Education is a global right—so why do millions lack access to it?

If you grew up in the ‘80s or ‘90s, you probably remember the phrase “Don’t be a fool, stay in school.” Popularized by Mr. T in his 1984 video Be Somebody… Or Be Somebody’s Fool!, it became a cultural catchphrase—part pep talk, part playful jab. But behind the humour was a serious message: education matters.

In Canada, that message has staying power. Even for those who don’t finish high school, there are many ways to continue learning. Obtaining the Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) is a way for individuals to demonstrate high school-level knowledge without completing secondary school. Adult high schools, community learning centres and online programs—many supported by government initiatives—make education accessible well beyond the traditional classroom. In most provinces, school is mandatory until age 16 or 18 and opportunities to complete one’s education are widely available.

But what happens in places where education isn’t a right, but a privilege?

This article explores what lack of education looks like in the world’s most impoverished places—where barriers like poverty, conflict and gender inequality keep millions of children out of school. It also takes a closer look Canada’s education system, highlighting the disparities faced by marginalized communities. Finally, it shares how World Vision is working to break down these barriers—and how you can be part of the solution.

What is lack of education?

Lack of education refers to the absence of formal, informal or non-formal learning experiences and opportunities. It can significantly limit a person’s career prospects, personal development, economic empowerment, health outcomes, civic participation and social networks.

This absence not only affects individuals but also communities and societies at large. That’s why the importance of education can’t be overstated. It helps people:

• Communicate effectively by developing core reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
• Think critically, enabling them to analyze, process and respond to information logically, while using creativity to solve problems.
• Qualify for jobs and improve career prospects, helping break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
• Challenge gender stereotypes that prevent women and girls from completing their schooling, entering the workforce, making their own decisions and managing their finances.

Individuals and communities that lack access to education are left without the tools to thrive, making it one of the most urgent challenges to overcome in the pursuit of a more just and equitable world.

How many children lack education worldwide?

Although more children and young people have entered school since 2015 and completion rates are rising, the global out-of-school population has only decreased by one per cent during this time. As a result, 272 million children and youth —about six and a half times the population of Canada —are still not in school worldwide.

Despite every child having the l egal right to an education, regional disparities reveal a stark reality—one of privilege for some and lack of access for others. In high-income countries, only three per cent of school-aged children and youth are out of school, compared to 33 per cent in low-income countries, with more than half of these children living in sub-Saharan Africa.

What are some of the biggest barriers to education?

Poverty

Poverty remains one of the most pervasive and persistent barriers to education worldwide. It affects access to schooling in multiple ways, especially in low-income countries where resources are already stretched thin.

These are some of the barriers poverty creates for children’s education:

• Lack of funding: Many low-income countries rely heavily on foreign aid to support their education systems. In some cases, aid can account for 17 per cent to over 50 per cent of national education budgets. When donor countries reduce or withdraw funding, it directly impacts the ability of these nations to build infrastructure, hire qualified teachers and provide learning materials. This growing disengagement puts the education of approximately 272 million children and young people at risk.
• Hunger: Hunger severely impacts a child’s ability to learn. Malnourished children struggle to concentrate, have less energy, experience lower academic performance and are at greater risk for cognitive and developmental delays. In Burundi, rising school drop-out rates due to food insecurity prompted communities, government officials and World Vision to launch a school feeding program. The initiative fed 1,500 students across 22 schools and successfully eliminated the drop-out rate—demonstrating how targeted nutrition programs can keep children in school and improve learning outcomes.
• The other costs of education: While many low-income countries have abolished school fees, leading to impressive increases in school enrolment, families living on less than $2 a day still face significant financial barriers. Essential items such as uniforms, books, supplies, exam fees and transportation can be prohibitively expensive—even when the tuition is free. As a result, children living in extreme poverty are four times more likely to be out of school compared to those from households with higher incomes.

Conflict and political instability

With an estimated 473 million children living in countries affected by armed conflict, schools can serve as vital refuges from escalating violence and unrest. Unfortunately, when wars break out, schools are often targeted, damaged or destroyed, disrupting learning continuity and stability. In many cases, children are forced to drop out, join armed groups to survive, or face heightened risks of physical violence and sexual exploitation.

Faced with dwindling options and escalating danger, some families flee for neighbouring countries, seeking safety and stability. As refugees, they must rebuild their lives from scratch—often without access to formal education, further compounding the long-term impact of conflict on children’s learning and development.

Children born in conflict zones face the constant threat of physical harm every day. In Syria—a country devastated by war for over a decade—air raids have left more than 80,000 people without limbs, creating an overwhelming demand for prosthetics. Nine-year old Firyal is one of them. She lost her leg to an airstrike just as she was beginning to walk. Her family fled to a displacement camp, where it took over four years before Firyal received a prosthetic leg—one that she almost lost when a fire destroyed their tent following a devastating earthquake in the region.

Despite the overwhelming challenges that come with life in a displacement camp, Firyal isn’t letting her disability stop her from completing her education.

Inaccessibility

Although education is a universal human right, an estimated 240 million children living with disabilities are denied access to school every day. These children are often overlooked by policymakers, limiting not only their access to education but also their ability to participate fully in social, economic and political life.

Persistent barriers—such as discrimination, stigma and the routine failure to make schools inclusive—continue to exclude children with disabilities from learning environments. In many low-income countries, education systems lack the funding and infrastructure needed to create accessible schools, leaving millions of children without the support they need to thrive.

Gender discrimination

Harmful cultural practices and beliefs

Gender can often decide who receives an education and who does not. In some cultures, arranged marriage is a norm, with families prioritizing dowries over school tuition for their daughters. Once married, girls are expected to leave their childhood homes, move into their husband’s household and begin having children—often at great risk to their health. With their education abruptly halted, most girls forced into marriage become fully dependent on their husbands for shelter, food, financial support and even decisions related to their own health—trapping them and their children in a cycle of poverty.

Afghanistan’s educational system has suffered a dramatic decline since the Taliban regained control in August 2021. Girls over the age of 12 are banned from attending secondary school, leaving at least 1.4 million girls without access to education and reversing two decades of progress.

Even in societies where arranged marriage is not practiced, poverty and cultural beliefs may prevent girls from attending school. In some families, educating boys is seen as a higher priority, while girls are expected to stay home, care for siblings or contribute to household chores—further widening the gender gap in education.

A monthly dilemma

An estimated 500 million women lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities. In schools where clean water and proper sanitation are unavailable, maintaining menstrual hygiene becomes difficult.

Stigma around menstruation, lack of feminine hygiene products and inadequate sanitation facilities can prevent girls from completing their education. While menstruation is a normal and healthy part of life, many girls choose to stay home during their periods to avoid cultural shame, bullying or even gender-based violence—leading to absenteeism, reduced academic performance and, in some cases, permanent drop-out.

Climate change and humanitarian disasters

In 2024, an estimated 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events—including heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods and droughts—leading to school closures or significant interruptions to learning.

Heatwaves alone affected over 118 million students last year, with temperatures soaring to 47 degrees Celsius in parts of South Asia, putting children at serious risk of heat stroke. In April, extreme heat led to widespread school closures in Bangladesh and the Philippines, while Cambodia shortened the school day by two hours.

Other countries faced multiple climate emergencies, compounding the devastation and making recovery even more difficult. For example, last May, over 110 schools in Afghanistan were damaged or destroyed by severe flash floods, further disrupting the education of thousands of students already affected by extreme heatwaves.

A possible solution?

If heatwaves are the problem, why not install air conditioners in classrooms to avoid shutting schools down? While this might be a viable approach for education systems in high-income countries, it’s neither practical nor feasible in many low-income nations like the Philippines. Officials cite challenges such as limited resources, outdated infrastructure and inadequate electrical systems that cannot support the power demands of air conditioning.

It’s important to remember that there are no “one-size-fits-all” solutions when it comes to addressing barriers to education. Meaningful change happens when challenges are approached through a local lens—drawing on community insight, experience and know-how to find the right solutions.

Is lack of education an issue in Canada?

Canada is often regarded as the most educated country in the world, with four universities ranking among the top 100 globally and 18 in the top 500. It leads the G7 in post-secondary attainment, with 57.5 per cent of adults aged 25 to 64 holding a college or university credential. Nearly one in four Canadians in that age group earned a college diploma or certificate in 2021—more than in any other G7 country. These statistics make it clear that most Canadians value education and are committed to lifelong learning.

Yet despite these impressive achievements, educational inequities remain. Families living in low-income, remote or Indigenous communities often bear the brunt of these educational disparities. The national high school dropout rate ranges from approximately seven to 13 per cent, but can climb as high as 30 to 50 per cent in some low-income communities. Socioeconomic challenges, limited access to resources, long commutes to school and systemic racism are just some of the barriers to education these marginalized populations face.

As a result, while Canada is a highly educated country overall, those who drop out of high school face significant challenges later in life, including limited career prospects, reduced income potential and lower overall quality of life. On average, they earn 25 per cent less than their peers who graduate and are more likely to experience unemployment and rely on social services.

How does World Vision help children gain access to education?

In 2024, World Vision Canada invested $22.5 million in 90 education programs, reaching over 1.3 million people worldwide. Here are some of the ways we helped bridge the education gap for the world’s most marginalized populations in 2024:

• 379,033 children received school supplies and resources for their education, including books, backpacks, uniforms and bicycles.
• 763,324 reading materials and 102,221 school supplies were distributed to schools and communities to support of children’s education.
• 62,035 youth participated in life skills training, and 2,074 individuals undertook vocational or technical training education.
• 12,831 caregivers were trained to support early childhood development, literacy and numeracy skills through play-based learning.

Overcoming accessibility issues

World Vision supports children with special needs in overcoming the barriers that prevent them from accessing and completing their education—a right protected by international law. In some cases, we collaborate with local agencies and foundations to ensure schools are equipped for children like Abraham, who lives with cerebral palsy.

From providing extra wheelchairs at home and at school, to assigning a specially trained helper and adapting lessons to Abraham’s pace, we’ve taken steps to ensure his school has a permanent place for him.

Watch Abraham’s story here.

Learning beyond the classroom

Helping people become educated doesn’t just stop when the school bell rings—and it’s not just about academic skills. We also run after-school sessions, training programs and workshops designed to educate and empower communities.

For example, the REACTS-IN program powers World Vision Bangladesh’s Girl Power Group where adolescent girls learn essential skills and gain knowledge about women’s rights, nutrition, child protection, and sexual and reproductive health. When young women understand their rights, their health and their bodies, they’re empowered to make life-changing decisions—like staying in school and completing their education.

We teach families practical skills like sustainable farming practices and animal husbandry. Parents gain confidence, improve their yields and find new ways to earn a living—putting food on the table and covering essentials like clothes, medicine and school tuition. We also provide vocational training in many fields to help young people and adults find jobs or start their own businesses as bakers, seamstresses, shopkeepers, mechanics, teaching assistants, hairstylists and so on.

What can I do to help overcome this issue?

Education is a fundamental right —and protecting it is a shared responsibility. Here are a few meaningful ways you can help protect every child’s right to education.

Be an advocate

The Canadian government has pledged to help all children access quality education, so hold them accountable. Vote in elections and let your elected officials know about the urgent need to ensure education reaches every child, no matter where they live. Share this article with your family, friends, colleagues and social networks to raise awareness about the harm that lack of education can cause to individuals and society.

Support real impact™

When you become a Real Impact partner, your monthly commitment helps drive change in the areas that matter most—from empowering girls and dismantling gender inequality, to providing urgent help during humanitarian emergencies, and helping children overcome barriers to education.

Become a child sponsor

When you sponsor a child, your support creates a ripple effect—benefitting not just the child, but their entire community. Your contribution is combined with support from other donors, partners and the Government of Canada to expand your impact, helping provide essentials like nutritious food, clean water, sanitation facilities, health care, livelihoods and education.