Throughout my life, I’ve sat in classrooms, trying to decipher teachers’ scribbles on the chalkboard or receiving whispered answers from classmates during math lessons. For many of us, these moments seem typical, maybe even boring. We complain about homework or
count the hours until the weekend. But it’s easy to take these privileges for granted.
 
What many fail to realize is how fortunate we are to have access to education. For millions of children worldwide, the simple act of going to school is a distant dream. Around 64 million primary school-aged children lack access to education, and 759 million adults are illiterate, unable to improve their lives or those of their children.
 
The fact that millions of children are deprived of education starkly contrasts with the rights guaranteed to all the children by international law. According to Article 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, governments are required to provide free, compulsory education for all children, regardless of their circumstances. Despite these principles, millions remain excluded from education due to poverty, gender inequality, conflict, and financial challenges. In regions like Somalia and Burkina Faso, some children attend school for fewer than two years. 
 
The gender gap makes the exclusion in education even more urgent. In many cultures, girls are denied their right to learn due to deeply ingrained beliefs that favor boys. In countries like Afghanistan, more than 1.4 million girls have been banned from school since the return of the Taliban.
 
Conflict and violence only worsen the crisis. In Yemen, for example, ongoing violence destroys schools, displaces families, and traumatizes children. Teachers’ salaries are often cut, and children face severe challenges caused by the conflict.
Around the world, more than 220 million children are affected by crises, from missile strikes in Gaza to displacement in Ukraine, and lack access to education.
 
Despite these overwhelming challenges, organizations like UNICEF are working vigorously in order to protect and improve the children’s access to education, with local, national, and global partners, providing temporary classrooms for refugees, distributing learning materials, and training teachers. Education is a right that every child should cherish and have access to. It opens doors to the future and empowers us to combat injustice.