Education is the key that will allow many other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved. When people are able to get quality education they can break from the cycle of poverty. Education therefore helps to reduce inequalities and to reach gender equality. It also empowers people everywhere to live more healthy and #sustainable lives.
Education is also crucial to fostering tolerance between people and contributes to more peaceful societies. Enrolment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91% but 57 million children remain out of school. An estimated 50% of out-of-school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas.
Women and girls are less likely to receive quality education. About one-third of countries in the developing regions have not achieved gender parity in primary education. In sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania and Western Asia, girls still face barriers to entering both primary and secondary school. These disadvantages in education also translate into lack of access to skills and limited opportunities in the labour market for young women.