As the new school year begins in many parts of the world, new UNESCO data shows that 244 million children and youth between the ages of 6 and 18 worldwide are still out of
According to the statement published by UNESCO on Thursday, Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General, “UNESCO calls for collective mobilization to ensure that the right of every child to access quality education is respected.”
“A new school year is starting in many parts of the world. This news should bring us joy, but it also reminds us that deep inequalities persist in access to education: 244 million of children are still out of school. No one can accept this situation. Education is a right and we must do everything to ensure that this right is respected for every child.”
The data shows that Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the most children and youth out of school, with a total of 98 million children.
The data also revealed that, “the region with the second highest out-of-school population is Central and Southern Asia, with 85 million,’’
“No one can accept this situation,” Ms Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO Director-General said, underlining the need to respect every child’s right to education.
“In view of these results, the objective of quality education for all by 2030, set by the United Nations, risks not being achieved,” she warned.
“We need a global mobilisation to place education at the top of the international agenda.”
On a more positive note, the UNESCO data has confirmed that the difference in the rate of girls and boys out of school has closed worldwide.
Back in 2000, the gender gap was 2.5 percentage points among primary school age children, and 3.9 percentage points among their upper secondary school counterparts.
These gaps have been reduced to zero, although regional disparities persist.