The 2026 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report reveals that 273 million children and young people remain out of school. The numbers have worsened for seven consecutive years, but the report also presents reasons for hope β and a stark warning that 2030 is the last chance.
As of 2024, 273 million children, adolescents, and youth worldwide are not in school. The 2026 UNESCO GEM Report warns of a reversal in education access and introduces new policy benchmarks to close the gap.
The 2026 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, released just four years before the 2030 deadline, reveals the hard truth about education equity. 272 million children, adolescents, and youth remain out of school worldwide.
As of March 2026, roughly 60% of schools worldwide ban or restrict smartphones β up from 40% just a year earlier. France is expanding its ban to high schools, Germany is tightening rules state by state. AI walks into the classroom; the smartphone waits outside. How should we make sense of this paradox?
A joint UNESCO-ILO report warns that by 2030, the world will face a shortfall of 44 million teachers. This is not just an African problem β Europe, the US, and South Korea are all part of this trend.