Even before the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered schools and universities for more than 1.5 billion learners, the UN was warning of missed SDG 4 targets. Extended lockdowns exacerbated problems and left a painful legacy, seeing the rate of learning poverty soar by a third in low and middle-income countries. To put this into sharp review: In early 2020, around 57% of 10-year-olds in developing countries were unable to understand a simple written text. Today that figure stands at a shocking 70%.

Unless strategies actively addressing this situation are implemented, generations will lose the opportunity to advance.