Education

Despite a marked increase in primary enrollment rates, especially among girls, about 67 million children worldwide do not go to school. Adult literacy has also improved. However, some 770 million people, two-thirds of them women, still cannot read or write. Even for those who do attend school, many do not leave with basic skills due to under-resourced education systems and poor quality instruction. Barriers to access and completion are higher for girls, members of ethnic minorities, children living in geographic isolation, working children, children affected by conflict and disasters, children living with disabilities, and the very poor.

Education is the single best development investment a country can make. It contributes to better health, higher incomes, and increased participation in community life. These social and economic returns have been proven to be particularly high when girls are educated.

The world community has been committed to achieving universal primary education since 1990. Two of the eight Millennium Development Goals-universal primary education and reducing the gender gap at all levels of education-underscore the importance of this issue and the importance of educating girls.

CIDA will work toward:

• Improving access to basic education, particularly for girls
• Improving the quality of education and promoting learning achievement with particular focus on teachers and teacher training, relevant curriculum, and teaching/learning materials
• Increasing access to relevant learning opportunities for youth in and out of school

These efforts are designed to create strong education systems that provide more children and youth, girls in particular, with the basic skills they will need to become productive citizens.