State of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Update Summary

The State of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Update report was issued in June 2022 by the World Bank, with several global partners.

These partners included UNESCO, UNICEF, UK government Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), USAID, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The most important metric that the report identifies is the learning poverty rate, which measures the share of children who cannot read a simple text with comprehension by age 10. Prior to the pandemic, the learning poverty rate was estimated at 57 percent in low- and middle-income countries, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, it was 86 percent.

The effects of the pandemic have resulted in a startling increase in the earning poverty rate. The 2022 estimates of the effects of the pandemic suggest global learning poverty in low- and middle-income countries has surged to an estimated 70 percent, i.e. 70% of 10-year-olds are unable to understand a simple written text. The learning poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa will no doubt have also increased.

Key Findings

• Even before COVID-19, the world was facing a learning crisis, with nearly 6 out of every 10 ten-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries suffering from learning poverty—meaning they were unable to read and understand a simple story.
• Now COVID-19 pandemic school closures and disruptions have deepened the crisis, sharply increasing learning poverty and exacerbating the inequalities in education.
• Without urgent action to reduce learning poverty, we face a learning and human capital catastrophe.
• If children do not acquire the basics of literacy—together with numeracy and other foundational skills—the futures of hundreds of millions of children around the world, and their societies, are at grave risk.
• There is a narrow window to act decisively to recover and accelerate learning.
• This will require firm political commitment and implementation of evidence-based approaches for rapid impact.
• The good news is that the core policies that can help recover learning lost to the pandemic, will also address the deeper underlying learning crisis that predated COVID-19 – accelerating learning, and delivering long-term benefits for economies and societies.

Short-Term Actions and the RAPID Framework

The report partners recommend the RAPID framework (see subsequent post) which offers evidence-based actions in five policy areas that countries can use to promote learning recovery and acceleration, starting in the short term. These actions build on proven innovations from around the world. But they are very different from what many education systems do under business as usual, so meaningful learning recovery and acceleration will require focused, intentional change at scale. The framework summarizes a menu of policies, many of which have already been implemented at the national level in different countries.

• Reach every child and keep them in school.
• Assess learning levels regularly.
• Prioritize teaching the fundamentals.
• Increase the efficiency of instruction.
• Develop psychosocial health and well-being.

Key Report Partner Quotes

(Acknowledgements to all parties, our emphasis – Winning Teams)

World Bank

Jaime Saavedra, Global Director for Education, World Bank: “COVID-19 has devastated learning around the world, dramatically increasing the number of children living in Learning Poverty. With 7 in 10 of today’s 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries now unable to read a simple text, political leaders and society must swiftly move to recover this generation’s future by ensuring learning recovery strategies and investments. The World Bank is committed to supporting countries during these challenging times. Together, we can build forward better more equitable, effective, and resilient education. We owe it not only to the children and youth of this generation, but to ourselves – in their minds rests our future.”

FCDO – UK Government Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office

Alicia Herbert OBE, Director Education, Gender and Equality and Gender Envoy, FCDO: “This important document helps us to better understand where we are on education globally, and how we can ensure that all children are supported to get on track to achieve 12 years of quality education. The report shows what we feared. Even fewer children are now able to access a quality education, due to the impact of COVID-19 and school closures globally, especially the most marginalised. An estimated 7 in 10 of all children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read a simple text with comprehension by age 10. This is unacceptable. We must come together to pay attention and to act, so that all children can get back to school and learn.”

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Dr. Benjamin Piper, Director of Global Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: “I want readers of this report to have at least two responses. The first is profound sadness at the magnitude of the learning crisis. The learning poverty data highlights the shocking inequality that persists in learning outcomes, with 87% of children in Africa unable to read and understand a simple text. This data was collected before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the new simulations suggest this has increased to 89%. This is sad, but it’s also wrong. The second is that we have solutions that can work at scale and in government systems. Committing to substantial learning recovery programs is a start, but the composition of those programs matter: measure learning outcomes, but also invest in improving instruction through structured pedagogy or teaching at the right level interventions while increasing instructional time. Countries that do this have a real opportunity not only to recover learning lost due to COVID-19, but to make significant progress to reduce learning poverty by 2030.”

UNESCO

Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant-Director General for Education: “These estimates ring the alarm louder than ever on the urgency to prioritize education in recovery plans and beyond. We must invest in holistic and transformative policies that act on the multiple causes of the learning crisis, mobilize the international community, and put in place all the conditions to ensure that no child falls behind. The Transforming Education Pre-Summit, from June 28 to 30 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and the Transforming Education Summit, on 19 September in New York, are our opportunity to set learning on the right tracks and fulfill the SDG4 promise to ensure quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

UNICEF

Robert Jenkins, UNICEF Global Director of Education: “Getting children back into the classroom is just the first step – but if we stop there, we will rob millions of children of the chance to reach their full potential. Every child has a right not only to be in school, but to learn in school, acquiring the basic skills that are the foundation for higher learning and higher income levels someday – in turn supporting equitable development and sustainable growth. We need to reach every child, in every situation. We need to assess their learning level and help them master the basics, so they can move ahead as confident learners. And especially for children living through conflicts and crises, we need to support children’s learning by making sure they have the psychosocial support they need. We can’t let children’s learning become yet another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

USAID

LeAnna Marr, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation, Center for Education, USAID: “The State of Global Learning Poverty is an urgent call for commitment. Recovering from this massive shock will require all of us – governments, families, educators, civil society, and the private sector – to double our efforts to ensure every child is supported to return to school and catch up on learning. In the wake of the worst shock to education and learning in a century, USAID is committed to continuing our support to the recovery and transformation of education to ensure all children and youth are able to return to safe and quality learning. USAID will continue to build on our investments and lead globally in foundational learning, strengthening resilience in education systems, and equipping the next generation with the skills needed for lifelong success.”