There are stories of successful entrepreneurs who have had no formal education. There are many more stories of unemployed university graduates. However, what is not in dispute is the fact that the under-educated are disproportionately represented in the ranks of the poor. In Zambia, rural women with no education are twice as likely to be living in extreme poverty as those who have benefited from between 8 and 12 years of education. Mainly because they are more likely to be engaged in poorly paid jobs or to be unemployed or to be subsistence farmers.
Poor people know that education is the best escape route from a life of poverty.
Education brings with it improved health, the chance of prosperity, and hope for the future. It opens the door to a life of dignity and independence, for people and countries. The social and economic costs of depriving children of an education are massive, not just for individuals and families, but also for the countries of their birth, which will be deprived of the benefits of a self-confident, articulate, healthy, and potentially prosperous population. Education could save many of their lives. Evidence shows that each year spent by mothers in primary schools reduces children's risk of premature death by around 8 per cent.