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Despite a marked increase in primary enrollment rates, especially among girls, more than 100 million children worldwide do not go to school. Adult literacy has also improved. However, some 770 million people, two-thirds of them women, still cannot read or write. Even for those who do attend school, many do not leave with basic skills due to under-resourced education systems and poor quality instruction. Barriers to access and completion are higher for girls, members of ethnic minorities, children living in geographic isolation, working children, children affected by conflict and disasters, children living with disabilities, and the very poor.
CIDA is working with
developing country partners
to protect livelihoods and reduce
vulnerability to the impacts
of climate change.
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Education is the single best development investment a country can make. It contributes to better health, higher incomes, and increased participation in community life. These social and economic returns have been proven to be particularly high when girls are educated.
The world community has been committed to achieving universal primary education since 1990. Two of the eight Millennium Development Goals—universal primary education and reducing the gender gap at all levels of education—underscore the importance of this issue and the importance of educating girls.
Canada, a world leader in child-centred, girl-friendly education, has identified basic education as a program priority. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) supports initiatives that improve the quality, safety, and relevance of basic education; remove barriers that prevent closing the gender gap in education; provide education to prevent HIV/AIDS; and provide education for girls and boys in conflict, post-conflict, and/or emergency situations.
Related CIDA Sites
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