Save Our Education Report

Protect every child’s right to learn  in the COVID-19 response and recovery

For the first time in human history, an entire global generation  of children have had their education disrupted. In early April 2020, as the world tried to halt the spread of COVID-19, an estimated 1.6 billion learners globally were out of school. This is a global education crisis. It requires urgent global action. Save Our Education highlights the impact this pandemic will have  on the poorest and most marginalised children. Our analysis suggests that almost 10 million children – likely a significant underestimate – are at risk of not returning to school. 

On top of this, as governments shift spending towards the health and economic responses to the pandemic, education budgets are likely to come under extreme pressure. Our analysis estimates a potential education financing gap in low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2021 of $77 billion.

The world must act now to protect education. Drawing on global programme evidence – from Colombia to Bangladesh, and Ethiopia to Lebanon – this report sets out the action needed to keep education alive, prepare for school reopening, and to build back better. Because at the heart of the global recovery effort from the pandemic must be every child’s right to learn.