While many proclaim great success in education around the world, we cannot ignore that we still face a global education crisis: According to a 2015 UNESCO report, 121 million children are not in school and 250 million children cannot read, write or do basic math.
Last week, the United Nations ratified the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, several of which concern education. Much of what is targeted for education follows from what has yet to be achieved per the Millennium Development Goals 15 years ago with the added emphasis on not only providing access at the primary and secondary levels, but ensuring life-long learning opportunities for all.
The top three education priorities per the U.N.’s Global Education First Initiative are: put every child in school, improve the quality of learning and foster global citizenship. And while there has been real progress on the global education front over the past 15 years — UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics found that with 67 million more children receiving pre-primary education and approximately 50 million more enrolled in primary school — the reality is that much of the focus on education has been one-dimensional: getting children into schools.
About the author
Deirdre White
Deirdre White is a globally recognized leader in building trisector partnerships to address the world’s most pressing challenges. As CEO of PYXERA Global, she has led the transformation of the organization to one that maximizes impact through strong and strategic partnerships.
