The State of Global Children's Education
After joining the Daram community, we were deeply influenced by its commitment to protecting children’s rights worldwide. Motivated by this, we conducted some research on the global children’s situation. The data presented here is sourced from the internet. While we’ve tried my best to verify its accuracy, we cannot guarantee complete precision, so it’s provided for reference only. As we reflect on these findings, let us collectively advocate for greater awareness of and attention to children’s rights across the globe.
This article highlights the state of global children’s education. To begin, let’s review some key statistics. Currently, there are approximately 1.4 billion students and 65 million teachers worldwide. However, disparities in the allocation of educational resources remain significant. Around 61 million children of primary school age and 32 million of lower secondary school age are not in school. One-fifth of adolescents do not complete secondary education. Even more concerning is the fact that 250 million children globally cannot read or write, and 750 million adults are illiterate, two-thirds of whom are women. These figures starkly illustrate the severity and imbalance of global education development.
---
Enrollment Rates Are Improving
According to UNESCO's 2024 Global Education Monitoring Report, since the adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, the number of children and youth enrolled in schools globally has increased by 110 million. The number of students completing secondary education has risen by 40 million. Access to education has consistently improved on a global scale.
From a historical perspective, global education levels have also made remarkable progress over the past two centuries. Between 1820 and 2010, the world literacy rate rose from 12% to about 85%. Many countries have implemented active policies to improve school enrollment. For instance:
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, low-income and lower-middle-income countries have allocated 15.4% of their total budgets to education, exceeding the global average for countries in the same income bracket. Currently, half of the countries in this region have abolished tuition fees for lower secondary education, significantly reducing families’ educational burden and boosting enrollment rates.
- Cambodia has launched literacy programs and income-generation initiatives targeting rural and impoverished populations, alongside offering extensive online basic education opportunities. After completing these programs, students can further pursue vocational education at the municipal level.
---
Dropout and Out-of-School Rates
Despite progress, significant disparities persist across countries and regions in dropout rates, age groups receiving education, and the education of boys versus girls.
Dropout Rates
Dropout rates vary widely, as shown in data charts.
Out-of-School Rates
The number of out-of-school children is equally concerning. According to the latest data from UNESCO (September 2023), the global population of out-of-school children has risen to 250 million, a mere 1% decrease since 2015. Moreover, since 2021, the number of out-of-school children has increased by 6 million, driven by factors such as Afghan girls being denied education and global stagnation in educational progress. Key findings include:
- In low-income countries, 33% of school-age children and adolescents are out of school, far exceeding the global average.
- Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than half of the world’s out-of-school children and adolescents.
The specific circumstances of out-of-school children are also noteworthy. Among the 28.4 million boys out of school, 5.2% are unlikely to ever enroll, 13.3% have left school, and 6.9% may enroll in the future. Similarly, among 30.9 million girls out of school, 16.0% are unlikely to ever enroll, 9.7% have left school, and 5.2% may enroll in the future. Alarmingly, around 16 million girls may never have the opportunity to learn to read or write.
---
Increased Global Investment in Education
Globally, education funding has shown sustained growth. Between 2011 and 2017, global education expenditure increased from $371.67 billion to $603.12 billion, with an average annual growth rate of 8.4%.
Although precise data for recent years is unavailable, the trend indicates a continuous increase in financial support for education.
---
Regional Educational Inequalities
Data on global educational attainment highlights significant disparities between high-income and low-income countries. Children living in poverty and rural areas, children with disabilities, and younger children face the greatest challenges. These educational inequalities not only limit individual development opportunities but also exacerbate social disparities in wealth and resources.
---
The Digital Divide
The use of educational technology offers new opportunities for learning, but the digital divide has limited its reach. Inequality in access to digital resources is striking and continues to hinder the widespread adoption of these technologies.
---
Insufficient Investment in Education
Despite progress, many countries—particularly developing nations—continue to underinvest in education:
- Inadequate Education Funding: In some countries, education expenditure as a percentage of GDP is far below UNESCO’s recommended range of 4–6%.
- Low Teacher Salaries: Low wages for teachers make it difficult to attract and retain qualified talent.
- Insufficient Infrastructure Investment: Many schools lack modern teaching equipment and facilities.
---
Conclusion
In response to the challenges facing global children’s education, the international community has actively implemented measures. UNESCO has called on nations to urgently expand their education investments and take diverse actions to bridge educational gaps:
- Promote Free Compulsory Education: Lower education costs to ensure more children can attend school.
- Expand the Teaching Workforce: Increase the number of teachers and improve their quality to meet the growing demand for education.
- Enhance School Infrastructure: Improve school facilities to create better learning environments for students.
- Achieve Digital Transformation in Education: Use modern technologies to enhance the efficiency and quality of education.
Addressing global children’s education remains a long-term mission. Today we will not delve deeply into future outlooks, but we will continue to contribute in our small way as part of the Daram Community. Let us all work together to make a difference!
Compiled and Written by Geese of the Daram Community.