The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) – THE the largest global fund dedicated to transforming education in low-income countries – And the Institute for Economy and Peace from Sydney (PEI)have conducted research that provides compelling evidence of the strong relationship between education and peace.
Published on January 24 on the occasion of International Day of Educationthe analysis demonstrates how improving education levels are closely linked to more peaceful societies. “This year And started with a gloomy global situation regarding global peace and stability, but we can revive hope invest more and urgently in education“, did he declare Laura Frigenti, CEO of GPE. “It is time to heed the growing evidence that education is a smart, mutually sustainable investment in prosperity and peace.“.
The disastrous impacts of conflict on education are well known and the last decade has been marked by conflicts, crises and deadly wars. Across the world, wars continue to claim countless lives, displace civilians from their homes and leave many others in desperate need of life-saving assistance. It is therefore urgent to rebuild the foundations that can support lasting peace.
Research summary:
- Countries with higher primary school completion rates are generally more peaceful. In contrast, countries that enjoy high levels of peace have high school completion rates of 99%. In contrast, countries suffering from low levels of peace (presence of conflicts, civil wars, etc.) have average secondary school completion rates of only 52%.
- Countries with higher levels of education enjoy greater overall social and political stability, while the opposite is also true: countries with low levels of education tend to experience greater frequency and intensity of internal conflicts. In other words, better academic performance can reduce the severity and duration of social violence and save lives.
- Improvements in peace indicators are due to greater investments in education. Countries that invest more in education enjoy higher levels of peace. For example, in 2020, Namibia, one of the most peaceful countries in Africa, had the sixth highest rate of government investment in education in the world as a percentage of GDP.
