Tackling Crisis-Affected Learning: ECW Chief Urges Global Education Funding | United Nations

Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW) Yasmine Sherif said that an illiterate nation can never recover from war, manage climate change, end extreme poverty, or provide basic services. She added, “And if girls don't go to school, like in Afghanistan today, when it comes to secondary school, upwards can never achieve gender equality.” Launching a new ECW report on Friday (8 Sep), Sherif called on world leaders to scale up their financial support to education. The report analyzes the latest trends in education in emergencies, including alarming increasing needs, and reveals new data on ECW’s work with UN and civil society partners in supporting quality education for girls and boys caught in crises worldwide. According to the Report, ECW and its global strategic partners have reached 8.8 million children with quality, holistic education since the Fund’s inception in 2016 and more than 4.2 million in 2022 alone. ECW chief said, “If we were to receive 20 times the funding that we are asking for, we were to receive, instead of receiving 1.5 billion to reach 20 million, and instead would receive 4.5 or 5 billion, then we could reach 20 times more number of children and adolescents. Then, we could end this global learning crisis for children affected by conflict, climate disasters, and forced displacement. Everything boils down to funding.” According to ECW’s Global Estimates Study released in June 2023, the education of 224 million children has been disrupted by conflict, climate change, and other disasters, with only 11 percent of these children in school and meeting minimum standards in reading or math. While 127 million crisis-affected children attend school, 57 percent are not achieving proficiency. Additionally, a staggering 72 million school-aged children (53 percent of girls) are out of school in crisis-affected regions. Half of these children live in just eight countries: Ethiopia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Mali, and Nigeria. An alarming 83 percent of out-of-school children in crisis-affected areas and 75 percent facing learning deprivations live in countries with a high Climate Change Risk Index, according to ECW. Significant gender disparities in education access and completion rates persist, particularly in high-intensity crises like Afghanistan, Chad, South Sudan, and Yemen. Despite this, girls continue to show remarkable learning potential, often surpassing boys in reading proficiency, even under such challenging conditions. Their resilience underscores the importance of providing equal opportunities for all. Sherif said, “We are still delivering education in certain provinces of Afghanistan. This can be home-based schools, or this can be locally negotiated agreements with local commanders. And I'd like to point out - and I've been to Afghanistan many times, including having informal talks with the de facto government - some want to see their daughters go to school. There is no uniform opinion on that, though there is a categorical ban. So, there are places where girls are receiving education, whether at home or otherwise, in hiding in Afghanistan.” She concluded, “Afghan women are strong. Yes, give them the education that they so deserve, and they will work hand in hand with their brothers and their fathers and husbands and rebuild that country.”


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