11 million girls may not return to school
Sustainable Development Goals: 4, 5
- SDG 4 - Quality Education
- SDG 5 - Gender Equality
The COVID-19 pandemic has put over 11 million girls at risk of not returning to school, threatening decades of progress toward girls’ education and gender equality. If there are fewer girls in the classroom, it will mean fewer women who can make valuable social and economic contributions to their communities in the future. If girls lose out, we all lose out. We must ensure that for all girls, #LearningNeverStops, whether it’s from home while schools are closed, or back in the classroom when they reopen.
Keeping girls in the picture
11 million.
That’s the number of girls who might not return to school this year due to COVID-19’s unprecedented education disruption. This alarming number not only threatens decades of progress made towards gender equality, but also puts girls around the world at risk of adolescent pregnancy, early and forced marriage, and violence. For many girls, school is more than just a key to a better future. It’s a lifeline.
Join UNESCO and members of the Global Education Coalition in a new #LearningNeverStops campaign to ensure that every girl is able to learn while schools are closed and return to the classroom when schools safely reopen. Let’s speak out for the 130 million girls who were already out of school before the pandemic, and work together to safeguard their right to education. It’s time to turn this crisis into an opportunity to build back equal. And it starts NOW!
Girls' education is our future
When a girl's education is cut short, the impact can be felt for generations. It leaves a vital gap in their community, their country and the world.