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Why Education?

The benefits of quality education reach far beyond the classroom to help individuals break the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Educated children grow up to earn higher wages, contribute to stronger economies, support healthier and more prosperous families, and make informed decisions essential to democratic institutions.

End the cycle of poverty – for good

A quality education expands employment opportunities and gives people a chance to earn higher wages. A single year of primary school increases the wages an individual earns later in life by 5 to 15 percent for boys, and even more for girls. For each additional year of secondary schooling, an individual’s wages increase by 15 to 25 percent, giving people the opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty.

Develop stronger economies

A quality education is the best assurance for a bright economic future and global stability. Educated citizens build self-sufficient local economies and strong communities – spurring economic growth and offering a lasting and sustainable path out of poverty. Economists estimate that a country can only attain economic stability after achieving near universal primary education and a 40 percent literacy rate.

Investing in education needs to be a priority during and after the global economic recession. In the immediate term, the recession could push an additional 90 million people back into poverty worldwide in 2010, forcing families to cut back on education spending. While the economic realities in industrialized democracies may be improving now, the financial crisis may turn into a long-term development crisis in developing countries. While the rest of the world pulls out of the recession, the poor may be forgotten and millions of children will not have a chance at education.

Promote a healthy world

Education, particularly of women, leads to better health outcomes for adults and children. Educated women marry later and have fewer children, increasing the chance that their children will survive to adulthood. Educating women has been shown to reduce child malnutrition more effectively than food aid. And a woman’s increased income is often passed onto her family in the form of better nutrition and provision of healthcare services.

Universal basic education can influence global health outcomes by decreasing the number of HIV infections per year by as much as 700,000 worldwide. Quality basic education not only reduces an individuals’ risk of HIV infection, but also other communicable diseases.

Ensuring Safer Communities Around the World

Now more than ever, ensuring educational opportunity is an important tool in U.S. efforts to defeat global terrorism, as the 9/11 Commission concluded.  About half of the children currently out of school live in fragile and conflict-affected states – the same places that see civil wars destroy entire countries, and where terrorism is more likely to take root. Studies have shown that every additional year of schooling reduces a young man’s risk of becoming involved in conflict by 20 percent.

High unemployment combined with a growing number of out-of-school youth increases the potential for social and political unrest. Educated citizens are more likely to promote democratic and stable societies through participation in civic institutions, making informed decisions and holding public officials accountable.