UNESCO released the report “Right to Education: Past, Present and Future”.
The report urges modernising the global legal framework for the right to education.
Modernisation is needed to address inequalities caused by climate change, conflicts, and rapid technological change.
Since the 1960 Convention against Discrimination in Education, free primary schooling coverage rose from 56% in 2000 to 82% in countries today.
Completion rates increased from 77% to 88%.
Gender parity in schooling is nearly achieved. Higher education enrolment grew from 100 million students in 2000 to 264 million, including significant growth in the least developed countries.
Despite progress, 272 million children drop out prematurely.
762 million adults remain illiterate (two-thirds are women), and in some low-income countries, up to 70% of ten-year-olds cannot read a simple sentence.
Lifelong learning is essential for adults and older workers, with countries like France, Singapore, Australia, and Morocco implementing vocational and skills-development programs.