Explore this page: ANSWERING THE BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT KID'S EDUCATION
Click to jump to the answers below
How are we helping children access education?
We ensure children keep learning no matter what. Whether recovering from natural disasters, facing violence, or at risk of child marriage.
And in the UK, we're improving early years learning and keeping childcare costs on the political agenda.
What We're Doing About It
Our work to support children's learning is designed in partnership with local communities and organisations. Between 2025 and 2027, we're focused on advancing children's rights by building the power of children, communities and local partners.
In Conflict Zones
Myanmar: Through our Global Partnership for Education project, we're ensuring children can continue to learn in safe, supportive environments. We've reached over 43,000 students with a focus on the most marginalised—internally displaced children, migrants, ethnic minorities, children with disabilities, and adolescent girls.
Cash support for families helped reduce dropout rates by ensuring they can pay for essentials like transport and school supplies. School feeding programmes also helped children stay in school.
Syria: At our temporary educational centre near Raqqa, eight-year-old twin sisters Faiza and Fatima are learning reading, writing and maths—and taking part in psychological support sessions. They attend school made possible by The Global Partnership for Education, and they're determined to make their mother proud. Fatima dreams of becoming a doctor, while Faiza aims to become a hairdresser.
Supporting Out-of-School Children
Democratic Republic of Congo: We worked with local partners to increase access to education for over 60,000 children through AXE-Filles. We:
Improved school infrastructure (173 classrooms and 116 toilet facilities completed)
Trained over 1,000 teachers
Established 128 catch-up clubs reaching nearly 4,000 children
Created alternative education pathways for teenage mothers
We prioritized support for marginalized girls and children with disabilities, identifying 1,144 children for targeted assistance.
Nigeria: Through Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE), we helped address stigma and bring more inclusive education across three states in northwest Nigeria. Nearly 42,000 children (more than half of them girls) received intensive community-supported education to give them basic literacy and numeracy skills.
The results were clear: One third of six-to-nine-year-olds we assessed could read a simple sentence by the end of our catch-up sessions, compared to only 6% before. Children with disabilities also thrived, with almost a third meeting expected standards compared to 1.5% at baseline.
In a remote village by a river in Sierra Leone, children are going to great lengths to get to school. One of these children is Tenneh, a 13-year-old determined to get a good education. Her journey to school isn’t a typical one. She starts the day by crossing the river in her canoe, no matter what the weather brings.
Our Approach: Putting Power in Communities' Hands
We're committed to putting power and resources into the hands of communities closest to our work. In Myanmar, we trained local organisations and communities to take the lead in education provision. This means programmes are designed by people who understand the context, speak the languages, and will be there for the long term.
We also tackle the biggest barriers to education:
Economic barriers: Cash grants for families to cover school costs
Infrastructure: Building and renovating classrooms with accessible facilities
Teacher quality: Training educators in inclusive, child-focused methods
Social barriers: Behaviour change campaigns to promote girls' education and challenge stigma around disability
THE POWER OF EDUCATION
“Since attending the education centre I feel like my future has hope," says Ghinwa
Ghinwa*, Syria
Eight years ago Ghinwa and her family fled the war in Syria and now live in a refugee camp in Lebanon. After her father suffered a severe stroke, Ghinwa had to support her family by selling packs of tissues at a busy Beirut junction. Unable to go to school, Ghinwa was left feeling hopeless about her future.
Then came a turning point. Ghinwa heard about an education centre we run in the camp and decided to try it out. She says it’s “changed my whole life”. She’s learned to read and write, made friends, grown in confidence, and even spoken online at an international conference about child refugees. Her dream is to become a lawyer and defend children’s rights.
You can read Ghinwa's full story here
*Name changed
Adam*, Syria-Palestine
Despite the extreme challenges he faces - an economic crisis, Covid and the conditions of the Palestinian camp in which he lives – Adam* is determined to continue with his schooling, for he believes that ‘education is life’.
When Covid first hit, Adam* was scared that his dreams had been shattered. With all lessons going online, Adam* was falling behind and failing tests – the constant electricity blackouts where he lives making it impossible to access the internet.
However, with the discovery of the education centre in the camp (supported by Save the Children), the teen has been able to continue some parts of his study, as well as make new friends, find support and now become a child advocate.
EDUCATION AROUND THE WORLD
How we're helping keep children learning
- Child refugees: Working with the UNCHR & Pearson to shine a light on efforts to provide education
- Families Connect: Building on feedback from parents looking for support in literacy/language development, numeracy & emotional development
- Girls’ education: Giving thousands of girls the support they need to stay in education in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mozambique and the DRC.
- Gaza: as soon as the conditions exist for a safe and meaningful response, we're ready to scale up our activities further in Gaza, including setting up temporary learning spaces and repairing damaged schools
- Philippines: Giving parents the knowledge, skills & resources they need to support their child's early learning and development
- Rwanda: Increasing the number of quality children’s books, starting reading clubs & supporting parents and teachers
- Syria: Keeping children safe by helping them return to learning
- UK: Putting childcare costs high on the political agenda & shining a light on the importance of a skilled early education workforce.
Shadi* (8) and his cousin Aya* (13) attend's Save the Children's learning space in Gaza
What impacts children’s access to education?
Millions of children never see inside a classroom. Others drop out due to overcrowding, conflict, or simply because they're a girl.
Here in the UK, the poorest children do less well than wealthier classmates - and low literacy is linked to low pay and unemployment.
A lot can get in the way of education. But from Leeds to Liberia, a love of learning is universal. Children know it's key to a world of possibilities.
Who Misses Out Most
We keep a particular focus on those most affected by inequality and discrimination:
Girls (particularly in conflict zones)
Children with disabilities
Refugees and displaced children
Those from the lowest-income households
Teenage mothers
Children from ethnic minority backgrounds
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, our AXE-Filles project enabled teenage mothers to transition from literacy programmes into vocational training, offering them renewed hope and opportunity. So far, 9,610 young mums have benefited.
How Conflict Disrupts Learning
Armed conflict devastates education systems. In 2024:
We supported children across Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza to continue learning despite ongoing violence
In Myanmar, we established temporary learning spaces equipped with gender-responsive facilities in areas where schools had been destroyed
We distributed learning kits and trained over 1,200 educators in child-focused teaching methods in conflict zones
When crises occur, education is too often neglected in the immediate humanitarian response. Yet we know it can have a lifesaving impact on children—providing structure, safety and hope when everything else has been torn apart.
How serious is the problem?
Worldwide
- 124m children/young people have not started school or dropped out
- Over a quarter of a billion children are out of school
- 420m children will not learn the most basic skills.
- All children in Gaza have lost access to education
In the UK
- 23% fail to reach expected levels of language development by 5
- 1 in 3 children living in poverty fall behind with their education
- 27% of children from poor families get 5+ good GCSE passes, compared to 55% of peers from wealthier families.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many children are out of school globally?
According to UNESCO's 2024 Global Education Monitoring Report, 244 million children worldwide are currently out of school. The vast majority live in low-income countries or areas affected by conflict.
Which children are most likely to miss out on education?
Girls in conflict zones, children with disabilities, refugees, displaced children, those from the lowest-income households, teenage mothers, and children from ethnic minorities face the greatest barriers to education.
How does conflict affect children's education?
Armed conflict destroys school infrastructure, forces families to flee, kills and injures teachers and students, and disrupts entire education systems. In 2024, we responded to education emergencies in Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, DRC and Myanmar. Education provides structure, safety and hope when everything else has been torn apart.
What is Save the Children doing to help children learn?
We work in partnership with local communities and organisations to remove barriers to education. This includes providing cash support to families, building and renovating schools, training teachers, distributing learning materials, establishing temporary learning spaces in emergencies, and running catch-up programmes for out-of-school children. In 2024, our movement reached 41.2 million children globally through health, nutrition and education programmes.
How do you support teenage mothers to continue their education?
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, our AXE-Filles project enables teenage mothers to transition from literacy programmes into vocational training. This gives them skills for employment while continuing their education. So far, 9,610 young mothers have benefited from this approach.
What does "inclusive education" mean?
Inclusive education means ensuring all children can learn together, regardless of disability, gender, ethnicity or economic background. In Nigeria, we worked with local partners including disability organizations to address stigma and create learning environments where children with disabilities can thrive. By the end of our programme, almost a third of children with disabilities met expected standards, compared to just 1.5% at the start.
How do you measure the impact of your education programmes?
We track multiple indicators including school attendance, literacy and numeracy levels, dropout rates, and progression to further education. In Nigeria, for example, we measured that one third of six-to-nine-year-olds could read a simple sentence by the end of our catch-up sessions, compared to only 6% before. We also collect feedback from children, families and communities about their experience of our programmes.
What You Can Do
Education transforms lives—and you can be part of that transformation. Whether through donating, campaigning for policy change, or spreading awareness about the barriers children face, every action counts.
When you support Save the Children, you're helping us work alongside communities to build education systems that last. You're helping train teachers, build schools, provide learning materials, and give cash support to families so children can stay in school.
Together, we're ensuring every child has the chance to learn, develop and change their future for the better.
