More children in schools across world, but many without basic skills: McKinsey

The report examines data from over 100 education systems, incorporates interview and survey insights from 50 systems.

Across the world, more children are in schools than ever but many are not mastering basic skills, according to McKinsey & Company’s new research.

The report titled ‘Spark & Sustain: How all of the world’s school systems can improve learning at scale’ revealed that 70 percent of children across the world cannot read a simple sentence by 5th grade; most countries globally had declining or stagnating performance even before the pandemic.

Of the 73 countries with longitudinal data over the past decade, only 23 managed to achieve significant, sustained, and consistent improvements in student outcomes. In 17 systems, student performance declined by half a year of learning or more.

The report examines data from over 100 education systems, incorporates interview and survey insights from 50 systems, and profiles 14 systems.

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Student enrollment rates have risen globally with the greatest rate of increase for low and lower-middle-income countries – where primary enrollment has increased 17 percent and secondary enrollment increased 47 percent, But average literacy and numeracy skills have not kept at pace (and are stagnating or even declining among high-income countries). More students are in school, but they are not learning.

The report noted that though India spends relatively little on education, it can achieve somewhat stronger outcomes than others with similar spending.

Currently, roughly 74 percent of children in India are experiencing learning poverty. To be sure, learning poverty refers to children not in school or who complete primary school without learning to read and understand a simple sentence text.

At current rates of improvement, by 2050 that number will be 48 percent. If action is taken, that number can be reduced to 23 percent by 2050 – a difference of more than 63 million children lifted out of learning poverty.