The Impact Of Inadequate Education On Children?

Over a quarter of a billion children and young people worldwide have been excluded from education systems, with the pandemic worsening the issue. UNESCO’s 2020 Global Education Monitoring report shows that the global number of out-of-school children has risen by 6 million since 2021, totaling 250 million. The share of children living in Learning Poverty is already above 50% before the pandemic.

The detrimental impacts of school closures on children’s learning are substantial, with the most marginalized children and youth often disproportionately affected. Underinvestment in education can result in several conditions that negatively impact how and what children learn. This advocacy brief presents data and analysis on education funding from 42 countries and highlights the need for increased investment in education to address the learning crisis.

Over 600 million children worldwide are unable to attain minimum proficiency, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this issue. Low quality instruction is a major constraint, and prior to COVID-19, the learning poverty rate was higher. Nearly 147 million children missed more than half of their in-person schooling between 2020 and 2022, UNICEF warns.

Developing countries have more children enrolled in school than ever before, but they are more likely to suffer adverse health outcomes and less likely to participate in decisions that affect them. Lack of access to education leads to poor health, shorter life expectancy, poverty, unemployment, and lower salaries.

Education is essential for helping a child escape the cycle of poverty and helps reduce the hold poverty has on children. Major effects of lack of education include poor health, lack of a voice, shorter lifespan, unemployment, exploitation, and gender inequality. An intergenerational poverty gap can also lead to children of those already in the trap being more likely to be at risk.