In a recent UNESCO report, the world has received a stark wake-up call: the number of out-of-school children and adolescents has risen by a staggering 6 million since 2021. This revelation has sent shockwaves through the international community, raising concerns about the achievement of the United Nations' ambitious education goals. UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, is sounding the alarm and urging nations to act quickly, stressing that the future of millions of children is now in their hands.
Azoulay's call to action is not to be taken lightly. It highlights a disturbing truth: education is in a state of emergency. Despite laudable efforts made in recent decades to ensure quality education for all, recent UNESCO data paint a grim picture of a rising tide of children denied access to education. This predicament is forcing nations to urgently recalibrate their efforts, lest they jeopardize the prospects of countless children around the world.
According to recently released UNESCO statistics, the global number of out-of-school children and adolescents now stands at a staggering 250 million. This increase can be attributed in part to the mass exclusion of girls and young women from education in Afghanistan, a tragic consequence of recent geopolitical events. It is important to note however, that this crisis is not confined to one region; it reflects an ongoing stagnation in educational progress that extends far beyond borders.
This alarming trend undermines the core principles of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to achieve quality education for all by 2030. If countries were on track to meet their respective national SDG 4 targets, the world today would have 6 million more children of primary school age enrolled in preschool, 58 million additional children, adolescents, and youth in school, and at least 1.7 million more primary school teachers trained to provide quality education.
This call to action also serves as a reminder of the commitments made by nations just one year ago at the UN Summit on Transforming Education. In a collective effort, 141 countries committed transforming their education systems to accelerate progress toward SDG 4. These commitments included improving teacher training, increasing investment in education, and boosting financial support and school feeding programs. Now, it's time to turn these commitments to translate into tangible concrete action.
To achieve SDG 4 by 2030, a stark reality is emerging: a new child must be enrolled in school every two seconds. For countries to meet their targets, 1.4 million children must be enrolled in early childhood education every year by 2030, and progress on primary completion rates must nearly triple. The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated, and it requires determined efforts from governments and stakeholders around the world.
UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring Report 2023 paints a sobering picture of progress since 2015. The percentage of children completing primary education has barely increased by less than 3 percentage points to 87%, while the percentage of adolescents completing secondary education has increased by less than 5 percentage points to 58%. These figures underscore the need for accelerated action to close the gap.
Amid these challenges, there are glimmers of hope. In the area of learning outcomes, Vietnam stands out among the 31 low- and lower-middle-income countries that measure learning progress at the end of primary school as the country where most children achieve minimum proficiency in both reading and mathematics. However, these bright spots are overshadowed by overarching global concerns.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has played a significant role in the decline in adult participation in formal and non-formal education, with a notable 10% drop. This pandemic-related setback underscores the need for innovative and adaptive education strategies that can withstand unforeseen disruptions.
UNESCO's latest report is a stark reminder that the global education crisis demands immediate attention and action. The future of millions of children hangs in the balance, and nations must live up to their commitments and accelerate their efforts to provide quality education for all. It is not only a moral imperative, but a global necessity to ensure that no child is left behind in the pursuit of a better future.
