Global inequalities in the provision of education are enormous. Today, a child in Mozambique can expect to go to school for two to three years, with luck. Within countries too, there are gross inequalities in educational opportunities. The difference between town and countryside is stark. In many poor countries, men living in the countryside are twice as likely not to be able to read and write as those living in the towns.
Minorities also suffer.
In Mexico, illiteracy rates of indigenous people are five times the national average, and school enrolment rates for this group are 20 per cent lower than the national norm. Girls account for two-thirds of the children not in school. Despite government commitments to close the gender gap, it is widening in many countries. For example, Ethiopia has one of the lowest rates of enrolment in the world, and one of the largest gender gaps. All countries have to do more to close the gap between boys and girls in school.