Investing in education is the single most effective means of reducing poverty.
Girls and boys who learn to read, write and count will provide a better future for their families and countries. With improved education, so many other areas are positively affected. In short, education has the power to make the world a better place.
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REDUCES POVERTYMAKES PEOPLE HEALTHIERINCREASES INCOME PROMOTES GIRLS' AND WOMEN'S
RIGHTSBOOSTS ECONOMIC GROWTHSAVES CHILDREN'S LIVESRAISES
CROP YIELDS FOSTERS
PEACE
EDUCATION
Education is more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. It is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and its future and is critical to reducing poverty and inequality:
Education gives people critical skills and tools to help them better provide for themselves and their children
Education helps people work better and can create opportunities for sustainable and viable economic growth now and into the future
Education helps fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases, reduces mother and child mortality and helps improve health
Education encourages transparency, good governance, stability and helps fight against graft and corruption.
The impact of investment in education is profound: education results in raising income, improving health, promoting gender equality, mitigating climate change, and reducing poverty.
Here is a breakdown of the impact of education on people's lives:
Income and Growth
Education is the key to unlocking a country's potential for economic growth:
If all students in low income countries left school with basic reading skills 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty. This is equal to a 12% cut in global poverty. (EFA GMR, UNESCO, p. 8)
One extra year of schooling increases an individual's earnings by up to 10%. (EFA GMR, UNESCO, p.7)
Wages, agricultural income