The global education community has recognized a pressing issue: nearly 60% of children worldwide face learning poverty, meaning they cannot read and understand a simple text by age ten. In low- and middle-income countries, this figure rises to approximately 70%. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this crisis.
Inability to read at a young age leads to broader educational challenges, including higher chances of grade repetition and school dropout. It also diminishes opportunities for further training, affecting national health outcomes, youth employment rates, and poverty levels. Foundational learning is deemed essential for providing all children with dignity and opportunity.
The Commitment to Action (CtA) initiative highlights the importance of foundational learning as the basis for further education and skills development. This initiative seeks global commitment at the highest political levels to secure foundational learning for all children in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4).
Countries endorsing the CtA pledge urgent action to halve the percentage of children unable to read by age ten by 2030. This effort was one of seven initiatives launched during the UN Secretary-General’s Transforming Education Summit in September 2022.
Organizations and governments are encouraged to endorse the CtA by submitting an official letter indicating their support. Details on how each entity plans to implement the CtA can be included in these letters.
For more information on endorsing or understanding the CtA, interested parties can contact foundational.learning@unicef.org or download available resources from UNICEF's website.
Governments from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, and others have endorsed this commitment. Organizations like UNICEF, UNESCO, World Bank, Global Partnership for Education among many others have also shown their support.