More than two decades of experience in development and emergency response have shown me how education can make a lasting difference in children’s lives. But education’s not just good for children, it’s good for nations. Investing in education isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s smart economics.
Education can put people on a path towards good health, empowerment and employment. It can help to build more peaceful societies. And the benefits of girls’ education extends to their own children who are often healthier and more educated because their mothers went to school.
Evidence shows that, on average, each additional year of education boosts a person’s income by 10 per cent and increases a country’s GDP by 18 per cent. Some researchers estimate that if every child learned to read, around 170 million fewer people would live in poverty.