May 9: Facing an urgent need to tackle the learning crisis across South Asia, ministers of education, senior officials from finance and planning, international education experts, development partners and civil society gathered in Kathmandu this week to discuss what can be done to accelerate progress towards giving all children the opportunity to go to school and receive a quality education.  
Co-hosted by United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, the three-day high level conference from May 7-9 included participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, reads a press statement issued by UNICEF Nepal.
According to UNICEF Nepal, many countries in South Asia have prioritized education and have achieved commendable gains in getting children into schools, but significant challenges remain. The region is currently home to more than 10 million out-of-school children who should be able to attend primary level and 20 million out-of-school children at secondary level.  
“While impressive strides have been made in achieving universal primary education, we have a learning crisis in South Asia with only about half of primary-aged children receiving education with minimum learning standards.  We need much greater investment and increased quality education for girls and boys alike if we hope to see the next generation reach their full potential,” said Jean Gough, Regional Director for UNICEF South Asia.   
Only 69% of children have access to early childhood education and only a quarter of young people leave school with the secondary skills they need, UNICEF Nepal said. The growing skills gap will stunt economic growth, with far-reaching social and political repercussions.  Unless urgent action is taken, the region will fall short of meeting the Education Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education and learning for millions of children and youth by 2030, the conference observed.  

UN Special Envoy for Global Education and Education Commission’s chair Gordon Brown said, “The Education Commission is proud to co-host this important gathering of countries in South Asia to share experiences of education reform and learn together about new ways to tackle the shared challenge. It’s time to make education a priority and it’s encouraging to see leaders committing to champion education through increased investment and reform. It is possible to get all young people in school and learning within a generation. Let’s work together to make this a reality.”

In 2016, the Education Commission launched The Learning Generation: Investing in education for a changing world report with an action plan for the largest expansion of educational opportunity in history. Drawing on new research from more than 300 partners in 105 countries, the report highlights an ever-worsening learning crisis that, if left unaddressed, will leave half of the world’s 1.6 billion children and youth out of school or failing to learn by 2030.

UNICEF said it is joining hands with the Commission and working with governments and partners to accelerate progress in education and increase financing for the sector giving priority to those children most at risk of being excluded from learning.  
“There is no better path to stronger economies – more peaceful countries – than investment in every child’s right to an education,” said Henrietta H Fore, executive director of UNICEF.