How pre-school can transform children’s chances

Young children are ready to learn, but their early experiences are crucial in facilitating their learning. As we explain in our new policy paper on early childhood care and education, there is striking evidence that extending pre-school access to the poorest and most vulnerable children can boost their education and livelihood opportunities later in life. [...]

Children who need pre-school most are missing out

By Pauline Rose, director of the Education for All Global Monitoring Report Young children who are marginalized by poverty or other factors stand to benefit most from early childhood care and education – but across the world, they are the ones who have least access to it. Offering disadvantaged children better health care, nutrition and [...]

Education as a way out of exploitation

A new video and an accompanying article released by UNICEF about education in northern Benin turn the spotlight on child labour, child trafficking and other factors that rob children of their right to education. As we will discuss in our forthcoming 2012 Education for All Global Monitoring Report on youth, skills and work, children who [...]

The struggle to learn skills in the city

UNICEF’s flagship annual report, launched today, focuses on the lives of marginalized children in urban areas. The State of the World’s Children 2012 finds that children in urban environments are often denied their right to education, leaving many without the skills they need to find a good job. Almost half of the world’s children now [...]

‘The future we want’ post-2015: Sustainable development goals

By Pauline Rose, director of the Education for All Global Monitoring Report In his speech to the General Assembly this week, the United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, presented his action agenda for the next five years. His speech highlighted many important priorities both in the final push to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, [...]

EU review says need for skills is urgent

Another strong argument for the importance of developing young people’s skills –the subject of the forthcoming 2012 Education for All Global Monitoring Report – comes from a new review by the European Commission, which warns that the recession has made it even more urgent to improve skills across the board. Like the OECD report on [...]

How to reduce poverty’s impact on education

Français | Español On October 17, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, it’s worth remembering that progress in fighting poverty is inextricably linked with progress in achieving education for all. Although poverty continues to decline in many countries, it remains a crucial barrier to reaching the goal of universal primary education. As we [...]

Education for security and development

Français | Español | العربية By Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan To mark the launch in Amman, Jordan, of the Arabic edition of the 2011 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, The hidden crisis: Armed conflict and education, we republish this special contribution to the report by Queen Rania. When we think [...]

How donors betray children’s hopes in conflict zones

Français | Español By Sarah Press, Education Thematic Coordinator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for Save the Children (UK) If you wanted to put names and faces to the million of forgotten children in the world, you might start in the rolling hills of Kitchanga, north of Goma, in the east of the [...]

Millions of girls are still missing out on school

Français | Español As the world marks the 100th anniversary today of International Women’s Day, it’s worth having a look at what progress has been made towards improving education for women and girls since the global community adopted the Education for All goals in 2000. The 2011 Education for All Global Monitoring Report – which UNESCO [...]