UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries around the world to make fundamental reforms in their education systems. This is stated in the recording of a speech addressed to the participants of the “preparatory meeting for the Summit on the Transformation of Education”, which is currently taking place at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris.

Guterres explained that “education is a fundamental and essential right to achieve the dignity and empowerment of people, promote sustainable development and build peace”, noting that “education systems in both developing and developed countries are in deep crisis, the first of of which there is a crisis of equity, where there are more than 258. One million children are out of school, most of them girls, and the second is a crisis of quality, as there are so many students in schools who do not master basic skills.

The Secretary-General pointed out that “50 per cent of ten-year-old students in low- and middle-income countries are unable to read texts, most education systems in place today are stuck in the past, curricula and teaching methods are outdated, and teacher training methods that have made students unskilled in rapidly changing job markets.

Guterres warned that “any country that does not fundamentally reform its education systems risks being left behind” and called on “UN Member States to adopt inclusive and equitable education systems to reduce inequalities.”

The preparatory meeting aims to present the participating countries with the most important results of the national consultations and discuss their national commitments to transform education in preparation for the summit to be held in New York, on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the UN General Assembly next September.