January 24 is International Day of Education. This year, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and its partners will celebrate the theme “Changing Course, Transforming Education”.
At the Prize Foundation, we share UNESCO’s belief that quality education is a fundamental right, and we need insightful policies, concrete action, and global commitment to address widespread disparities in education, and transform how the world teaches and learns.
Education Comes First, and Longevity and Economic Growth Follow
In Education: The key to global sustainable development, a paper launched by the Prize Foundation in collaboration with the Wittgenstein Center for Demography and Global Human Capital in July 2021, we examined 70 years of consolidated research on the benefits of education, based on data from 185 countries.
The data shows the widening gap between the world’s most and least skilled adult populations. When we look at the difference between countries where people emerge from education with strong literacy skills, and places where they don’t, it’s equivalent to an extra ten years in school.
And we know that human capital is a fundamental prerequisite for economic progress and strong institutions. The quality of education in terms of measurable skills has been shown to greatly impact earnings and health on the individual level, and economic growth and employment rates on the macro level.
Investment in education pays off in other ways too. Life expectancy has increased globally from just 45 years in 1950 to above 70 years presently. We have long known about the correlation between increasing income and longer life expectancy, but in fact, the data shows increased life expectancy maps more closely with educational attainment.
The data also allows us to model multiple scenarios, exploring the potential impact of different education investment and expansion strategies over the next 80 years. For developing economies, these models show how education drives economic growth and social progress, and this data can help governments place education front and center on the policy agenda.
We Need an Education System that is Fair, Efficient, and Flexible
The evidence is clear: quality learning shapes how we think, what we do, and how well we live. It makes us more capable of abstract thinking and more able to calculate risk. Indeed, it’s the key determinant of health, demographic transitions, economic growth, effective institutions, and even our resilience to climate change.
This means that globally, a strong education system is directly connected to the future of humanity. So if we want people, countries, and our globalized world to develop and thrive, we need to make sure that every learner has access to quality education. A fair, efficient, and flexible system will mean no one misses out because of a lack of opportunity.
We Have a Blueprint for Creating a Better World Through Education
UNESCO’s Futures of Education report, published in November 2021, calls for everyone, from teachers and schools to community leaders and institutions, to help us shape peaceful, just, and sustainable futures. Action must be taken at every level. And we must bridge the gap between research and practice in education. Only then will current and future generations build the knowledge and skills required to solve the world’s most pressing issues.
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