Education

➡️ EDUCATION - Knowledge is Power

Education is the window to opportunity, employment, and independence. UNESCO states that we could cut global poverty by half if all adults completed secondary education. This is why education is often referred to as the great equaliser.

Jump straight to our resources on ➡️ Education

Explore our comprehensive guides on -

• The Right to Education

• Girls Education

• School and University Guides

• Adult Education

• Literacy

• Peace, Human Rights, Civic, Environmental, and Climate Education

• Media Literacy

• Philosophy for a Better World

• Elearning and MOOCs

• Exemplary People in Education

In 2023, 250 million children were out of school - 16% of youth and children around the world. The situation is the most severe in Africa, where 1 in 5 children do not attend school, and only half of all children attend upper secondary school.

Education is a fundamental human right. Not only does it reduce hunger and poverty, but it is also linked to economic growth, reduced levels of violence, reduced vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters, reduced mortality of children, and is an essential tool for equality.

Sustainable Development Goal 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all - is failing. With only 50% of youth completing secondary school and 6 out of 10 children not achieving minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics, the world is completely off track to meet this goal by 2030. With education a key enabler of most other SDGs, we will unlikely reach the targets for any of the 17 goals.

A recipient of the Comenius-EduMedia Seal of Approval in 2000, Better World Info is here to support global education for all.

"Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela.

Guide to Schools and University

Better World Info provides a wide range of resources on schools for both teachers and pupils. You will find categories dedicated to school subjects, including STEM and gender education.

Extensive information is available on international schools, violence in schools, bullying and cyberbullying, and the implications of military recruitment in schools. Explore a huge category featuring alternative schools such as Montessori and Waldorf, and even a section on homeschooling.

Sorted by region, you will find comprehensive guides on universities around the world. Learn about tuition fees and rankings, and compare courses.

Students can browse a separate category with valuable resources on student unions, movements, grants, support groups, and financial aid. With considerable barriers in place for low-income students in every country, getting the correct information is essential.

In the USA, 89% of drop-outs come from low-income backgrounds. First-generation college students, in particular, face extra challenges. Find the top universities that attract the economically disadvantaged, and advise on taking your course to completion.

What is Adult Education?

Our world is constantly evolving, as are humans, and our desire to continuously develop ourselves. The concept of lifelong learning started in the 1960s. Education does not necessarily end with school, studies, or your chosen profession. You can continue your educational path at any point, even post-retirement.

Learning new skills, developing old ones, and, in turn, gaining great satisfaction can all be achieved later in life. Explore adult literacy, civic education, popular education, critical consciousness, and even inspiring TED Talks.

In 2021, Eurostat found that 11% of people aged 25-64 were in education or training. With low levels of adult literacy and numeracy, even in developed countries, removing barriers to adult learning, such as accessibility and financial costs, is vitally important.

Building a Better World Through Education

PEACE EDUCATION

Peace education aims to end the culture of war and provide students of all ages with the skills to manage conflict without violence through various means such as tolerance, respect, dialogue, and negotiation, all whilst upholding fundamental human rights and the dignity of citizens. Peace education is vital in spreading the narrative of peace and nonviolence and creating the right conditions for sustainable peace to thrive.

Students of peace studies will delve into the past social, cultural, political, democratic, economic, and psychological conditions which led to some of the worst violent conflicts the world has seen. They analyse what could have been done to avoid such situations, how sustainable peace could have been achieved, and how to enable it in the future.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Never before has climate and environmental education been so essential. We are currently experiencing the effects of a global climate crisis. More than ever, it is necessary to adapt education to prepare future generations for the challenges to come and to explore potential solutions.

Climate education empowers those living on the frontlines of climate change. With the knowledge, skills, and behaviours needed, we can help millions of people adapt to this global emergency. Current and future generations need to have a deeper understanding of the issues at stake when it comes to climate change. Populations who understand the causes and risks of our changing climate can build resilience, adapt, drive forward the energy transformation, unlock national potential for economic growth, strengthen locally driven research, and engage with Indigenous solutions.

Many of us have sadly lost our connection to nature - it's time to reconnect. Students can learn to protect the environment, live more sustainably, and understand the changing world. Find key educational resources, organisations, and much more.

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

Understanding our fundamental human rights is the first step in protecting them. Studying human rights empowers learners and sows the seeds for the world's future lawyers, campaigners, defenders, activists, and humanitarian workers.

Find top organisations, colleges, scholarships, internships, graduate programmes, and resources for schools. Our platform for human rights provides over 65,000 resources on rights defenders, crimes against humanity, important issues, human rights laws and mechanisms, and a country-by-country guide.

PHILOSOPHY

The ideas and concepts explored in philosophy teach us valuable life skills such as problem-solving, observation, intuition, and critical thinking. It is the study of existence itself and can help us to answer life's big questions.

Discover our selection of brilliant philosophers from the past, their wise lessons for the future, and further reading on humanism, ethics, virtues, and political thinkers.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Teaching religion and ethics is an important tool in conveying different perspectives, countering ignorance, and cultivating tolerance and understanding of other cultures and traditions. Better World Info provides extensive information on individual religions, spirituality, atheism, agnosticism, and materialism.

Explore the importance of interfaith dialogue in promoting positive relationships and acceptance and how threats to religious freedom, such as oppression and discrimination, are increasing around the world.

HEALTH EDUCATION

Explore thousands of carefully selected resources curated by a physician, including in-depth coverage of the world's most common diseases, a comprehensive category dedicated to healthy living, and healthcare in the developing world.

Find categories on pressing issues such as obesity, smoking, sanitation, HIV, and even assisted dying. You will also find the world's single-largest guide on COVID-19, with a total of 18,000 links - a truly invaluable tool.

FINANCIAL EDUCATION

Financial matters concern every one of us, and financial literacy gives us the knowledge to improve our financial situations. Despite this, the topic is largely left unexplained by standard curriculums.

School leavers are often totally unprepared for the real world, which is why financial education urgently needs to be expanded. Learners should be aware early on that, for example, loans must be repaid with interest, and credit cards can either build or destroy your credit rating.

With a lack of understanding, it is easy to see why many could fall into the debt trap. Better World Info also provides informative links on the economy in general, including the global financial system, financial crises, capitalism, tax justice, fraud, austerity, and the influence of monopolies.

CIVIC EDUCATION

Low turnout among young voters signifies that civic education needs a bigger focus in schools. Lack of desire to vote and political apathy correlate strongly with a lack of education. Democracy becomes seriously threatened when large sections of society do not participate politically. This is an especially common issue in the US. Check out our Presidential election voters' guide, which covers voter suppression, election fraud, negative campaigning, and information for specific voter groups.

Without sufficient knowledge of politics and how it affects every one of us, it is difficult to imagine how your single vote would count. Basic political awareness and the appropriate resources can help young people understand and evaluate political affairs.

Better World Info provides an extensive guide to politics that can be used as teaching material and for self-education. You will also find access to excellent independent real-news platforms that discuss political events without bias.

Education in the Digital Age

Social media has become ingrained into our everyday lives - almost everyone now has access to Facebook, Instagram, X, etc. These new media platforms often do not reflect reality; therefore, more critical awareness and media literacy are vital to avoid the spread of disinformation.

When processing information from social media, caution is always advised. Fake news spreads incredibly quickly on the internet. We must never forget that these platforms are NOT news media. All information is derived from ordinary people.

Better World Info offers excellent guides on navigating social media in a healthy and productive way. Issues with filter bubbles, data protection, and mental health are becoming more and more common with improper use.

Find out how to get the most out of it, access free online courses, and even use it for campaigning and advocacy.

Digital education has become a flexible and often free way to enable learning. For many students, it has now become the norm. Access to and the availability of E-learning and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Resources) has grown exponentially in recent years.

Education for a Better World

Better World Info embraces education in all forms and is an excellent tool for supporting educators, students, and those new to learning. The content is provided freely to assist those who seek knowledge and to those who want to use it to help change the world.

The importance of closing the gender gap in education should not be understated. There are 774 million illiterate people in the world – two-thirds of these are female.

We must focus on removing barriers to girls' education, whether it be sanitation, drought, conflict, societal norms, child marriage, child labour, cost, or distance.

The doors of opportunity need to be open for everyone. Education must become a priority to allow future adults access to the knowledge, skills, adaptability, and confidence to face the challenges to come.

We all have a fundamental right to education.

German speakers can visit our partner site, Bessere Welt Info and the platform Bildung, where you will find 4,500 links on schools, universities, science, adult education, libraries, education policy, philosophy, and more. 

Author: Rachael Mellor, 13.12.22 (Updated 10.04.25) licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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