Archive for category: Education

Information and stories on education.

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Against All Odds – Supporting Women’s Education in Afghanistan

Women's Education in Afghanistan
Education for girls and women in Afghanistan has seen a dramatic reversal since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. During the previous two decades, access to education had expanded considerably. By 2021, almost one million girls were enrolled in secondary education. Since then, girls have been prevented from attending education beyond grade six, and women have been excluded from attending university since December 2022. Afghanistan is now the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is closed to girls and women.

This problem continues to grow in both scale and scope. UNICEF reported in August 2026 that more than 2.6 million girls had been denied secondary education since 2021. An April 2026 UNICEF analysis estimates that in 2024, 3.8 million girls aged 7–18 were out of school, including more than 2.6 million adolescent girls. Such restrictions illustrate the scale of the challenge facing aid organizations in providing women’s education in Afghanistan.

Efforts by UNICEF and UNESCO

UNICEF is one of the largest organizations supporting education in Afghanistan. For children unable to attend school, UNICEF supports community-based education, temporary learning spaces and other forms of alternative education. These programs allow children to continue learning outside formal school settings.

UNICEF also supports teachers, learning materials and education infrastructure. Its programs are particularly important for children living in rural or conflict-affected areas, where access to formal schools can already be difficult. In January 2026, UNICEF and UNESCO reported that approximately 2.2 million adolescent girls had been prevented from attending secondary school and emphasized the need to maintain access to primary education and alternative learning opportunities.

UNESCO has similarly developed community-based education, literacy, skills-development and vocational programs that can provide women’s education in Afghanistan. These are particularly important for women who have been excluded from universities and other formal education. UNESCO reported in 2026 that nearly 70,000 learners had benefited from its programs, with women representing approximately 73% of participants.

Local Initiatives and International Support

These initiatives provide an important educational lifeline, but they cannot completely substitute for formal secondary schools and universities. A girl studying through a community program does not necessarily receive the same qualifications or opportunities as someone attending a recognized secondary school.

Alongside large international organizations, Afghan-led groups have developed more discreet methods of keeping girls and women in education. Some operate virtual classrooms, while others provide small-scale community or underground education. These organizations can be difficult to identify publicly because revealing the identities of students, teachers or locations may expose participants to risks.

The Initiatives and Their Accomplishments

An Afghan activist and former teacher established Afghanistan Education Action (AEA) following the Taliban takeover. Its online school was established in 2021 and operates undercover due to restrictions on girls’ education. The school currently reports around 820 students attending daily lessons and more than 84 subjects. These include mathematics, science, computer science, English, Persian literature, art, philosophy, women’s health and calligraphy. Approximately 70% of its students are women and girls. Its international school also helps students work toward formal qualifications.

Other Afghan-led organizations use similar approaches. LEARN Afghan, for example, operates digital and community-based education programs, while Gahwara has developed virtual and in-person educational opportunities for girls and women. The discreet nature of some of these programs means that publicly available information about their scale is necessarily limited.

U.K.-based charity Children on the Edge (COTE) has played an important supporting role in Afghanistan Education Action. Following the establishment of the online school, Children on the Edge helped AEA develop its organizational structure, fundraising and administration. It also supported AEA in becoming an independent U.K.-registered charity and helped establish additional educational programs.

Children on the Edge reports that AEA’s online school provides daily education to more than 800 students. AEA reports more than 84 subjects and a network of more than 400 volunteer teachers and administrative staff. This type of support is significant because it attempts to go beyond simply providing lessons. AEA’s programs aim to preserve a pathway toward formal qualifications, higher education and international scholarships.

Community-Based Learning and Future Prospects

Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN global fund for education in emergencies, has also supported education programs in Afghanistan. Its approach focuses heavily on community-based learning, enabling children excluded from education to continue studying. Programs supported through ECW have reached hundreds of thousands of children, with girls making up a substantial proportion of those helped.

Large organizations such as UNICEF and UNESCO provide community-based education and support for primary-age children, while organizations such as AEA, LEARN Afghan and Gahwara attempt to reach older girls and women who have been excluded from formal education. Children on the Edge demonstrates how smaller international charities can support Afghan-led initiatives with funding, administration and international connections.

Ultimately, organizations working to provide women’s education in Afghanistan face many challenges which demonstrate both the importance and limitations of international intervention. Organizations operating on the ground help provide education, qualifications, technology and hope to thousands of girls, but they do not provide the same scale or recognition as a functioning national education system could. The long-term solution therefore remains the restoration of girls’ access to secondary and higher education, while organizations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, Afghanistan Education Action and their partners continue to provide alternative routes to learning in the meantime. Therefore, continued funding of such programs is vital in order to bridge that gap while restrictions on formal education for Afghan women remain.

– Mark Hooley

Mark is based in Edinburgh, UK and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How Higher Education in the Maldives is Changing

Higher Education in the MaldivesGoing to class for American university students may require crossing campus. However, in the Maldives, it may require crossing the ocean. The Maldives’ scattered island geography creates barriers to where students can study, which programs they can apply to and whether they need to leave their home to pursue higher education. The Maldives’ unique geography is influencing how higher education in the Maldives is developing. On March 8, 2026, Maldives National University held a groundbreaking ceremony for a planned new campus in Eydhafushi, Baa Atoll. The new campus, valued at approximately $5.2 million, is scheduled to take 720 days to complete. Once finished, it should give students the opportunity to attend university closer to home and reduce the costs associated with studying elsewhere. At the same time, new programs and scholarships are creating additional pathways into postsecondary education.

Education Across an Island Nation

The Maldives’ geography sets its education apart from many other countries. The challenge arises because communities are spread across more than 180 inhabited islands while many educational opportunities are concentrated in larger population centers. This affects students long before they even enter university. UNICEF reports that disparities in access to services, including education, remain between Malé and remote islands. It also reports that the country’s monetary poverty rate is about 8% and that 33% of children experience multidimensional poverty. For families with limited incomes, the additional costs of traveling or relocating for education can make geographic barriers more difficult to overcome.

Geography is not the only challenge. UNICEF identifies limited upper-secondary opportunities in remote islands and teacher shortages as additional barriers facing students in smaller communities. In some remote areas, students must leave their home islands simply to complete upper-secondary education.

For certain students, moving off their home islands before commencing university might be necessary for them to pursue further education. These geographical disparities are among the reasons why the establishment of regional campuses has been a key feature of the education system in the country. This is not an isolated case of such a development. Maldives National University (MNU) has announced agreements to develop additional campuses, including one in Naifaru in Lhaviyani Atoll. These agreements represent planned developments rather than campuses that are already operating. MNU said both projects will expand access to tertiary education for students living in the atolls.

When Online Classrooms Bridge Gaps

While building more campuses offers one way to reduce distance, technology can offer another. Taking advantage of this opportunity, UNICEF and the Maldivian government have expanded digital and hybrid learning initiatives that allow students to attend classes online. UNICEF identifies online learning as a method of reaching students in rural areas. The TechPath program, which the Ministry of Education developed in partnership with UNICEF and Google for Education, focuses on students’ digital skills and expanding remote learning. In 2024, UNICEF reported that TechPath was being piloted with more than 1,600 students in 15 schools across the Maldives.

The program also supports the Maldives’ satellite school model, which connects students in rural and remote communities with educational opportunities that may not exist locally. UNICEF said the initiative aims to strengthen the satellite school model and expand remote-learning options to grades 11 and 12. This remains a school-level initiative rather than a university program, but greater access to upper-secondary education can help students prepare for higher education.

For students in rural communities, these school-level programs can help create a pathway toward higher education before a student reaches a university campus. Access to upper-secondary courses can determine whether students are able to meet the requirements for further study.

Beyond the Islands

For other students, pursuing higher education may require leaving the Maldives entirely. The Ministry of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development announces international scholarship opportunities that allow Maldivian students to pursue higher education abroad. These have included opportunities connected with countries such as India, Hungary, Indonesia, China and Australia. For example, in April 2026, the ministry announced an Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarship (ICCR) through the Aid to Maldives Scheme. The scholarship gives Maldivian applicants opportunities to study at participating universities in India. ICCR’s 2026-2027 scholarship guidelines provide financial support that can include tuition and compulsory fees, monthly stipends, housing allowances and annual contingency allowances depending on the student’s level of study and program rules.

International scholarships can therefore reduce some of the financial barriers associated with studying abroad while giving Maldivian students another route into higher education. Combined with planned regional campuses, school-level digital learning programs and international scholarships, these developments show that higher education in the Maldives increasingly extends beyond a single type of location or institution.

Systems Moving Outward

The planned campus in Eydhafushi highlights how higher education in the Maldives is changing. Once completed, the project is expected to allow students in Baa Atoll to pursue higher education closer to home while reducing some of the costs associated with studying elsewhere. Other planned regional campuses, including Naifaru, show that Maldives National University is also working to expand higher education beyond the country’s main population centers. Digital-learning initiatives and international scholarships provide additional pathways for students whose location or financial circumstances may otherwise limit their educational options. In a country where home and school can be separated by miles of ocean, the location of education matters. Although several of the new campuses are still in development, their expansion, along with digital programs and scholarships, shows how the map of educational opportunity in the Maldives is beginning to change.

– Inika Chemuru

Inika is based in Pembroke Pines, Florida, USA and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Education Reform in Vietnam Leads Way for Poverty Reduction

Education Reform in VietnamEducation reform in Vietnam has decreased out-of-school rates among adolescents by at least 80% since 2000, according to a 2026 UNESCO report. Poverty reduction in Vietnam has been equally staggering, with the rate of people living at $3 a day going from 43.31% in 2002 to 1.6% in 2022, according to the World Bank Poverty & Inequality Platform.

Vietnam’s reform efforts and its recent economic improvement led the World Bank to reclassify the country from a lower-middle-income country to an upper-middle-income country in July. While education and poverty may seem unrelated, they are heavily connected, and the improvement of one leads to the improvement of the other.

Behind Education Reform in Vietnam

Projects increasing educational opportunities for vulnerable populations have contributed to the reduction of out-of-school rates. One such project is UNESCO’s We Are ABLE (Achieving Better Living and Education) program, which gives ethnic minority women access to quality education. The ongoing program has benefited more than 8,000 students since 2019 and helped hundreds of school teachers and managers with inclusive curriculums and classroom practices, according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.

Other programs, such as Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education, which instructs children in both their local languages and in Vietnamese, and Vi Vu, a text-to-speech software that helps visually impaired students in the Southern dialect, are making schooling more inclusive and accessible, contributing to higher in-school rates.

Improvement in infrastructure has also enhanced educational opportunities. More than 90% of schools in Vietnam now have internet access, according to a UNSDG report from Jan. 2025, increasing the quality of schools and education.

Additionally, national organizations have built more classrooms for children over the years, according to Ministry of Education and Training Pham Ngoc. In a 2024 conference in collaboration with Vietnam Television (VTV), a national TV station and news site, Ngoc said that the number of classrooms in the country increased from 553,181 in 2013, with only 65.9% being structurally sound, to 628,571, with 86.6% being structurally sound, according to VTV. This nationwide increase has especially helped children in rural or remote areas, who may have previously been too far from schools to receive quality education.

Education reform in Vietnam has also significantly reduced poverty in the country.

Education Reform and Poverty Reduction: a Cycle

A 2023 study in the Social Indicators Research journal analyzed the link between education and poverty by monitoring 34 European countries from 2015-2019. The study found that an increase in education levels led to poverty reduction, and the authors even claimed that education appeared to be “one of the best effective methods to eradicate poverty” in a country.

Lack of education can put individuals into poverty because they may not have the required skills and knowledge to find employment, according to the RELX SDG Resource Centre. The article says that it is especially important for women to receive proper education to reduce poverty rates. Educated women are less likely to marry and have children at a young age, allowing them to pursue their education and receive high-paying opportunities.

Poverty also leads to worse education. It affects children’s ability to attend school, from an affordability standpoint, and affects students’ performance in school. Children in poverty not only start school less ready than more affluent peers, both academically and socially, but “the incidence, depth, duration, and timing of poverty all influence a child’s educational attainment,” according to a 2007 study in the Paediatrics & Child Health journal. Factors such as lower parental education and higher stress in the family negatively affect children’s academic development.

Looking Ahead

Education and poverty are inherently related. As education reform in Vietnam continues, poverty’s downward trend will also continue, which, in turn, will lead to better education. Although Vietnam is still working to put more children in schools and take people out of poverty, the nation is proof that education reform greatly reduces poverty.

– Koya Weiss

Koya is based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay

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Improvement for Higher Education in Fiji

Higher Education in Fiji
Throughout the years, there has been some slight improvement in Fiji’s education system by increasing accessible education through zero-tuition fees. Although Fijian students are provided with free primary and lower secondary education, they still have to pay for college tuition when planning or attending a higher educational institution. Tuition and other living costs can be barriers for students from low-income households.

Affording higher education in Fiji can be a major stress factor for students from low-income households, especially when considering transportation, books, meals, housing, and other scholarly expenses. However, the Fiji government and nonprofit organizations have been making progress by making higher education affordable and accessible for all Fiji Island residents. Here are some methods reflecting Fiji’s improvement in higher education by providing equal opportunities and funding more financial opportunities.

Academic Excellence for Women

On Sept. 20, 2023, the Permanent Secretary of Education, Selina Kuruleca, confirmed that women in Fiji are completing their education more often than men. High school graduation for female students is at a 97% rate, while male students have a 79% rate. About 60-65% of college and higher education enrollment are female-identifying students.

Nonprofit organizations have encouraged and funded opportunities for Fijian women to attend higher educational institutions. For example, Graduate Women Fiji was established in 1983 with a mission to support higher education for women by promoting fellowships and global networking for members. Graduate Women Fiji promotes women’s education and professional development, including opportunities in fields where women have historically been underrepresented. Programs that fund scholarships and grants for women pursuing higher education in Fiji exemplify how funding for women’s academic excellence can break financial barriers women face while earning a college degree.

The Higher Education Commission

The Higher Education Commission was established in 2010 to prioritize the services of higher education for Fijian residents. It is a government regulatory body that supports the delivery of higher education in Fiji. Its goals are to meet the necessities and standards of students, teachers, and other faculty members. The Higher Education Commission Fiji confirms that there is major improvement in operating grants for institutions such as the University of South Pacific and Fiji National University. The commission states, “For 2025-2026, the Government has invested $83,042,808 in operating grant to HEIs and $3,431,739 in capital grant.” Fiji National University reported signing a government grant agreement for 2026–2027 that includes FJD 74.49 million in operating funding. These grants will support more funding toward career training, workforce development, and more opportunities for students from different financial backgrounds.

Ministry of Education’s National Budget

On June 26, 2026, the Fiji Ministry of Education announced that higher education in Fiji will continue to thrive after receiving a National Budget of FJD 883 million [$392,937,119 USD]. The largest allocation of Fiji’s education system will be funded for teacher salaries, schools and scholarships. The budget provides FJD 160 million [$71,200,384 USD] for tertiary scholarships, which will help more than 23,000 new and currently enrolled college students. The government of Fiji assisted 53,000 students by writing off more than FJD 650 million [$289,251,560 USD] in college debt.

The Education Ministry in Fiji continues to plan on improving accountability by providing more scholarship programs. The Higher Education Commission’s published funding figures for 2025–2026 total FJD 86,474,547 in operating and capital grants, while the FJD 74.49 million figure relates to a separate Fiji National University agreement. Both government-led and nonprofit organizations prioritize improving higher education in Fiji by opening more grants and scholarship opportunities with less stress over affording a good college.

The Impact of Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships and grants create a positive impact for college students from low-income families because they encourage them to pursue education that will provide the skills needed for well-paid jobs. Fiji’s methods of fighting poverty include funding higher educational institutes for students seeking opportunities in studying for a job that will offer better income. Government funding and scholarships aim to make further education and training more accessible.

Funding grants and scholarships benefit Fijian students who face poverty by providing affordable access to education and training. To give students a chance at obtaining jobs that promise higher wages after graduation, the Fiji government proposed expanding training opportunities in universities. To reduce the number of residents moving out of Fiji to find better job opportunities, the government proposed more higher educational institutions to expand training courses to ensure that every resident will develop the skills needed to prepare for a career of interest.

Fiji National University has set a strategy to expand technical and vocational education and training in response to Fiji’s skills needs. Higher education in Fiji addresses the country’s labor skills gap by creating more training programs to ensure that students will have a future where their careers are related to educational background, potentially improving access to employment and income.

– Kristen Wheeler

Kristen is based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and focuses on Good News, Technology and Solutions, Global Health, and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Education in Indian Languages: Expanding Economic Opportunity

Education in Indian Languages
India’s linguistic diversity is an important part of its culture, but language can also affect how students access education. For students who are more comfortable learning in their home or regional language, being taught primarily in another language can make it harder to understand lessons and participate in school. Education in Indian languages could help reduce this barrier while expanding access to educational and economic opportunities.

The Government of India has recently increased its focus on multilingual education. The Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme, announced in the 2025 Union Budget, aims to provide digital educational books in Indian languages for school and higher education. The scheme envisions making educational content available in 22 Indian languages.

When Language Becomes a Barrier to Learning

For some students, the language used in the classroom may not be the language they understand best. UNICEF India has found that children can struggle when they enter school and are expected to learn in a language different from the one they speak at home. These difficulties can affect understanding, confidence and participation and can increase the risk of leaving school early.

A UNICEF-supported language mapping project in Chhattisgarh examined more than 400,000 first-grade students and 30,000 teachers across 24 languages, including 11 tribal languages. The project found that about three-fourths of students and nearly half of teachers had minimal or functional understanding of the language used for instruction. The project responded by developing teacher training and learning materials that better reflected students’ languages.

These challenges can be especially important for students from communities with fewer educational resources. When students have difficulty understanding classroom material, they may also have fewer opportunities to build the knowledge and skills needed for higher education and employment.

Education and Economic Opportunity

Education is closely connected to economic opportunity. The World Bank describes education as a foundation for developing skills, finding employment and building a pathway out of poverty. Higher levels of education are also associated with better employment opportunities and higher earnings.

For this reason, improving access to educational materials is not only about making lessons easier to understand. It can also help students develop the academic foundation needed to continue their education and prepare for the workforce. Education in Indian languages can be particularly relevant for students who face language barriers in school. Providing textbooks and other learning materials in languages students already understand can make educational resources more accessible and support students as they move through different levels of education.

Expanding Books Across 22 Languages

The Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme is one of the Government of India’s recent efforts to expand access to educational content in Indian languages. According to the Ministry of Education, the scheme is intended to provide digital books for school and higher education in 22 Indian languages. The Ministry is working alongside organizations including the University Grants Commission and the All India Council of Technical Education on initiatives to increase educational content in Indian languages.

The effort builds on earlier government initiatives. In 2024, the University Grants Commission launched ASMITA, a project intended to produce 22,000 books in 22 scheduled Indian languages over five years. Other initiatives have also focused on multilingual dictionaries and technology for real-time translation.

Making Education More Accessible

India’s National Education Policy 2020 also emphasizes multilingual education. The policy recommends that, wherever possible, the medium of instruction remains a student’s home, mother or regional language until at least grade five and preferably through grade eight and beyond.

Digital resources can make these efforts more accessible because students can use educational materials without depending entirely on physical textbooks. The government’s Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, for example, provides thousands of digital titles in multiple Indian languages and is intended to promote more equitable learning opportunities for underserved and marginalized readers.

The Government of India is also using newer technology to expand multilingual education. In 2026, the Ministry of Education reported that AI-based tools such as ANUVADINI and BHASHINI were being used to support translation and language-enabled digital services across Indian languages.

A Step Toward Greater Opportunity

Education in Indian languages cannot solve poverty by itself, but it can address one barrier that affects how students access and understand education. For students from underserved communities, having learning materials available in a familiar language can make educational opportunities more accessible.

As India continues expanding multilingual textbooks, digital resources and translation technology, these efforts could help more students participate fully in their education. Improving language access can support the larger goal of ensuring that a student’s language does not become a barrier to gaining the knowledge and skills needed for higher education and future economic opportunity.

– Anvitha Nakka

Anvitha is based in Frederick, Maryland and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Mobile Library in Syria: Bringing Books to Conflict-Affected Children

Mobile Library in Syria
Life in Syria remains profoundly challenging after years of civil war and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in 2024. This includes increased poverty rates and a devastated education system. However, one mobile library in Syria is helping children reconnect with books, art and cultural activities after years of disruption. Through books, art and performance, it offers an escape from the harsh nature of reality.

Refugee Crisis and Poverty

Despite the collapse of the Assad regime in 2024, Syria remains the world’s largest refugee crisis. In December 2025, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recorded 5.4 million refugees, with a further 5.5 million Syrians internally displaced as of April 2026. Syrians are still feeling the remnants of the civil war as 90% of people live below the poverty line, making humanitarian assistance essential.

Impact on Education

One aspect of Syria’s infrastructure that the war has severely impacted is the education system. The war resulted in the damage or complete destruction of more than 7,000 schools, leaving more than 2 million children out of school. As a result, the number of children who have never entered formal education is rising, limiting their future opportunities and sparking concern for their long-term development. Additionally, the psychological trauma of war and limited supplies pose significant challenges to children in Syria. However, mobile libraries in Syria ensure that children who have grown up with war have a connection to knowledge, enrichment and entertainment.

Mobile Cultural Bus Initiative

In 2025, Syria’s Ministry of Culture launched its initiative known as the Mobile Cultural Bus. The objective is to bring books, art and fun cultural activities to children and their families who do not have access to safe community spaces. This mobile library in Syria, run exclusively by volunteers, focuses efforts in refugee camps and rural areas, where access to books is severely limited. It consists of two buses, each equipped with approximately 1,200 books. This mobile library in Syria has visited the governorates of Qunetira, Deir Ez-Zor and Tartus, as well as the rural outskirts of Syria’s capital Damascus.

This initiative has received funding from publishing houses and libraries across the world, while organizations on the ground have ensured that the bus continues to support as many children as possible.

Connecting Children to Culture

Through reconnecting children to books, this mobile library in Syria also offers them the opportunity to learn about the country’s rich history and heritage. This is achieved through traditional crafts such as soap making and glass blowing. By expanding services beyond books, the Mobile Cultural Bus offers an escape from the devastating impacts of poverty and war through community and laughter, giving children a glimpse of what a childhood should entail.

More than 8,000 children have benefited from this important mobile library in Syria. The demand for this initiative is high, with volunteers facing more requests than they can answer to. In response, project officials have indicated that a long-term goal is to install a mobile library in all 14 of Syria’s governorates.

When safety, food and work are not guaranteed, cultural enrichment is a luxury that is often inaccessible. While Syria’s educational crisis is complex, this mobile library provides a joyful window to learning for children and their families rebuilding their lives after much pain and instability.

– Maya Tailor

Maya is based in London, UK and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Education Initiatives in Libya: Supporting Children

Education Initiatives in Libya
Libya’s education system has faced years of disruption following the 2011 revolution and subsequent conflict. Before 2011, Libya had achieved near-universal primary and secondary enrollment with equitable gender enrollment, but conflict, displacement and economic crisis have since restricted access to education. Education Cannot Wait reports that hundreds of schools have been targeted, destroyed or repurposed, while many children and adolescents remain out of the classroom.

The current challenges remain significant. UNICEF reports that about one in 10 households rely on child labor and that almost one in five families have at least one child out of school. UNICEF also continues to support vulnerable children, including children with disabilities, displaced children and children on the move, through education and protection programs. Here is some information about education initiatives in Libya and what they are doing to help.

The Good News: Education Initiatives in Libya

Several education initiatives are working to improve education and student well-being in Libya. In June 2026, the Libyan government and UNICEF launched two complementary initiatives: the National Community Health Program and the National Strategy for School Health and Nutrition (2026–2030). The school strategy addresses priorities including nutrition, mental health, water, sanitation and hygiene, digital referral systems and school clinics. Partners also plan to train school-health personnel and expand mental-health services over the five-year strategy.

This follows earlier efforts to strengthen Libya’s education system. In 2013, the European Union funded a two-year UNICEF initiative, led by Libya’s Ministry of Education, to improve teacher management and training. The €3.1 million project was designed to support teacher qualifications, in-service training, recruitment, management and deployment.

Other Initiatives

UNICEF also supports education in Libya through cash assistance, non-formal education and digital learning opportunities. In partnership with the Ministry of Education, it helps re-enroll out-of-school children, trains social workers and school counselors, supports teacher development and provides remedial or catch-up classes for children who have fallen behind.

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) also supports primary and secondary education in Libya. Its programs rehabilitate damaged schools, improve water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, support parent-teacher associations and provide cash transfers, scholarships, accelerated learning, remedial lessons and vocational training. ECW also trains educators to create more inclusive learning environments, particularly for girls and children with disabilities.

ACTED has also used Quick Impact Projects to address immediate problems in Libya’s education system. In 2018, 15 projects that UNHCR funded distributed school supplies, IT equipment and furniture and supported school renovations. ACTED reports that the projects supported around 3,300 students and contributed to community stabilization by creating safer educational environments that encouraged families to return.

The Road Ahead

Libya’s education system continues to face serious challenges, but domestic and international initiatives are expanding access to learning, improving school environments and supporting vulnerable children. Current programs from UNICEF and Education Cannot Wait sit alongside earlier efforts from organizations such as ACTED and the European Union, showing several approaches to strengthening education in Libya.

– Sebastiano Brussato

Sebastiano is based in London, United Kingdom and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

 

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Read@Home Program Improves Child Literacy in Eswatini

Child Literacy in EswatiniIn 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank launched the Read@Home initiative. As schools began closing, the Read@Home initiative allowed children to learn despite those barriers. By providing books and other learning materials into homes, students continued building foundational skills in reading and mathematics.

Child Literacy in Eswatini

In Eswatini, third graders can read only about three English words per minute and about eight words per minute in SiSwati, the primary language of Eswatini.

This literacy gap exists alongside broader economic challenges in Eswatini. The country struggles with poverty, with 54% of the population surviving on only $4.20 per day. Limited employment and economic opportunities are among the challenges facing households. In fact, about 56% of young adults (15-24) remain unemployed.

Improving child literacy can strengthen children’s future educational and economic opportunities. Foundational reading and mathematics skills can help students progress through education and build skills relevant to future employment. Child illiteracy is partly driven by parents’ illiteracy, perpetuating a continuous cycle of poverty. However, by giving children the resources needed to stay in school, they gain the abilities needed to positively contribute to the economy.

The Read@Home Program

The Read@Home program is a World Bank initiative focused on improving child literacy in regions where resources are limited. Already, the World Bank has established partnerships in 18 countries. In Senegal, for example, books in both English and Senegalese languages have reached more than 2 million children. By partnering with governments and targeting families who do not have access to books and other learning materials, the program aims to improve child literacy at the source.

The Read@Home pilot has now worked to improve the literacy gap in Eswatini. The Ministry of Education in Eswatini has partnered with the World Bank to launch the Read@Home program in households across four tinkhundlas (constituencies in Eswatini’s government structure). Launched in 2025, the program primarily focused on rural, low-resource communities. The program provided 8,730 books in SiSwati and English to 546 caregivers, ultimately reaching more than 737 children.

Caregivers received home visits and coaching on how to read with their children. Teachers at early-childhood centers were similarly trained to create environments intended to promote child literacy.

Results

Expanding resource distribution beyond traditional books to include newspapers, magazines, and even church bulletins has produced promising results: nearly 78% of caregivers of children aged 3-5 reported reading more frequently with their children after receiving the resources and support. Additionally, numerous families reported seeing improvements in their child’s vocabulary and early literacy skills. Parents have also expressed more confidence in teaching their children.

Future Impact

Improving foundational reading skills improves future educational aspirations. These skills help children develop the knowledge and adaptability needed for future jobs and changing economies. By preventing learning gaps from widening, this program could potentially reduce the effects of poverty and increase economic opportunities in resource-limited settings. The Eswatini Read@Home pilot suggests that approaches such as book sharing and community-based support can help extend access to reading resources. Additionally, by providing books containing local and cultural stories, Read@Home can also strengthen children’s connection to their communities and instill a lasting love of reading.

Together, these efforts can give every child in Eswatini the foundational literacy skills and support they need to be successful both in school and beyond.

– Diya Rajkumar

Diya is based in Redmond, WA, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Lewis Hamilton’s Fight for Refugee Education Isn’t Over

Refugee EducationSeven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has spent his career breaking barriers on the track. Off the track, he has used his platform to push for a different kind of access: refugee education. In 2022, Hamilton backed a UNHCR campaign calling for refugee children and youth to be fully included in national education systems rather than being left on the margins. Hamilton said he was proud to lend his voice to the campaign and argued that education can help unlock people’s potential and address systemic injustice. In the same UNHCR release, High Commissioner Filippo Grandi described supporting refugee education as an investment in people who may one day rebuild their countries when they can safely return home.

A Widening Gap at Every Level

At the time of Hamilton’s statement, refugee children enrolled in primary school at a rate of 68%, but that number dropped sharply for higher levels of education. Only 37% reached secondary school, and just 6% continued on to university, according to UNHCR’s 2022 Refugee Education Report. Hamilton highlighted this gap directly, framing continued exclusion from higher education as a loss of talent the world could not afford.

The consequences of that education gap reach far beyond the classroom. In countries where comparable data are available, refugees have been found to experience higher poverty rates than host-country nationals. UNHCR research also shows that expanding refugees’ access to work and freedom of movement can reduce poverty and support economic inclusion.

Education can support that economic inclusion by improving skills and access to recognized qualifications. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi wrote in the foreword to a previous UNHCR education report that failing to close the education gap would also set back progress on employment, equality and poverty eradication, not just school enrollment.

Progress in the Years Since

UNHCR’s newest data shows measurable progress in refugee education. Tertiary enrollment among refugees rose to 9% in 2025, the largest single-year jump on record and nearly triple the enrollment rate from just a few years earlier. Every region tracked in the report recorded gains in higher education access, with Europe showing the largest increase. UNHCR points to advocacy, expanded higher-education pathways, digital learning and programs such as the DAFI scholarship program as part of the progress. The gains reflect the same goal Hamilton championed in 2022: refugee students having a genuine path beyond secondary school rather than stopping short of it.

Funding Cuts Threaten the Gains

Despite the progress, the report carries a warning that echoes the wider case Hamilton supported in 2022. An estimated 12.4 million school-aged refugee children exist worldwide, and nearly half, about 5.7 million, remain out of school entirely. Grandi said that while enrollment efforts have been tremendous, cuts to humanitarian and development aid now put those hard-won gains at risk. UNHCR’s 2022 campaign also stressed that inclusion in national education systems requires substantial and sustained financing.

A Goal Still Within Reach

UNHCR has set a target of reaching 15% tertiary enrollment for refugees by 2030. Current progress suggests the goal remains possible, but continued funding will matter. UNHCR highlights scholarships, digital higher education, vocational pathways and broader inclusion in national education systems as ways of expanding access. Continued investment in refugee education is therefore central to sustaining the gains already achieved.

Hamilton used his platform to argue that refugee children and young people deserve access to education and opportunity. The data since 2022 show real progress, while UNHCR’s latest warnings make clear that those gains remain vulnerable to funding cuts. Whether investment continues will help determine whether the momentum holds.

– Naveeshaa Rengasamy

Naveeshaa is based in Lille, France and focuses on Celebs for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Education in the Pitcairn Islands

Education in the Pitcairn Islands
The Pitcairn Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the South Pacific, but only Pitcairn Island is permanently inhabited. Its population stood at 42 people in 2022, including residents temporarily abroad. Thus, education is a micro-system: when even one child leaves or returns, the entire school model changes. Here is more information about education in the Pitcairn Islands.

Education in the Pitcairn Islands

The Government of Pitcairn’s education policy states that education is compulsory from ages 5 to 16 and is intended to prepare children for life “both on Pitcairn and abroad.” This dual purpose aligns with the territory’s broader development context. Students benefit from local cultural continuity, but they also need qualifications that allow them to pursue further study and employment outside the island.

Historically, local education was provided through Pulau School in Adamstown. The school followed a curriculum based on the New Zealand model while also incorporating Pitcairn’s history, customs and Pitkern language. This local cultural component is important because education in very small communities often serves not only academic purposes, but also language preservation. 

However, Pulau School is not currently operating as a regular school with enrolled pupils. Apparently, the school closed in 2022 because of a lack of children attending, and the remaining pupil transferred to boarding school in New Zealand. Indeed, a United Nations working paper reports that there are currently no children being educated in the local school, as the remaining students are receiving secondary education in New Zealand.

Overseas Education

This does not mean that Pitcairn has ceased providing education. Rather, education provision has shifted toward overseas pathways. The island’s budget supports overseas education, including secondary and tertiary study. When Pulau School was operating, the budget also covered the cost of an expatriate teacher. These arrangements suggest that the government continues to treat education as a public responsibility, even when provision cannot occur locally.

The reliance on New Zealand for secondary education reflects both practical necessity and structural constraint. A territory with so few children cannot easily provide the full range of subjects, peer groups and specialist instruction available in a larger system. Thus, overseas schooling can expand educational opportunities. At the same time, it may weaken the connection between young people and the island if students remain abroad for further education, work or family life.

The current situation illustrates the close relationship between education and demography in Pitcairn. The absence of pupils at Pulau School is not primarily a failure of education policy, but a consequence of population decline and limited family formation on the island. In this sense, the future of education in Pitcairn depends on tougher questions of population sustainability and return migration.

Return migration, in particular, remains uncertain. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that young people continue to move overseas and inward migration is limited. The decision to return depends not only on family attachment or cultural identity, but also on whether there’s a meaningful role for young adults in the community. The Government of Pitcairn’s immigration page includes a settlement “skills pathway” for applicants with relevant skills that can contribute to the community.

Looking Ahead

Overall, education in the Pitcairn Islands is best understood as a hybrid model: local provision when there are enough children to sustain it, combined with overseas education pathways when local provision is impractical. The key challenge is ensuring that students receive high-quality education while maintaining meaningful links to Pitcairn’s community, language and long-term development needs.

– Jeff Zhou 

Photo: Wikimedia Commons