Programme

Education

Every child has the right to go to school and learn

Children outside their UNICEF-supported school in Timor-Leste — UNICEF/2015/UN07783

Challenge

The East Asia and Pacific region is home to one-third of the world’s population and more than one-quarter of the world’s children – around 580 million children in total. The region possesses a stunning variety in geography, culture and political and economic systems and significant diversity can be seen within countries in terms of wealth, ethnicity and language.

UNICEF believes that every child has the right to an education regardless of who they are, where they live or how much money their family has.

The East Asia and Pacific region is home to 1/3 of the world’s population and more than one-quarter of the world’s children

children in a preschool class in Viet Nam — UNICEF/UN08690/Lynch

Some countries in this region have increased enrollment, retention and completion rates and decreased gender gaps. However many children, both between and within countries, are still out of school or do not have access to quality education because of their socioeconomic status, geographical location, disability, ethnicity, language and gender persist.

Solution

For every child, an education

Education transforms lives and breaks the cycle of poverty that traps so many children. UNICEF is committed to making sure every child has access to a quality education, no matter who or where they are. We work with governments and partners throughout the region to help make sure education reaches the most vulnerable, that systems work effectively for children, and that no child is left behind.

The Sustainable Development Goal 4 mandates that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030. It also aims to ensure universal access to quality higher education by eliminating gender and wealth disparities and providing equal access to affordable vocational training.

To help achieve these goals for the next 15 years, the UNICEF will continue focusing on inequity in terms of access to education and learning.