Worse, the number of child refugees cut off from school \u2013 in places like Nepal, Myanmar, and Yemen \u2013 is increasing at an alarming rate. If the international community does not act to nurture and educate these children, the cycle of poverty and conflict will be reproduced for generations to come.<\/span><\/p>\n The fact that so many children are cut off from education constitutes a clear failure on the part of the world\u2019s governments, which promised in 2000, when the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted, to ensure primary schooling for all children by 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n To achieve this, it is not enough to enroll children in school; they must be kept there and provided a quality education. UNESCO estimates that at least 250 million of the world\u2019s children of primary-school age are unable to read, write, or do basic arithmetic.This week, the international community will have a chance to do something about this scandalous state of affairs. Policymakers from around the world will meet in South Korea at the World Education Forum to agree on the global education targets that are set to replace the MDGs.<\/span><\/p>\n It is truly fitting that South Korea is hosting this forum, because it is so often seen as a model of what investment in education can deliver. Some 8% of South Korea\u2019s GDP is spent on education, and UNESCO estimates that every dollar invested in primary schools generates $10-$15 in economic returns. South Korea, which has lifted itself up from the ranks of the world\u2019s poorest countries to among its richest in just two generations, is living proof that education pays off.<\/span><\/p>\n The new Sustainable Development Goals that are to be agreed this year underscore the challenges that world governments must address by 2030. I insist that quality universal primary education must be one of the SDGs\u2019 top priorities. The emphasis here is on quality. <\/span><\/p>\n Success is measured not only by the number of children we enroll, nor by their achievements on standardized tests; the most important outcomes are the tangible and intangible impacts of education on the quality of students\u2019 lives. This is the unfinished business of the MDGs.<\/span><\/p>\n Wherever I travel with the Education Above All foundation, I encounter bright, motivated children who have been denied the chance to learn. As the world moves on to new priorities, we cannot forget our responsibility to those who have been failed by our complacency. The job is not done. We must remain committed to achieving the goal of quality primary education for all children \u2013 not some, and not even most \u2013 wherever they live.<\/span><\/p>\n Moza bint Nasser<\/strong> Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2015.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On a recent visit to a camp for Syrian refugees in Turkey, I witnessed some of the most powerful displays of human endurance that anyone can imagine. And yet, amid all the stories of trauma and loss, what affected me the most was these refugee families\u2019 unquenchable thirst for education. The children I spoke to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":62453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlight"],"yoast_head":"\n
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\nSheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Education Above All, is UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education, and a member of the UN MDG Advocacy Group.<\/p>\n
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