For children in developing countries, education can change everything.
Only 70% of children in low income countries will complete primary school in 2030. We need the will, the policies, the innovation and the resources to buck this trend and make education for children our primary objective.
We must act with a sense of heightened urgency, and with long- term commitment.
Failure to do so will not only adversely affect education but will hamper progress towards each and every development goal: poverty reduction, hunger eradication, improved health, gender equality and women’s empowerment, sustainable production and consumption, resilient cities, and more equal and inclusive societies.
We must fundamentally change the way we think about education and its role in human well- being and development. Now, more than ever, education has a responsibility to foster the right type of skills, attitudes and behaviour that will lead to sustainable and inclusive growth.
Education is the most vital input for every dimension of sustainable development.
Better education leads to greater prosperity, improved agriculture, better health outcomes, less violence, more gender equality, higher social capital and an improved natural environment. Education is key to helping people around the world understand why sustainable development is such a vital concept for our common future. Education gives us the key tools – economic, social, technological, even ethical – to take on developmental goals and to achieve them.
We have brought life changing education to over 200,000 children. We’ve met thousands of children and travelled to hundreds of communities, heard their stories and invested in their education, ensuring a better future. But there are still millions of children who need help receiving a quality education.
Together, we can change this. The craziest thing we can do is nothing.