Girls and boys who learn to read, write and count will provide a better future for their families and countries. With improved education, so many other areas are positively affected. In short, education has the power to make the world a better place.

Each additional year of schooling raises average annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth by 0.37%.
One extra year of schooling increases an individual's earnings by up to 10%.
If all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty.
Investing in girls education could boost sub-Saharan Africa agricultural output by 25%.
If the enrollment rate for secondary schooling is 10% higher than the average, the risk of war is reduced by about 3%.
Each extra year of a mother's schooling reduces the probability of infant mortality by 5% to 10%.

Achieving a good level of English and maths is important for young people to compete in today’s labour market. Surveys repeatedly show that employers are dissatisfied with the literacy and numeracy skills of school and college leavers, and many use these qualifications as a filter in their recruitment processes. For young people leaving education without a good level of English and maths, their chances of finding employment are lower, they are likely to earn less, and they have limited opportunities for progression into further education and training.

Ensuring young people attain a good level of English and maths before they leave education is critical. Whilst there must be opportunities for adults to continue to develop and renew their skills throughout life, persistent inequalities in the take-up of adult learning make it difficult to turn low skill levels around after leaving full-time education. A recent survey, for example, found that only around a quarter of adults who left school before age 16 are currently engaged in any form of learning, compared to almost half of those leaving full-time education, aged 21 and above.