NEW DELHI – A decade ago, the world made a promise to its children: everyone would have access to free, equitable, quality education by 2030. Today, with just five years left to fulfill that pledge, at least 272 million children remain out of school. This puts the entire global development agenda at risk.
Education both drives and benefits from progress on all of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), from achieving gender equality to ending hunger and tackling climate change. As literacy levels rise, infant mortality rates decline, incomes increase, and access to health care and nutrition improves. Conversely, poverty and inequality constrain access to education, creating a self-reinforcing cycle.
The world has pledged to achieve universal education before – in 1990, with the Education for All movement, and in 2000, when it was included in the Millennium Development Goals. In both cases, deadlines were pushed back until the world moved on. Now, the SDG on education is at risk of meeting the same fate. UNESCO’s latest scorecard reveals that the number of out-of-school children is 21 million higher than previously thought. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of out-of-school children has increased in recent years, with more than 4,000 children having dropped out of school each day during 2009-21.
How can we celebrate trips to space or the release of new smartphone models when hundreds of millions of children are not learning? This is a moral emergency. Fortunately, we have the tools to get close to the finish line – and even cross it – before time runs out.
Political will is a prerequisite to progress. In my time on the boards of the UN High-Level Group on Education, the UN Education Commission, and the Global Partnership for Education, among others, I have seen the path to universal education repeatedly blocked by the same obstacles, with a lack of political commitment being among the most common. Since elections are often decided on the basis of issues like the economy, immigration, and defense, that is where governments tend to direct their energy. Education rarely features as a top concern, despite its far-reaching economic and social benefits.
When governments do focus on education, however, the impact is undeniable. Brazil, India, Kenya, and South Africa, which have established education as a fundamental right, have achieved higher school enrollment, lower dropout rates, and improved education outcomes. Countries that have implemented education-focused measures like waiving tuition fees and increasing the number of teachers have also made gains.
But all the political will in the world will mean little without adequate investment. The annual financing gap for low- and lower-middle-income countries to achieve universal basic education by 2030 stands at $97 billion. That is just 4.4% of what the world spent on defense last year. Yet, far from stepping up, high-income countries have slashed aid for education, with more reductions likely to come. Governments have also consistently failed to allocate sufficient funds to education within their own countries. Unless this changes, poorer countries will fall even further behind.
Once the political will and financing are in place, the question becomes how to harness them. Policymakers must confront the many challenges that keep children out of school, beginning with child labor. Today, nearly 138 million children are at work, with 54 million in “hazardous” jobs. We cannot guarantee universal education as long as we allow children to toil in farms, factories, and fields. Unfortunately, very few countries have established meaningful links between their education goals and the eradication of child labor.
Social barriers exacerbate exclusion. Marginalized groups – indigenous tribes, girls, those living in chronic poverty or with disabilities – are often excluded from school, and the COVID-19 pandemic and proliferating conflicts have exacerbated the problem. More than 473 million children now live in conflict zones, where forcible displacement, the destruction of infrastructure (including schools), and general insecurity undermine access to education. What kind of world forces children to choose between survival and learning?
But getting children into school is only the first step. If education is to be equitable, inclusive, and effective, classrooms must be free of fear, overcrowding, and neglect. Sufficient resources – including trained teachers – are essential. Technology, particularly AI and digital learning tools, can play a transformative role in expanding access to education, but this will require concerted effort, and human engagement, particularly with teachers, will remain essential.
These efforts must be guided, above all, by compassion. When I accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, I called for the globalization of compassion – in particular, for our children. In heeding this call – which remains as important as ever – we must recognize that there is nothing weak about compassion, which is not the same as mercy, charity, or empathy, let alone pity. Compassion is not a soft emotion. It is a powerful force, sustained by feeling another’s suffering as one’s own and taking mindful action to end that suffering.
That process begins in the classroom. We must weave compassion into what we teach (curriculum), how we teach (pedagogy), and how we measure success (assessment). Teachers must be trained in experiential techniques, such as storytelling and role-playing, that build practical problem-solving skills. Assessments should encourage students to confront real-world problems and devise ways to solve them.
A sustainable future requires responsible citizens with the skills and motivation to tackle structural, institutional, and systemic injustices. Universal access to education is essential. But education can be a powerful liberator, tool for inclusion, and source of opportunity only if it has compassion at its core.
But all the political will in the world will mean little without adequate investment. The annual financing gap for low- and lower-middle-income countries to achieve universal basic education by 2030 stands at $97 billion. That is just 4.4% of what the world spent on defense last year. Yet, far from stepping up, high-income countries have slashed aid for education, with more reductions likely to come. Governments have also consistently failed to allocate sufficient funds to education within their own countries. Unless this changes, poorer countries will fall even further behind.
Once the political will and financing are in place, the question becomes how to harness them. Policymakers must confront the many challenges that keep children out of school, beginning with child labor. Today, nearly 138 million children are at work, with 54 million in “hazardous” jobs. We cannot guarantee universal education as long as we allow children to toil in farms, factories, and fields. Unfortunately, very few countries have established meaningful links between their education goals and the eradication of child labor.
Social barriers exacerbate exclusion. Marginalized groups – indigenous tribes, girls, those living in chronic poverty or with disabilities – are often excluded from school, and the COVID-19 pandemic and proliferating conflicts have exacerbated the problem. More than 473 million children now live in conflict zones, where forcible displacement, the destruction of infrastructure (including schools), and general insecurity undermine access to education. What kind of world forces children to choose between survival and learning?
But getting children into school is only the first step. If education is to be equitable, inclusive, and effective, classrooms must be free of fear, overcrowding, and neglect. Sufficient resources – including trained teachers – are essential. Technology, particularly AI and digital learning tools, can play a transformative role in expanding access to education, but this will require concerted effort, and human engagement, particularly with teachers, will remain essential.
These efforts must be guided, above all, by compassion. When I accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, I called for the globalization of compassion – in particular, for our children. In heeding this call – which remains as important as ever – we must recognize that there is nothing weak about compassion, which is not the same as mercy, charity, or empathy, let alone pity. Compassion is not a soft emotion. It is a powerful force, sustained by feeling another’s suffering as one’s own and taking mindful action to end that suffering.
That process begins in the classroom. We must weave compassion into what we teach (curriculum), how we teach (pedagogy), and how we measure success (assessment). Teachers must be trained in experiential techniques, such as storytelling and role-playing, that build practical problem-solving skills. Assessments should encourage students to confront real-world problems and devise ways to solve them.
A sustainable future requires responsible citizens with the skills and motivation to tackle structural, institutional, and systemic injustices. Universal access to education is essential. But education can be a powerful liberator, tool for inclusion, and source of opportunity only if it has compassion at its core.