Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Education enables upward socioeconomic mobility and is a key to escaping poverty.

Nevertheless, millions of children are still out of school, and not all who do attend are learning. More than half of all children and adolescents worldwide are not meeting minimum proficiency standards in reading and mathematics. Disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes are found across regions, and sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Central and Southern Asia lag behind.

As a result, many students are not fully prepared to participate in a highly complex global economy. That gap should provide the incentive for policymakers to refocus their efforts to ensure that the quality of education is improved, and that more people of all ages can access it.