The Investment Case for Education and Equity. Executive Summary

Overview & Synopsis

Education is a human right. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognize the essential role education plays in human and social development. As stated in article 26 of the Declaration, "Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages." Education is also one of the most wide-reaching and beneficial development investments. It delivers the opportunity to acquire essential work and life skills, lifts people out of poverty, and contributes to empowerment and health. Yet, education is facing a crisis. Between 2000 and 2007, the number of primary-school- age children who were out of school was reduced from about 100 million to about 60 million. Since then, however, progress in providing education for all has stalled. In 2012, nearly 58 million primary-school- age children and about 63 million adolescents of lower secondary school age were still out of school, and 130 million children were not learning despite reaching Grade 4. Children who are excluded are essentially from the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of society. They would most benefit from the empowerment education provides, but instead they face acute challenges to accessing education, which leads to a vicious cycle of persistent poverty and inequity. Many times, the cycle results from limited, inequitably distributed and inefficiently used funding. "The Investment Case for Education and Equity" is a call for action: For progress to resume, there is a need to invest more, to invest more equitably, and to ensure that funds are more efficiently utilized. This publication identifies the obstacles to universal education and provides recommendations on how to address them. [For the full report, see ED560003.]