This is the ninth in a series of 15 facts over 15 days that we will be sharing with you to get you up to speed on what’s at stake in 2015.
Source: UNESCO Global Monitoring Report 2013/14
58 million children of primary school age are out-of-school – many of these are from the poorest and hardest-to-reach families, and more than half of them are girls. Yet evidence suggests that if all girls were able to complete primary education, the child mortality rate in developing countries would fall by 15%, saving 1 million lives annually. Furthermore, if all girls could complete secondary education, this could save as many as 3 million children’s lives in the developing world. 2015 is the year when world leaders have the opportunity to make this happen – by committing to ensuring equitable, high-quality primary and secondary education for every girl and boy by 2030.