Too many of us don’t think of education as a gift. Some children in countries where schools are well built and equipped, teachers on time and motivated, textbooks available, may even resent having to go to school sometimes.

If only they knew that other children in different circumstances would give everything to go to school and have the chance to learn.

Truly, what better gift can there be but education?

1. Education reduces poverty:
   • If all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty. This is equal to a 12% cut in global poverty.
2. Education makes people healthier:
   • A child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to live past the age of 5, 50% more likely to be immunized, and twice as likely to attend school. 
3. Education promotes gender equality:
   • One additional school year can increase a woman's earnings by 10% to 20%.
4. Education fosters peace:
   • Literate people are more likely to participate in the democratic process and exercise their civil rights.
5. Education saves children’s lives
   • Educating girls averted more than 30 million deaths of children under 5. 

At GPE, we will continue to work tirelessly in the coming year and beyond to ensure more children can go to school and learn.

We wish all of our partners around the world a peaceful holiday season!

See sources for these statistics here