Lack of education

Uneducated people
Lack of training

Nature

Lack of education refers to insufficient access to formal learning opportunities, resulting in limited knowledge, skills, and competencies. This problem affects individuals and societies, leading to higher rates of poverty, unemployment, and social inequality. It hinders personal development, economic growth, and civic participation. Contributing factors include poverty, inadequate infrastructure, gender discrimination, and conflict. The lack of education perpetuates cycles of disadvantage, making it difficult for affected populations to improve their living conditions. Addressing this issue is essential for achieving sustainable development, social justice, and global progress.

Background

The global significance of lack of education emerged in the 19th century as industrialization highlighted disparities in literacy and opportunity. International concern intensified after UNESCO’s founding in 1945, with comparative studies revealing persistent educational exclusion, especially in developing regions. Landmark initiatives such as the 1990 World Conference on Education for All and subsequent global monitoring reports have deepened understanding of the problem’s scale, persistence, and its critical role in perpetuating poverty and inequality worldwide.

Incidence

Lack of education remains a pervasive global issue, affecting over 244 million children and youth worldwide who are out of school as of 2022, according to UNESCO. The problem is particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where poverty, conflict, and gender disparities significantly hinder access to quality education, perpetuating cycles of disadvantage and limiting socioeconomic development on a large scale.
In Afghanistan, following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, secondary education for girls was abruptly suspended. By 2023, over one million Afghan girls were barred from attending secondary schools, drawing international concern over the long-term societal impacts.

Claim

Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights clearly sets out the duties of States in regard to education and "the right of everyone to education". Cultural rights in a globalized world are much more complex and the challenges are greater. Failure to satisfy the right to education amounts in practice to the denial of all other rights for the future of that individual or human group. Lack of education at a relatively high level will in the near future become a basic impediment to the participation of that individual or group of people in the economic, social and cultural life of the contemporary world. Cuts in education budgets, especially on account of budget increases in other areas, such as the military, are in this sense a violation of cultural rights.

Counter-claim

The so-called “lack of education” is vastly overstated as a problem. Many successful individuals have thrived without formal schooling, proving that determination and creativity matter more than diplomas. In today’s digital age, information is freely available online, making traditional education less relevant. Society should stop obsessing over degrees and focus on real-world skills and experience instead. The lack of education is simply not the crisis it’s made out to be.