International Day of Education - January 24
➡️ International Day of Education - January 24
International Day of Education is celebrated annually on January 24, established by the United Nations, to highlight the role of education in peace and development.
The day focuses on the importance of quality education for everyone regardless of their socio-economic status, gender, place of birth, or any other barrier. It aims to raise awareness and mobilise international cooperation to achieve universal education goals such as Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education ‘ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’.
Education is a fundamental human right, a public responsibility, and benefits society as a whole.
Jump straight to our guide here ➡️ International Day of Education or explore our topics on education, important social media to follow, and key platforms.
Better World Info is a central hub for education and provides comprehensive guides to education for -
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as well as essential resources on schools, girls' education, and education in developing countries
The theme for 2025 is “AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation”. The day will reflect on the power of education to equip individuals and communities to navigate, understand, and positively influence technological advancement.
Education is a key driver for equality, peace, and poverty alleviation. Today, 250 million children and youth are out of school, and 763 million adults are illiterate. Their right to education has unacceptably been denied – the time to transform education is now.
Education is not only a means to improve society as a whole but a long-term investment with increasing returns. It can be used as an effective tool to address and prevent global challenges of the future, such as climate change, the erosion of democracy, persistent inequalities, discrimination, hate, violence, and conflict.
“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” - Malala Yousafzai
Facts on the State of Education:
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Conflict and natural disasters have disrupted the education of 75 million children
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One in three countries has less than three-quarters of teachers who are adequately trained to national standards. This leaves 130 million children attending schools where they are not even learning the basics
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A child of a mother who can read is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5
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Nearly 15 million girls of primary school age do not have the opportunity to attend school. That figure drops to 10 million for boys
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It would take $39 billion every year to send all adolescents to school
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In 2020, 160 million children around the world were in child labour, preventing them from attending school - almost 1 in 10 of all children
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Equitable access to quality education can help a country raise its GDP by 23% in just 40 years
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If all women were able to complete primary education, there would be 1.7 million fewer malnourished children
This International Day of Education, we must reaffirm our commitment to providing everyone with safe and equal access to education. The SDGs are failing, and education plays a key role in most, if not all, of the 17 goals. Without achieving SDG4, we cannot hope to achieve sustainable development at all.
Current trends reveal that 225 million children aged 6 to 17 will be out of school in 2030, just a 14% fall since 2017. Only 50% of children complete secondary school, and 60% do not achieve minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics. Vast inequalities still exist both within and across countries, with less than 1% of the world's poorest children completing 4 years of higher education.
Author: Rachael Mellor, 02.01.25 licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0
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