The number of children and young people out of school worldwide has risen to 273 million, marking the seventh consecutive year of increase, according to a new report by the UNESCO.<\/p>\n
In its 2026 Global Education Monitoring Report released on Wednesday, the organisation revealed that one in six school-age children is currently excluded from education, while only two in three complete secondary school.<\/p>\n
The report highlights a worrying slowdown in global education progress since 2015, attributing the trend largely to conflict and rapid population growth, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cProgress in keeping children in school has slowed across almost every region,\u201d the report stated, noting that the situation is especially severe in conflict-affected areas, where millions more children remain out of school than official data suggests.<\/p>\n
Despite the setbacks, UNESCO pointed to notable gains over the past two decades, with global school enrolment improving significantly. It noted that \u201cmore than 25 additional children accessing school every minute\u201d since 2000.<\/p>\n
However, the agency cautioned that addressing the crisis would require sustained investment and context-specific policies, stressing that no single solution can tackle the growing challenge of educational exclusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"