict zones. Schools intended as the sanctuary of learning are too often the target of attacks. I am pleased that the Government is a signatory yo the Safe Schools Declaration and is advocating for adherence to international humanitarian law.
Education is a powerful tool in breaking down barriers to opportunities and it is a catalyst to achieving a brighter future. Only with urgency and coordinated action can we ensure that children across the world receive that human right.
Education is a powerful tool in breaking down barriers to opportunities, we must ensure every child has access
