Education systems around the world need “more, not less money” the UN chief told journalists on Saturday during a joint press stakeout on the Transforming Education Summit and the International Finance Facility for Education.
Just a few hours before the start of the crucial Transforming Education Summit, UN Children’s Fund UNICEF on Friday, warned that globally, only a third of 10-year-olds are estimated to be able to read and understand a simple written story. This shocking statistic represents a 50 per cent decrease from pre-pandemic estimates.
Amid the education crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations is partnering with leading children’s charity Theirworld and others in the sector, to launch the #LetMeLearn campaign, urging world leaders to listen to the voices of young people and put in place the plans and finance required to provide a quality education for every child.
Millions of students in low- and middle-income countries face a “learning crisis” that is widening inequality, destroying opportunity and strangling economic growth.
That’s the stark conclusion of the World Development Report 2018, published on Tuesday by the World Bank, which is calling for greater action through “concrete policy steps” worldwide.