The great education contradiction | Science

Education is a universal public good that can shape individual lives and societies as a whole. It underpins income, health, productivity, equality, social cohesion, and the capacity to adapt and remain resilient to changes, from environmental to economic. Yet, despite such benefits, a gap persists between its vast potential and the reality—the lack of adequate resources and political will to prioritize education. The What Works Hub for Global Education estimates that raising foundational learning (the basic literacy and numeracy that children must acquire by age 10) to near-universal levels could generate an additional USD 196 trillion in gross domestic product across 114 countries by 2050. These findings suggest that basic learning is one of the most powerful long-term engines of prosperity and human development.