2024 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report

The 2024 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report presents a concerning fact. Even while school enrollment has increased, 251 million children and adolescents still do not attend school. According to the research, the number of people who are not in school has decreased by only 1% in almost ten years. This standstill is concerning, particularly in light of the growing secondary school completion rates. To reduce educational inequality, immediate action is required.

Today’s Educational Environment and the Financing Issues

• In 2015, the UN Sustainable Development Goal for education resulted in 110 million more children attending school, but 33% of school-age children in low-income countries are still out of school.
• UNESCO-World Bank Education Finance Watch 2024 highlights funding as the key constraint, whereby, aside from least-developed countries, almost half of the reporting nations spend more than 15% of public expenditure on education.
• Global debt challenges remain as many African countries are spending 95 percent of their revenues to service debts as they spend on education.
• Given the current state, various creative partnerships, for example, the debt swap where complex debt is exchanged for education investment, are required.
• There is a need to fight exclusion by pursuing international solidarity for education, as official development assistance for education reduced from 9.3% in 2019 to 7.6% in 2022.
• The G20 and UNESCO have a part to keep playing in the reduction of disparities in education and the provision of education for children with special needs.
• This paper highlights seven key imperatives that will require courageous advocacy, leadership, and revolution in educational financing and global partnerships.