Mozambique

A single additional year of schooling beyond the average can boost the wages of girls by more than 20%.

credit: GCE Mozambique

Did you ever stop to wonder why education is so important? Education is perhaps the most powerful tool for:

• Reducing poverty,
• Improving health,
• Promoting healthier economies, and
• Providing peaceful and productive opportunities for young people around the world.

In countries where young people have the opportunity to go to school and learn basic literacy skills, economies grow faster and poverty rates decline. When people go to school, they are able to eventually earn more money to support their families.

Still not convinced? Take a look at some of the statistics:

• No country has ever achieved continuous and rapid economic growth without first having at least 40% of its adults able to read and write.

• Studies show that a single year of primary school increases the wages people earn later in life by 5 to 15 % for boys and even more for girls.

• For each additional year of secondary school, an individual's wages increase by 15-25%.