Over 264 million children and youths across the world don’t have access to basic education, a UNESCO report recently stated.
The UN in its SDG4 aims to provide elementary education to all the children globally by 2030 but the report says that though 83 per cent children go to school, only 45 per cent are able to complete secondary school education.
The new Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report by the UNESCO is part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UNESCO urged for a common effort to come over the educational failure and said, “There are today 264 million children and youth not going to school — this is a failure that we must tackle together, because education is a shared responsibility and progress can only be sustainable through common efforts.”
The report was based on data from 128 countries over the period 2010- 2015.
“According to the report representing 90 per cent of the global population of upper secondary school age, less than one in four young people had completed upper secondary school in 40 countries and less than one in two in 60 countries,” she said in the report.
There were 40 countries where less than one in four young people had completed secondary education, but only 14 where at least 90 percent had done so.
“There were only 14 countries with a completion rate of at least 90 percent,” she said
While calling for accountability at all levels, the report said accountability measures for schools needed to be flexible and carefully designed.
The UNESCO also sounded a note of caution on measures to promote competition between schools and give parents more choice on the school their children would attend.
A majority of highly developed countries had increased school choice policies in the last 25 years, but evidence suggested that they benefit better-off families and the most able students, the report warned.
That was the case even where the policies were accompanied by voucher programs aimed at facilitating school choice by poorer families.
Meanwhile, CARE India, a leading NGO working with marginalised women and children in the area of education, has shared few points to be addressed in education sector.
The GEM report which gives the global scenario of the education states that India is also amongst the countries which has not been able to provide even the basic elementary education. In India, the spending on education constitutes an insignificant part of the GDP.
1. Indian is not being able to provide basic elementary education despite having several schemes and right to education.
2. About 264 million children globally do not have access to education in 2017. Possible measures to achieve education for all till 2030 in Indian context and at global level.
3. The GEM report states need to provide access of education to children whereas WDR 2018 stresses upon the learning outcomes only.
Affirmative of Ms. Bokova’s thoughts, Buddy4Study has acknowledged education as a shared responsibility and is working towards lessening the student dropout rates in India with the help of scholarships. Register on Buddy4Study today and find a scholarship that can change your life.