International Day of Education: Unesco, “a human right and a public asset”, but “258 million children do not go to school”

(Brussels) “Education is a human right, a public asset and a public responsibility”, but today “258 million children and young people do not go to school”, while “617 million” people cannot read and cannot do mathematical calculations. “Less than 40% of girls in the sub-Saharan region can complete their studies, and 4 million young people and young refugees cannot go to school”. These are figures that Unesco disclosed today, to coincide with the Second International Day of Education, inspired by the motto “Learning for People, Planet, Prosperity and Peace”. “A crisis of learning is also a crisis for prosperity, for the planet, for peace and for people, because education is key to all sustainable development goals”, Audrey Azoulay, director of Unesco, wrote in a “call to action”. In Paris, this afternoon, a conference will be held about the topic of this International Day, while a new online tool, “Education Progress”, measuring the “progress made in the achievement of the education development goal” in each country, will be presented at the UN celebration in New York. “As a former teacher, I know the transformative power of education”, the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, tweeted. “Universal access to quality, and now even lifelong, education is a right and a need”. “It is very important that the best possible education be provided to young people all over the world”, EU Commissioner Jutta Urpileinen wrote. In 2019, the European Commission allocated 10% of its humanitarian aids to help the younger ones get sound, quality education.
Valentina Bombelli