This page is background information, last updated in May 2002 and still available for reference. For the latest on the Special Session on Children, please go to the Special Session index.

Press kit

Issues & Information
Education

Education is the right of all children and the duty of all governments. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by virtually every country in the world, is uncompromising about the right of every child to a basic education of good quality.

Education drives development. Education is the surest, most powerful way to promote economic and social progress and to produce responsible, productive citizens. No country can afford to not educate its children – especially in this new information age.

Girls’ education is key to breaking the inter-generational cycle of poverty. Investing in the education of girls puts all of society on the path to economic and social progress. A child’s well-being is strongly associated with the mother’s level of education. Educated girls grow into educated women: women who generally have higher family incomes, participate more in decision-making, marry later, are more likely to seek medical attention for themselves and their families, provide better nutrition for their families and enrol their children in school.

Education is crucial to solving some of today’s most complex problems. Child labour flourishes where education is not available, is of poor quality or is not relevant to people’s needs. For HIV/AIDS prevention, schools are a critical opportunity to equip children with essential life skills. Education that is of good quality, gender sensitive and relevant is a key first step towards dismantling the pervasive gender discrimination that fetters development.

Progress on meeting the goals of the World Summit for Children

Significant progress has been made throughout the 1990s. The Convention on the Rights of the Child has catalysed political commitment and global campaigns and has led to greater allocations to universal education. The systematic follow-up and monitoring procedures required of countries that have ratified the Convention encourage accountability.

Much more is known about how to achieve Education For All. Important lessons on how to provide girl-friendly schools are being applied in order to close the gender gap in education. And lessons learned about the importance of relevant and good-quality teaching methods, materials and learning environments are helping attract and retain children in school.

Four of the goals set at the 1990 World Summit for Children are directly related to education and literacy:

Primary education: That every child has access to education and that at least 80 per cent of school-age children complete four years of primary school. There has been some improvement in access, with 82 per cent of primary-school-age children enrolled in and/or attending primary school, up from 80 per cent in 1990.

Gender disparities: That educational disparities between girls and boys be reduced. The gap in enrolment rates has been halved, from 6 to 3 percentage points. South Asia made remarkable progress, but in sub-Saharan Africa the gender gap has not declined as sharply.

Adult literacy: That adult illiteracy be cut to at least half its 1990 rate and that female literacy be given special importance. This goal remains unmet. Adult illiteracy declined from 25 per cent in 1990 to 20 per cent today – but in part because of population growth, the number of illiterate adults has remained at nearly 900 million worldwide. And illiteracy is increasingly concentrated among women.

Knowledge and skills for better living: That people be provided the knowledge, skills and values needed for better living. There has been some slow progress towards this goal. More young people are being reached with education and training that enhance life skills and employment opportunities. But massive unemployment in Central and Eastern Europe and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa are two major threats against which young people need to be far better equipped.

Unfinished agenda: Education For All - no excuses!

Old and new obstacles. Nearly 120 million children of primary school age remain out of school, about 53 per cent of them girls. Secondary school enrolment rates are even lower. And in severely affected areas, HIV/AIDS is an increasingly complex hurdle to achieving the world’s goals for education.

Old and new obstacles. Nearly 120 million children of primary school age remain out of school, about 53 per cent of them girls. Secondary school enrolment rates are even lower. And in severely affected areas, HIV/AIDS is an increasingly complex hurdle to achieving the world’s goals for education.

The challenge of getting the remaining 20 per cent of children into school. This effort will require more innovation and will cost proportionately more because these are primarily the most marginalized and excluded of children, including working children, children living in conflict, disabled, poor and rural children, children of disadvantaged minorities and the soaring numbers of children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Too many schools are ineffective and unsafe. While many children are excluded from an education, too many others attend schools in environments that discourage learning. Schools must provide relevant curricula, adequate hygiene and sanitation facilities, a safe environment and well-trained teachers. Where these essential elements are lacking, parents are unlikely to send their children to school or keep them in school.

The barriers to girls' education. Creating girl-friendly schools requires teachers and learning materials that are free of gender bias, the removal of barriers such as school fees or responsibilities for the care of younger siblings, separate latrines for girls, more flexibility in school hours and an environment free of gender-based violence. The many countries that have successfully narrowed the gender gap in education have done so through such targeted efforts.

The crippling impact of the debt burden. The world’s poorest and most heavily indebted countries cannot make needed investments in education without significant progress in addressing their external debt burden.

Education For All requires partnerships and networks. While the ultimate responsibility for fulfilling every child’s right to education rests with national governments, education ministries alone cannot achieve this task. For universal education to become a reality, others must hold themselves accountable as well. And stronger partnerships must be forged with the community in school management and in reaching excluded children. Civil society, religious and other groups must mobilize to convince parents of the fundamental value of education.