Education is a fundamental human right, of which millions of people, in particular 250 million children and adolescents, the majority of whom are girls, are currently deprived. Without education, they are deprived of all social, health and economic progress. Investing in education is therefore key to building a fairer, more egalitarian world with greater solidarity. 

Action Education is working on the ground to ensure that everyone, whatever their age, has access to quality education, mainly for the most vulnerable and marginalised populations.

1 in 10 children excluded from education

In 2024, more than 250 million children and young people in the world will be out of school, including more than 122 million girls, and 200 million young people aged 15 to 24 will be unemployed and untrained. 

For those who do go to school, the education provided is such that it does not enable them to acquire basic skills. The learning crisis that has been raging for more than a decade has been greatly exacerbated by the closure of schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now estimated that 7 out of 10 children living in low- and middle-income countries are unable to read and understand a simple text. (The state of learning, World Bank, 2022)

In addition to overcrowded classrooms, a lack of teaching materials, the absence of pre-school education and rising household poverty, all of which encourage early school leaving, there is an almost worldwide shortage of trained and qualified teachers. According to UNESCO, 44 million teachers are needed to guarantee every child access to primary and secondary education by 2030.

The education figures worldwide reveal the urgency of the situation. It is more necessary than ever for governments to guarantee quality education for allon an equal footing.

Access and quality of education in a few figures

The effectiveness of the right to education has important repercussions at both individual and global level. 

• A child under the age of 5 is twice as likely to survive if his or her mother knows reading and writing (1)
• If all children in low-income countries could read, poverty would fall by 12% (2) ;
• An extra year of school can increase men's income by at least 10% and women's income by at least 20% (3)
• Equal access to education between girls and boys reduces the risk of violent conflict by 37% (4)

Education is therefore the most powerful weapon to significantly improve health, stimulate economic growth and encourage the development of sustainable societies. more resilient and sustainable.

1, 2, 3 and 4: Figures taken from the report "Education cannot wait, International Labour Organization, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank".

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