This 2016, one of the major topics highlighted at the United Nations General Assembly was the importance of education. While developed nations spend an average of more than five percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on education, United States' education investment of almost $139,000 for the average student's education was far less than other countries.
Among other developed nations, the United States is spending more than six percent of its GDP on education, which is above average compared with other developing countries. In order to better understand the factors that affect the students' access to education, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released a new report that investigated the education systems of 46 countries.
Based on OECD's education research, U.S. students spent more hours in the classroom than anywhere else, with an estimated 9,000 hours from kindergarten to eighth grade. Unfortunately, the report also pointed out the reality where most children in the United States are not enrolled in preschool.
It is a known fact that early childhood education is vital for establishing a strong education foundation for young students. But according to PBS NewsHour, only four out of 10 kids (aged 3) in America are enrolled in preschool education.
Furthermore, the study also highlighted the need for nations to make education more "inclusive and equitable." Due to the changing tides in the world's education sector, OECD's Andreas Schleicher urged developed nations to boost their efforts in providing concrete and lifelong solutions to make the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in education, where all children should have access to free and high-quality primary and secondary education, a reality.
Meanwhile, education is a fundamental human right and making it a priority could have a positive impact and transform the world. Despite the challenges in providing access to universal and free primary and secondary education, the plan is an achievable goal, Huffington Post noted.
Even though there are still several gaps to bridge in education including infrastructure, number and quality of educators and the governments' ability to shoulder the fees for free education, there are ways to determine and bridge these critical education gaps.
So, why is universal education really important? According to experts, universal education can provide a comprehensive and most auspicious opportunities to achieve several development goals but without it, the world's sustainable progress and development will be at a standstill.
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