Context: The UNESCO Global Education Report 2025 reveals that 133 million girls worldwide remain out of school, despite three decades since the Beijing Declaration (1995).
About UNESCO Global Education Report 2025:
- Global Snapshot: The report tracks gender equality in education, showing major gains in enrolment but persistent gaps in access and quality.
Eg: Over 91 million more girls attend primary school and 136 million more attend secondary school compared to 1995.
- Regional Parity Achievements:
- Central and South Asia have reached gender parity in secondary education.
- Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania continue to lag due to poverty, rural isolation, and conflict.
Eg: In countries like Mali and Guinea, fewer than 20% of girls complete lower secondary education.
- Persistent Quality Gaps: Only two-thirds of countries have compulsory sexuality education at the primary level, and gender bias remains in textbooks and curricula, reinforcing stereotypes.
- Leadership Inequality: Although women form a majority in teaching professions, only 30% of higher education leaders globally are women, revealing structural barriers in academic governance.
- Economic and Social Significance: UNESCO emphasises that educating girls is a societal investment, directly linked to poverty reduction, labour participation, and inclusive economic growth.
Eg: The World Bank (2024) estimates that closing the gender education gap could boost global GDP by $15–30 trillion.
Relevance in the UPSC Examination Syllabus
- GS Paper I – Indian Society:
- Links with “role of women and women’s organizations” and “issues related to social empowerment and development.”
- The gender gap in education reflects broader challenges of patriarchy, inequality, and urban–rural disparity.
- GS Paper II – Governance and Social Justice:
- Relevant under “welfare schemes for vulnerable sections” and “education and health-related policies.”
- Illustrates how international commitments (SDG 4, Beijing Declaration) influence India’s policy planning.
