In 2023, according to a report presented by UNESCO in Brazil, 251 million children were unable to attend school, with a reduction of only 1% since 2015. The rate of out-of-school children was 16% last year, highlighting a great inequality between high-income and low-income countries. In this context, one in three children in low-income countries does not attend school, while in high-income countries this rate falls to 3%.
The Global Education Monitoring Report 2024 (GEM) revealed that 650 million students drop out of school before completing secondary education, despite the completion rate improving from 53% to 59% in the last eight years. Africa is one of the most affected regions, with an increase of 12 million out-of-school children, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.
The director of the GEM Report pointed out that educational systems are struggling to absorb the rapid growth in the number of students, emphasizing the importance of reducing poverty levels and increasing economic growth in these countries so that more children can access education.
Since 2012, the global percentage of students reaching the minimum competency level has decreased, which could be explained by various factors, such as the prohibition of cell phones in schools or the lack of support from increasingly busy parents. The spiral of debt growth in poor countries and the reduction of investment in education also influence academic outcomes.
Despite these challenges, it is highlighted that participation of children under three years old in education has increased globally in the last decade. However, the report indicates that greater investment in education is needed, as public spending in this area has decreased and financial support has been reduced due to other issues such as conflict.
The report recommends allocating more resources to education and focusing on strengthening school leadership, highlighting the importance of school principals in learning outcomes. It emphasizes the need to free educational leaders from administrative tasks so they can improve educational programs and contribute to the advancement of education worldwide.
