Quick Downloads: Cool Fact Sheets for Action Week 2007

Fact Sheet Education
Fact Sheet: Education and Human Rights
Agreements on Education Rights

	Action Week
	Students learn about education issues during Action Week.
	credit: GCE

The Issue

Today, more than 80 million children do not have the opportunity to attend school.

In 1948, the world came together and signed the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, proclaiming that all children have the right to a basic education. In a world where 1.2 billion people live on less than $1 per day, education is perhaps the most powerful instrument for reducing poverty and inequality, improving health and social well-being, and laying the groundwork for sustained economic growth and the realization of basic human rights.

Yet today, despite its potential for eradicating poverty, over 80 million children do not attend primary school. The majority of these children live in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the most common barriers include school fees, child labor, poor school quality, health crises such as HIV/AIDS, discrimination and conflict.

Did you know that…

• Over 40 million out-of-school children live in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Providing girls with one extra year of education beyond the average can boost wages by up to 20% and reduce infant mortality by 5-10%.
• In some places, there may be as many as 100-150 children in each classroom and not enough teachers or supplies.
• Out of 22 rich countries, the United States is ranked 20th for its level of commitment to funding education.