Director Neil Boothby outlines education challenges in 2023

As we look ahead to 2023, the Institute for Educational Initiatives asked center directors what they feel are the most pressing issues facing education. Neil Boothby, Director of the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child, discussed out-of-school children as a major obstacle facing education this year.

“We have just 10 years to make good on the United Nations’ promise in the Sustainable Development Goals that every child will be in school and learning. Yet new data from UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics shows that, at the present rate, one in every six children will still be out of primary and secondary school in 2030, and that only six out of 10 young people will complete secondary education. We need real commitment from every single government, backed by resources, to get the job done.”

Globally, millions of children a year are unable to attend in-person school or access a formal education. With the threat of climate change making extreme weather events more common and growing economic inequality, children around the world will continue to face adversity when seeking education. In response to these realities, we must redefine resilient education to include out-of-school solutions.