Educational poverty

The enormous disparities, conflicts, and poverty in which much of humanity lives, and, at the same time, the wide range of tools we have to improve the quality of our lives, lead us to believe that an infinitely larger number of people could live healthier, more dignified, and fulfilling lives. We do not consider this a wrong dream, but a dream not yet realized.

Access to quality, equitable, and inclusive education—which the United Nations defines as Sustainable Development Goal 4—is an exponential accelerator and a systemic pivot for achieving this and other goals: it connects the environmental, social, and economic dimensions and provides skills and knowledge, locally valuing the unique and exclusive abilities of each individual, which are not easily transferable or replicable.

Guaranteeing access to quality education regardless of geographic location, age, or gender is an opportunity for growth and empowerment, allowing for a dignified and meaningful life path, both for the individual and for the community.

Global data on educational poverty

Here are 10 key facts about this dramatic phenomenon worldwide:

1. Educational poverty does not only concern those living in absolute or relative poverty; it affects all children and families who do not have access to quality education;
2. Although Italy is a developed country, the level of education among Italians is one of the lowest among OECD countries: the average Italian adult has only just over 10 years of schooling;
3. Italy has the highest number in Europe of young people aged 15 to 29 who neither study nor work, therefore interrupting their growth path;
4. Child poverty and lack of education are intricately related: according to the National Institute of Statistics, in 2021 about 1.3 million children in Italy lived in absolute poverty;
5. Low access to quality educational opportunities affects the ability to build social networks, reduces future employment opportunities, fuels economic constraints, personal dissatisfaction, and social tension (https://www.minori.gov.it/it/minori/poverta-educativa);
6. Low educational quality is correlated with higher indices in terms of limitations in daily activities and health issues (https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/8c0c66b9-en.pdf?expires=1673603816&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=014993623279B85DB4F9957ABB42E145);
7. In low- and middle-income countries, as early as 2019, the rate of educational poverty was estimated at 57%, reaching 86% in sub-Saharan Africa;
8. To this alarming scenario, we must add that global progress against educational poverty had already stalled: between 2015 and 2019, no reduction in the phenomenon was recorded;
9. Since the post-pandemic period in low- and middle-income countries, 7 out of 10 children suffer from chronic educational poverty. This means that all gains in combating educational poverty from 2000 to 2015 have been lost;
10. If immediate measures are not taken, the current generation of students risks losing $21 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value terms, equivalent to 16% of the current global GDP.

The numbers on educational poverty