The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development makes the promise to leave no one behind. While improving educational opportunities for girls globally continues to be of paramount importance to achieve gender equality in and through education, this focus on achieving gender parity and equality must not ignore boys. Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all and achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls requires gender-transformative action.
Education is a fundamental human right for everyone. Realizing this right requires addressing boys’ disengagement from and disadvantage in education. Addressing the issue not only benefits boys’ learning, employment opportunities, income and well-being, it is also highly beneficial for achieving gender equality and desirable economic, social and health outcomes. The social and fiscal costs of boys’ disengagement from education are enormous, underlining the need for a broad, inclusive approach to education, ensuring educational opportunity for all.
To leave no child behind, UNESCO developed the first global report of this scope on boys’ disengagement from and disadvantage in education, bringing together qualitative and quantitative evidence from over 140 countries.
To review the global situation, this report aims to:
- Provide an overview on the global situation on boys’ disengagement from and disadvantage in education.
- Identify factors influencing boys’ participation, progression and learning outcomes in education.
- Analyse responses by governments and partners and examine policies and programmes.
- Make recommendations on how to re-engage boys with education and address disadvantage.