importance of education in national development essay

Why education is the key to development

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Education is a human right. And, like other human rights, it cannot be taken for granted. Across the world,  59 million children and 65 million adolescents are out of school . More than 120 million children do not complete primary education.

Behind these figures there are children and youth being denied not only a right, but opportunities: a fair chance to get a decent job, to escape poverty, to support their families, and to develop their communities. This year, decision-makers will set the priorities for global development for the next 15 years. They should make sure to place education high on the list.

The deadline for the Millennium Development Goals is fast approaching. We have a responsibility to make sure we fulfill the promise we made at the beginning of the millennium: to ensure that boys and girls everywhere complete a full course of primary schooling.

The challenge is daunting. Many of those who remain out of school are the hardest to reach, as they live in countries that are held back by conflict, disaster, and epidemics. And the last push is unlikely to be accompanied by the double-digit economic growth in some developing economies that makes it easier to expand opportunities.

Nevertheless, we can succeed. Over the last 15 years, governments and their partners have shown that political will and concerted efforts can deliver tremendous results – including halving the number of children and adolescents who are out of school. Moreover, most countries are closing in on gender parity at the primary level. Now is the time to redouble our efforts to finish what we started.

But we must not stop with primary education. In today’s knowledge-driven economies, access to quality education and the chances for development are two sides of the same coin. That is why we must also set targets for secondary education, while improving quality and learning outcomes at all levels. That is what the  Sustainable Development Goal  on education, which world leaders will adopt this year, aims to do.

Addressing the fact that an estimated 250 million children worldwide are not learning the basic skills they need to enter the labor market is more than a moral obligation. It amounts to an investment in sustainable growth and prosperity. For both countries and individuals, there is a direct and indisputable link between access to quality education and economic and social development.

Likewise, ensuring that girls are not kept at home when they reach puberty, but are allowed to complete education on the same footing as their male counterparts, is not just altruism; it is sound economics. Communities and countries that succeed in achieving gender parity in education will reap substantial benefits relating to health, equality, and job creation.

All countries, regardless of their national wealth, stand to gain from more and better education. According to a recent  OECD report , providing every child with access to education and the skills needed to participate fully in society would boost GDP by an average 28% per year in lower-income countries and 16% per year in high-income countries for the next 80 years.

Today’s students need “twenty-first-century skills,” like critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and digital literacy. Learners of all ages need to become familiar with new technologies and cope with rapidly changing workplaces.

According to the International Labour Organization, an additional 280 million jobs will be needed by 2019. It is vital for policymakers to ensure that the right frameworks and incentives are established so that those jobs can be created and filled. Robust education systems – underpinned by qualified, professionally trained, motivated, and well-supported teachers – will be the cornerstone of this effort.

Governments should work with parent and teacher associations, as well as the private sector and civil-society organizations, to find the best and most constructive ways to improve the quality of education. Innovation has to be harnessed, and new partnerships must be forged.

Of course, this will cost money. According to UNESCO, in order to meet our basic education targets by 2030, we must close an external annual financing gap of about $22 billion. But we have the resources necessary to deliver. What is lacking is the political will to make the needed investments.

This is the challenge that inspired Norway to  invite world leaders  to Oslo for a  Summit on Education for Development ,  where we can develop strategies for mobilizing political support for increasing financing for education. For the first time in history, we are in the unique position to provide education opportunities for all, if only we pull together. We cannot miss this critical opportunity.

To be sure, the responsibility for providing citizens with a quality education rests, first and foremost, with national governments. Aid cannot replace domestic-resource mobilization. But donor countries also have an important role to play, especially in supporting least-developed countries. We must reverse the recent downward trend in development assistance for education, and leverage our assistance to attract investments from various other sources. For our part, we are in the process of doubling Norway’s financial contribution to education for development in the period 2013-2017.

Together, we need to intensify efforts to bring the poorest and hardest to reach children into the education system. Education is a right for everyone. It is a right for girls, just as it is for boys. It is a right for disabled children, just as it is for everyone else. It is a right for the 37 million out-of-school children and youth in countries affected by crises and conflicts. Education is a right regardless of where you are born and where you grow up. It is time to ensure that the right is upheld.

This article is published in collaboration with Project Syndicate . Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

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Author: Erna Solberg is Prime Minister of Norway. Børge Brende is Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Image: Students attend a class at the Oxford International College in Changzhou. REUTERS/Aly Song. 

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The Role of Education in Development

• First Online: 30 August 2019

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• Tristan McCowan 6  

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education ((PSGHE))

Understanding the role of education in development is highly complex, on account of the slippery nature of both concepts, and the multifaceted relationship between them. This chapter provides a conceptual exploration of these relationships, laying the groundwork for the rest of the book. First, it assesses the role of education as a driver of development, including aspects of economic growth, basic needs and political participation. Second, it looks at the constitutive perspective, involving education as national status, human right and human development. Finally, it assesses the ‘other face’ of education and its negative impacts, as well as the specificities of higher education in relation to other levels.

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McCowan, T. (2019). The Role of Education in Development. In: Higher Education for and beyond the Sustainable Development Goals. Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19597-7_2

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Why education matters for economic development

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The World Bank Group is the largest financier of education in the developing world, working in 94 countries and committed to helping them reach SDG4: access to inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030.

Education is a human right, a powerful driver of development, and one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability. It delivers large, consistent returns in terms of income, and is the most important factor to ensure equity and inclusion.

For individuals, education promotes employment, earnings, health, and poverty reduction. Globally, there is a  9% increase in hourly earnings for every extra year of schooling . For societies, it drives long-term economic growth, spurs innovation, strengthens institutions, and fosters social cohesion.  Education is further a powerful catalyst to climate action through widespread behavior change and skilling for green transitions.

Developing countries have made tremendous progress in getting children into the classroom and more children worldwide are now in school. But learning is not guaranteed, as the  2018 World Development Report  (WDR) stressed.

Making smart and effective investments in people’s education is critical for developing the human capital that will end extreme poverty. At the core of this strategy is the need to tackle the learning crisis, put an end to  Learning Poverty , and help youth acquire the advanced cognitive, socioemotional, technical and digital skills they need to succeed in today’s world. 

In low- and middle-income countries, the share of children living in  Learning Poverty  (that is, the proportion of 10-year-old children that are unable to read and understand a short age-appropriate text) increased from 57% before the pandemic to an estimated  70%  in 2022.

However, learning is in crisis. More than 70 million more people were pushed into poverty during the COVID pandemic, a billion children lost a year of school , and three years later the learning losses suffered have not been recouped .  If a child cannot read with comprehension by age 10, they are unlikely to become fluent readers. They will fail to thrive later in school and will be unable to power their careers and economies once they leave school.

The effects of the pandemic are expected to be long-lasting. Analysis has already revealed deep losses, with international reading scores declining from 2016 to 2021 by more than a year of schooling.  These losses may translate to a 0.68 percentage point in global GDP growth.  The staggering effects of school closures reach beyond learning. This generation of children could lose a combined total of  US$21 trillion in lifetime earnings  in present value or the equivalent of 17% of today’s global GDP – a sharp rise from the 2021 estimate of a US$17 trillion loss. 

Action is urgently needed now – business as usual will not suffice to heal the scars of the pandemic and will not accelerate progress enough to meet the ambitions of SDG 4. We are urging governments to implement ambitious and aggressive Learning Acceleration Programs to get children back to school, recover lost learning, and advance progress by building better, more equitable and resilient education systems.

Last Updated: Mar 25, 2024

The World Bank’s global education strategy is centered on ensuring learning happens – for everyone, everywhere. Our vision is to ensure that everyone can achieve her or his full potential with access to a quality education and lifelong learning. To reach this, we are helping countries build foundational skills like literacy, numeracy, and socioemotional skills – the building blocks for all other learning. From early childhood to tertiary education and beyond – we help children and youth acquire the skills they need to thrive in school, the labor market and throughout their lives.

Investing in the world’s most precious resource – people – is paramount to ending poverty on a livable planet.  Our experience across more than 100 countries bears out this robust connection between human capital, quality of life, and economic growth: when countries strategically invest in people and the systems designed to protect and build human capital at scale, they unlock the wealth of nations and the potential of everyone.

Building on this, the World Bank supports resilient, equitable, and inclusive education systems that ensure learning happens for everyone. We do this by generating and disseminating evidence, ensuring alignment with policymaking processes, and bridging the gap between research and practice.

The World Bank is the largest source of external financing for education in developing countries, with a portfolio of about $26 billion in 94 countries including IBRD, IDA and Recipient-Executed Trust Funds. IDA operations comprise 62% of the education portfolio.

The investment in FCV settings has increased dramatically and now accounts for 26% of our portfolio.

World Bank projects reach at least 425 million students -one-third of students in low- and middle-income countries.

The World Bank’s Approach to Education

Five interrelated pillars of a well-functioning education system underpin the World Bank’s education policy approach:

• Learners are prepared and motivated to learn;
• Teachers are prepared, skilled, and motivated to facilitate learning and skills acquisition;
• Learning resources (including education technology) are available, relevant, and used to improve teaching and learning;
• Schools are safe and inclusive; and
• Education Systems are well-managed, with good implementation capacity and adequate financing.

The Bank is already helping governments design and implement cost-effective programs and tools to build these pillars.

Our Principles:

• We pursue systemic reform supported by political commitment to learning for all children. 
• We focus on equity and inclusion through a progressive path toward achieving universal access to quality education, including children and young adults in fragile or conflict affected areas , those in marginalized and rural communities,  girls and women , displaced populations,  students with disabilities , and other vulnerable groups.
• We focus on results and use evidence to keep improving policy by using metrics to guide improvements.   
• We want to ensure financial commitment commensurate with what is needed to provide basic services to all. 
• We invest wisely in technology so that education systems embrace and learn to harness technology to support their learning objectives.   

Laying the groundwork for the future

Country challenges vary, but there is a menu of options to build forward better, more resilient, and equitable education systems.

Countries are facing an education crisis that requires a two-pronged approach: first, supporting actions to recover lost time through remedial and accelerated learning; and, second, building on these investments for a more equitable, resilient, and effective system.

Recovering from the learning crisis must be a political priority, backed with adequate financing and the resolve to implement needed reforms.  Domestic financing for education over the last two years has not kept pace with the need to recover and accelerate learning. Across low- and lower-middle-income countries, the  average share of education in government budgets fell during the pandemic , and in 2022 it remained below 2019 levels.

The best chance for a better future is to invest in education and make sure each dollar is put toward improving learning.  In a time of fiscal pressure, protecting spending that yields long-run gains – like spending on education – will maximize impact.  We still need more and better funding for education.  Closing the learning gap will require increasing the level, efficiency, and equity of education spending—spending smarter is an imperative.

• Education technology  can be a powerful tool to implement these actions by supporting teachers, children, principals, and parents; expanding accessible digital learning platforms, including radio/ TV / Online learning resources; and using data to identify and help at-risk children, personalize learning, and improve service delivery.

Looking ahead

We must seize this opportunity  to reimagine education in bold ways. Together, we can build forward better more equitable, effective, and resilient education systems for the world’s children and youth.

Accelerating Improvements

Supporting countries in establishing time-bound learning targets and a focused education investment plan, outlining actions and investments geared to achieve these goals.

Launched in 2020, the  Accelerator Program  works with a set of countries to channel investments in education and to learn from each other. The program coordinates efforts across partners to ensure that the countries in the program show improvements in foundational skills at scale over the next three to five years. These investment plans build on the collective work of multiple partners, and leverage the latest evidence on what works, and how best to plan for implementation.  Countries such as Brazil (the state of Ceará) and Kenya have achieved dramatic reductions in learning poverty over the past decade at scale, providing useful lessons, even as they seek to build on their successes and address remaining and new challenges.  

Universalizing Foundational Literacy

Readying children for the future by supporting acquisition of foundational skills – which are the gateway to other skills and subjects.

The  Literacy Policy Package (LPP)   consists of interventions focused specifically on promoting acquisition of reading proficiency in primary school. These include assuring political and technical commitment to making all children literate; ensuring effective literacy instruction by supporting teachers; providing quality, age-appropriate books; teaching children first in the language they speak and understand best; and fostering children’s oral language abilities and love of books and reading.

Advancing skills through TVET and Tertiary

Ensuring that individuals have access to quality education and training opportunities and supporting links to employment.

Tertiary education and skills systems are a driver of major development agendas, including human capital, climate change, youth and women’s empowerment, and jobs and economic transformation. A comprehensive skill set to succeed in the 21st century labor market consists of foundational and higher order skills, socio-emotional skills, specialized skills, and digital skills. Yet most countries continue to struggle in delivering on the promise of skills development. 

The World Bank is supporting countries through efforts that address key challenges including improving access and completion, adaptability, quality, relevance, and efficiency of skills development programs. Our approach is via multiple channels including projects, global goods, as well as the Tertiary Education and Skills Program . Our recent reports including Building Better Formal TVET Systems and STEERing Tertiary Education provide a way forward for how to improve these critical systems.

Addressing Climate Change

Mainstreaming climate education and investing in green skills, research and innovation, and green infrastructure to spur climate action and foster better preparedness and resilience to climate shocks.

Our approach recognizes that education is critical for achieving effective, sustained climate action. At the same time, climate change is adversely impacting education outcomes. Investments in education can play a huge role in building climate resilience and advancing climate mitigation and adaptation. Climate change education gives young people greater awareness of climate risks and more access to tools and solutions for addressing these risks and managing related shocks. Technical and vocational education and training can also accelerate a green economic transformation by fostering green skills and innovation. Greening education infrastructure can help mitigate the impact of heat, pollution, and extreme weather on learning, while helping address climate change. 

Examples of this work are projects in Nigeria (life skills training for adolescent girls), Vietnam (fostering relevant scientific research) , and Bangladesh (constructing and retrofitting schools to serve as cyclone shelters).

Strengthening Measurement Systems

Enabling countries to gather and evaluate information on learning and its drivers more efficiently and effectively.

The World Bank supports initiatives to help countries effectively build and strengthen their measurement systems to facilitate evidence-based decision-making. Examples of this work include:

(1) The  Global Education Policy Dashboard (GEPD) : This tool offers a strong basis for identifying priorities for investment and policy reforms that are suited to each country context by focusing on the three dimensions of practices, policies, and politics.

• Highlights gaps between what the evidence suggests is effective in promoting learning and what is happening in practice in each system; and
• Allows governments to track progress as they act to close the gaps.

The GEPD has been implemented in 13 education systems already – Peru, Rwanda, Jordan, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sierra Leone, Niger, Gabon, Jordan and Chad – with more expected by the end of 2024.

(2)  Learning Assessment Platform (LeAP) : LeAP is a one-stop shop for knowledge, capacity-building tools, support for policy dialogue, and technical staff expertise to support student achievement measurement and national assessments for better learning.

Supporting Successful Teachers

Helping systems develop the right selection, incentives, and support to the professional development of teachers.

Currently, the World Bank Education Global Practice has over 160 active projects supporting over 18 million teachers worldwide, about a third of the teacher population in low- and middle-income countries. In 12 countries alone, these projects cover 16 million teachers, including all primary school teachers in Ethiopia and Turkey, and over 80% in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam.

A World Bank-developed classroom observation tool, Teach, was designed to capture the quality of teaching in low- and middle-income countries. It is now 3.6 million students.

While Teach helps identify patterns in teacher performance, Coach leverages these insights to support teachers to improve their teaching practice through hands-on in-service teacher professional development (TPD).

Our recent report on Making Teacher Policy Work proposes a practical framework to uncover the black box of effective teacher policy and discusses the factors that enable their scalability and sustainability.

 Supporting Education Finance Systems

Strengthening country financing systems to mobilize resources for education and make better use of their investments in education.

Our approach is to bring together multi-sectoral expertise to engage with ministries of education and finance and other stakeholders to develop and implement effective and efficient public financial management systems; build capacity to monitor and evaluate education spending, identify financing bottlenecks, and develop interventions to strengthen financing systems; build the evidence base on global spending patterns and the magnitude and causes of spending inefficiencies; and develop diagnostic tools as public goods to support country efforts.

Working in Fragile, Conflict, and Violent (FCV) Contexts

The massive and growing global challenge of having so many children living in conflict and violent situations requires a response at the same scale and scope. Our education engagement in the Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) context, which stands at US$5.35 billion, has grown rapidly in recent years, reflecting the ever-increasing importance of the FCV agenda in education. Indeed, these projects now account for more than 25% of the World Bank education portfolio.

Education is crucial to minimizing the effects of fragility and displacement on the welfare of youth and children in the short-term and preventing the emergence of violent conflict in the long-term. 

Support to Countries Throughout the Education Cycle

Our support to countries covers the entire learning cycle, to help shape resilient, equitable, and inclusive education systems that ensure learning happens for everyone. 

The ongoing  Supporting  Egypt  Education Reform project , 2018-2025, supports transformational reforms of the Egyptian education system, by improving teaching and learning conditions in public schools. The World Bank has invested $500 million in the project focused on increasing access to quality kindergarten, enhancing the capacity of teachers and education leaders, developing a reliable student assessment system, and introducing the use of modern technology for teaching and learning. Specifically, the share of Egyptian 10-year-old students, who could read and comprehend at the global minimum proficiency level, increased to 45 percent in 2021.

In  Nigeria , the $75 million  Edo  Basic Education Sector and Skills Transformation (EdoBESST)  project, running from 2020-2024, is focused on improving teaching and learning in basic education. Under the project, which covers 97 percent of schools in the state, there is a strong focus on incorporating digital technologies for teachers. They were equipped with handheld tablets with structured lesson plans for their classes. Their coaches use classroom observation tools to provide individualized feedback. Teacher absence has reduced drastically because of the initiative. Over 16,000 teachers were trained through the project, and the introduction of technology has also benefited students.

Through the $235 million  School Sector Development Program  in  Nepal  (2017-2022), the number of children staying in school until Grade 12 nearly tripled, and the number of out-of-school children fell by almost seven percent. During the pandemic, innovative approaches were needed to continue education. Mobile phone penetration is high in the country. More than four in five households in Nepal have mobile phones. The project supported an educational service that made it possible for children with phones to connect to local radio that broadcast learning programs.

From 2017-2023, the $50 million  Strengthening of State Universities  in  Chile  project has made strides to improve quality and equity at state universities. The project helped reduce dropout: the third-year dropout rate fell by almost 10 percent from 2018-2022, keeping more students in school.

The World Bank’s first  Program-for-Results financing in education  was through a $202 million project in  Tanzania , that ran from 2013-2021. The project linked funding to results and aimed to improve education quality. It helped build capacity, and enhanced effectiveness and efficiency in the education sector. Through the project, learning outcomes significantly improved alongside an unprecedented expansion of access to education for children in Tanzania. From 2013-2019, an additional 1.8 million students enrolled in primary schools. In 2019, the average reading speed for Grade 2 students rose to 22.3 words per minute, up from 17.3 in 2017. The project laid the foundation for the ongoing $500 million  BOOST project , which supports over 12 million children to enroll early, develop strong foundational skills, and complete a quality education.

The $40 million  Cambodia  Secondary Education Improvement project , which ran from 2017-2022, focused on strengthening school-based management, upgrading teacher qualifications, and building classrooms in Cambodia, to improve learning outcomes, and reduce student dropout at the secondary school level. The project has directly benefited almost 70,000 students in 100 target schools, and approximately 2,000 teachers and 600 school administrators received training.

The World Bank is co-financing the $152.80 million  Yemen  Restoring Education and Learning Emergency project , running from 2020-2024, which is implemented through UNICEF, WFP, and Save the Children. It is helping to maintain access to basic education for many students, improve learning conditions in schools, and is working to strengthen overall education sector capacity. In the time of crisis, the project is supporting teacher payments and teacher training, school meals, school infrastructure development, and the distribution of learning materials and school supplies. To date, almost 600,000 students have benefited from these interventions.

The $87 million  Providing an Education of Quality in  Haiti  project supported approximately 380 schools in the Southern region of Haiti from 2016-2023. Despite a highly challenging context of political instability and recurrent natural disasters, the project successfully supported access to education for students. The project provided textbooks, fresh meals, and teacher training support to 70,000 students, 3,000 teachers, and 300 school directors. It gave tuition waivers to 35,000 students in 118 non-public schools. The project also repaired 19 national schools damaged by the 2021 earthquake, which gave 5,500 students safe access to their schools again.

In 2013, just 5% of the poorest households in  Uzbekistan  had children enrolled in preschools. Thanks to the  Improving Pre-Primary and General Secondary Education Project , by July 2019, around 100,000 children will have benefitted from the half-day program in 2,420 rural kindergartens, comprising around 49% of all preschool educational institutions, or over 90% of rural kindergartens in the country.

In addition to working closely with governments in our client countries, the World Bank also works at the global, regional, and local levels with a range of technical partners, including foundations, non-profit organizations, bilaterals, and other multilateral organizations. Some examples of our most recent global partnerships include:

UNICEF, UNESCO, FCDO, USAID, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:  Coalition for Foundational Learning

The World Bank is working closely with UNICEF, UNESCO, FCDO, USAID, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as the  Coalition for Foundational Learning  to advocate and provide technical support to ensure foundational learning.  The World Bank works with these partners to promote and endorse the  Commitment to Action on Foundational Learning , a global network of countries committed to halving the global share of children unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10 by 2030.

Australian Aid, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Canada, Echida Giving, FCDO, German Cooperation, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Conrad Hilton Foundation, LEGO Foundation, Porticus, USAID: Early Learning Partnership

The Early Learning Partnership (ELP) is a multi-donor trust fund, housed at the World Bank.  ELP leverages World Bank strengths—a global presence, access to policymakers and strong technical analysis—to improve early learning opportunities and outcomes for young children around the world.

We help World Bank teams and countries get the information they need to make the case to invest in Early Childhood Development (ECD), design effective policies and deliver impactful programs. At the country level, ELP grants provide teams with resources for early seed investments that can generate large financial commitments through World Bank finance and government resources. At the global level, ELP research and special initiatives work to fill knowledge gaps, build capacity and generate public goods.

UNESCO, UNICEF:  Learning Data Compact

UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank have joined forces to close the learning data gaps that still exist and that preclude many countries from monitoring the quality of their education systems and assessing if their students are learning. The three organizations have agreed to a  Learning Data Compact , a commitment to ensure that all countries, especially low-income countries, have at least one quality measure of learning by 2025, supporting coordinated efforts to strengthen national assessment systems.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS):   Learning Poverty Indicator

Aimed at measuring and urging attention to foundational literacy as a prerequisite to achieve SDG4, this partnership was launched in 2019 to help countries strengthen their learning assessment systems, better monitor what students are learning in internationally comparable ways and improve the breadth and quality of global data on education.

FCDO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:  EdTech Hub

Supported by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the EdTech Hub is aimed at improving the quality of ed-tech investments. The Hub launched a rapid response Helpdesk service to provide just-in-time advisory support to 70 low- and middle-income countries planning education technology and remote learning initiatives.

MasterCard Foundation

Our Tertiary Education and Skills  global program, launched with support from the Mastercard Foundation, aims to prepare youth and adults for the future of work and society by improving access to relevant, quality, equitable reskilling and post-secondary education opportunities.  It is designed to reframe, reform, and rebuild tertiary education and skills systems for the digital and green transformation.

Bridging the AI divide: Breaking down barriers to ensure women’s leadership and participation in the Fifth Industrial Revolution

Common challenges and tailored solutions: How policymakers are strengthening early learning systems across the world

Compulsory education boosts learning outcomes and climate action

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the Education Commission

The role of education in transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

Apr 26, 2016 | Updates | 0 comments

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 seek to alleviate various crises and problems which threaten human rights. So, what is the role of education in achieving the SDGs, establishing sustainability and transforming our world?

While SDGs serve as benchmarks for a more sustainable society, there is still no clear vision for what that sustainable global society will ultimately look like. In fact, it is the consensus building and cooperation among different cultures and communities across the world – skills that education helps to develop – that will help us define what and how such a sustainable society can be achieved.

For this reason, it is important to integrate the ideas and increase the participation of various stakeholders in a discussion on how we can transform our world into a sustainable one towards 2030.

In particular, increasing the participation of young people who shoulder our future is critical for achieving sustainable development. Although today’s globalized world has in many ways made the world feel smaller, many young people feel isolated from their communities, and disconnected from the immediate environment around them. Education can play an important role in these situations – by fostering and nurturing youth who can actively participate and contribute to the betterment of their local communities.

Education plays a pivotal role in helping young people make the connection between global issues and local communities. Cultivating our imaginative capacity through education enhances our motivation for change and for taking action to make the world a sustainable place.

In his 2016 Peace Proposal, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, an educator and a 2015 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, identifies two important functions of learning:

• To enable people to accurately assess the impact of their actions and to empower them to effect positive change for themselves and those around them; and
• To bring forth the courage to persevere in the face of adversity. [1]

In his proposal, Dr. Ikeda emphasizes the importance of education in building youth solidarity – a united group of young people – to encourage citizens to take courageous action to achieve a sustainable global community.

We hope that as many youth as possible join the activities organized by the Education Commission’s Youth Panel. The Education Youth Video Challenge is a great opportunity for young people to express their thoughts about local and global issues through video. We can transform our world in our own respective ways in our local communities based on the solidarity of youth!

Please share your ideas and opinions about the future of education and participate in the Education Youth Video Challenge !

Shizuka Nishimura is on the Education Commission’s Youth Panel. You can read more about her work here . 

[1] Daisaku Ikeda, 2016, “2016 Peace Proposal, Universal Respect for Human Dignity: The Great Path to Peace.” January 26. Retrieved from http://www.sgi.org/content/files/about-us/president-ikedas-proposals/peaceproposal2016.pdf (Accessed March 16, 2016).

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National Development Delivers: And How! And How?

In this section, national development delivers: and how and how , cid faculty working paper no. 398.

Lant Pritchett  May 2021

Core dual ideas of early development economics and practice were that (a) national development was a four-fold transformation of countries towards: (i) a more productive economy, (ii) a more responsive state, (iii) more capable administration, and (iv) a shared identity and equal treatment of citizens and (b) this four-fold transformation of national development would lead to higher levels of human wellbeing. The second idea is strikingly correct: development delivers. National development is empirically necessary for high wellbeing (no country with low levels of national development has high human wellbeing) and also empirically sufficient (no country with high national development has low levels of human wellbeing). Three measures of national development: productive economy, capable administration, and responsive state, explain (essentially) all of the observed variation in an omnibus indicator of wellbeing, the Social Progress Index, which is based on 58 distinct non-economic indicators. How national development delivers on wellbeing varies, in three ways. One, economic growth is much more important for achieving wellbeing at low versus high levels of income. Two, economic growth matters more for “basic needs” than for other dimensions of wellbeing (like social inclusiveness or environmental quality). Three, state capability matters more for wellbeing outcomes that depend on public production than on private goods (and for some wellbeing indicators, like physical safety, for which growth doesn’t matter at all). While these findings may seem too common sense to be worth a paper, national development--and particularly economic growth—is, strangely, under severe challenge as an important and legitimate objective of action within the development industry.

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• FOOD & RECIPES
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The Role of Education in National Development

Education refers to the field of study that deals mainly with teaching and learning methods in schools. The primary aim of education is to promote a person’s overall development. It is also a source of its evident advantages for a more prosperous and happier existence.

Education has the potential to improve society as a whole. It helps create a community where individuals know their rights and responsibilities. Education is a learning and cultural process where people may acquire cognitive ability, physical abilities, and values and beliefs. These abilities enable us to be decent citizens.

National Development refers to a country’s ability to improve its citizens’ living standards. National development may be accomplished through meeting fundamental livelihood needs and providing work, among other things. Growth, progress, and good change are all part of the development process. Therefore, growth is a positive indicator.

One of the components of national development includes the development and urbanization of rural areas.

Another is the increment in agricultural outputs to help eradicate poverty. Others include the enlargement of economic knowledge and proper growth handling in urban areas.

There are two elements to development-growth in the economy or a rise in people’s income:

Literacy, health, and the provision of public services are all examples of social development.

Education aids production by providing men and women with the latest scientific and technological information. To improve national income, education must link to productivity, the entire output of final products and services in real terms.

Making S.U.P.W. (Socially Useful Productive Work) and vocational education, especially at the secondary school level, an intrinsic element of general education to satisfy the demands of industry, agriculture, and commerce would help the national economy.

Education has also improved national development by enhancing university-level scientific and technical education and research, focusing on agriculture and related sciences.

Education has aided national development through talent and virtue development. The nurturing of abilities and practical qualities is the cornerstone of a nation’s development.

The indices of national growth include an awakened mind, correct information, advanced skills, and desired attitudes. Education aids in developing latent abilities or aptitudes to harness the process of national and personal growth.

Developing skills and values through an appropriate educational curriculum undoubtedly adds to a nation’s success. As a result, education is viewed as a tool for harnessing abilities and values for the overall development of a country.

Education helps nurture and improve students’ writing skills as they are taught to write in schools, which equips them with the necessary skills to be ardent writers, editors, and the like.

Although, with the advent of technology, there are now websites where people can seek help with their writing projects, such as the best custom writing service .

Physical, cerebral, social, emotional, moral, spiritual, and aesthetic developments of the individual personality are all goals of education. National development is not feasible without personal growth. Individual development includes:

• The development of self-confidence.
• The development of scientific temperament.
• The attainment of self-sufficiency.
• A sense of duty.
• Discipline and decency.
• A sense of dedication.
• The promotion of social and ethical values.
• The cultivation of social efficiency.
• The promotion of social and moral values.

As a result, education aids individuals in creating and cultivating the attributes mentioned above, which are necessary for a nation’s revival and progress. Therefore, all sectors of the population should have access to education.

The royal route to national progress is supposed to be modernization. Education contributes to national development by instilling curiosity, suitable interests, attitudes, and values and developing necessary abilities such as independent study and the ability to analyze and evaluate correctly.

It also assists by using new teaching techniques and altering the composition of the intelligentsia and educated individuals from all walks of life.

Furthermore, it emphasizes vocational education, science-based education, and research as development catalysts. These, in turn, transform into the development of a country.

Internationalism is critical for national development, such as national integration. It can be encouraged through education by emphasizing diverse nations’ significant contributions to humanity’s progress and reinstating the right viewpoints in textbooks by removing malicious content about other civilizations.

It can also be achieved by assisting in developing a global outlook and eliminating negative attitudes among pupils toward different communities or races throughout the universe.

Therefore, education is crucial in achieving national development. Education is an excellent vehicle for attaining actual national development. A nation cannot remain oblivious to its role in education.

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Why early childhood care and education matters

The right to education begins at birth.

But new UNESCO data shows that 1 out of 4 children aged 5 have never had any form of pre-primary education. This represents 35 million out of 137 million 5-year-old children worldwide. Despite research that proves the benefits of early childhood care and education (ECCE), only half of all countries guarantee free pre-primary education around the world.

UNESCO’s World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education taking place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 14-16 November 2022 will reaffirm every young child’s right to quality care and education, and call for increased investment in children during the period from birth to eight years.  

Here’s what you need to know what early childhood care and education.

Why is early childhood care and education important?

The period from birth to eight years old is one of remarkable brain development for children and represents a crucial window of opportunity for education. When children are healthy, safe and learning well in their early years, they are better able to reach their full developmental potential as adults and participate effectively in economic, social, and civic life. Providing ECCE is regarded as a means of promoting equity and social justice, inclusive economic growth and advancing sustainable development.

A range of research and evidence has converged to support this claim. First, neuroscience has shown that the environment affects the nature of brain architecture – the child’s early experiences can provide either a strong or a fragile foundation for later learning, development and behaviours. Second, the larger economic returns on investment in prior-to-school programmes than in programmes for adolescents and adults has been demonstrated. Third, educational sciences have revealed that participation in early childhood care and education programmes boosts children’s school readiness and reduces the gap between socially advantaged and disadvantaged children at the starting gate of school.

From a human rights perspective, expanding quality early learning is an important means for realizing the right to education within a lifelong learning perspective. ECCE provides a significant preparation to basic education and a lifelong learning journey. In 2021, only 22% of United Nations Member States have made pre-primary education compulsory, and only 45% provide at least one year of free pre-primary education. Only 46 countries have adopted free and compulsory pre-primary education in their laws.

How has access to ECCE evolved?

Overall, there has been significant global progress in achieving inclusive and high-quality ECCE. Globally, the ratio for pre-primary education has increased from 46% in 2010 to 61% in 2020. The global ratio for participation in organized learning one year before the official primary school entry age also increased to reach 75% in 2020. However, in low- and lower-middle-income countries, fewer than two in three children attend organized learning one year before the official primary entry age.  Furthermore, the proportion of children receiving a positive and stimulating home environment remains significantly low with only 64% of children having positive and nurturing home environments. Great regional disparities remain the biggest challenges. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 40% of children have experienced a positive and stimulating home learning environment compared to 90% of children in Europe and Northern America.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted ECCE?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effect on ECCE and amplified its crisis. Young children have been deemed the greatest victims of the pandemic, experiencing the impact of on their immediate families, and because of stay-at-home orders of lockdowns, having been deprived of essential services to promote their health, learning and psychosocial well-being. Some children will start basic education without organized learning experiences to the detriment of their readiness for school. It was estimated that the closure of ECCE services has resulted in 19 billion person-days of ECCE instruction lost with 10.75 million children not being able to reach their developmental potential in the first 11 months of the pandemic.

What are the consequences on foundational learning?

ECCE is a pre-requisite for meeting the right to learn and to develop. In particular, access to pre-primary education is a basis for acquiring foundational learning including literacy, numeracy and socio-emotional learning. Yet, according to the recent estimate, about 64% of children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read and understand a simple story at age 10. The roots of this learning poverty start in ECCE and its lack of capacity to make children ready for school.

What is the situation regarding ECCE teachers and care staff?

As the calls grow for higher quality ECCE provision, teacher shortages and quality has received increasing attention. The number of teachers who received at least the minimum pedagogical teacher training, both pre-service and in-service, increased from 68% to 80% between 2010 and 2020. It is estimated that ECCE services need another 9.3 million full-time teachers to achieve the SDG target . Most Member States have established qualification requirements for ECCE teachers, while far less attention has been focused on ECCE teachers’ working conditions and career progression. The low social status, poor salaries and job insecurity of ECCE teachers and care staff tend to have an adverse impact on attracting and retaining suitably qualified early childhood educators.

What are the policies, governance and financing implications?

It is time for societies and governments to implement relevant policies to recover and transform their ECCE systems. ECCE is seen by many countries as a key part of the solution to a myriad of challenges including social inclusion and cohesion, economic growth and to tackle other sustainable development challenges. According to the 2022 Global Education Monitoring Report, 150 out of 209 countries have set targets for pre-primary education participation by 2025 or 2030. The proportion of countries that monitor participation rates in pre-primary education is expected to increase from 75% in 2015 to 92% in 2025 and 95% in 2030. It is expected that the pre-primary participation rate for all regions will exceed 90% by 2030. In Central and South Asia, East and South-East Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, participation rates are expected to be nearly 100%. At the same time, it is projected that participation rates in Northern Africa and Western Asia will be about 77% by 2030.

What are the obstacles to ensuring access to quality ECCE?

• Policy fragmentation: In many countries, ECCE policies and services are fragmented and do not leverage whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to addressing the holistic needs and rights of families and their young children. This is particularly challenging for national governments with limited resources, low institutional capacities and weak governance.
• Lack of public provision : Non-state provision of ECCE continues to grow in many contexts, and the role of non-state actors in influencing policy development and implementation is evident. Non-state actors provide a large proportion of places in pre-primary education. In 2000, 28.5% of pre-primary aged children were enrolled in private institutions, and this rose to 37% in 2019, a figure higher than for primary (19%) or secondary (27%) education.
• Insufficient regulation of the sector : Specific regulations and standards for ECCE are not in place in most countries. Regulations usually do not establish quality assurance mechanisms and those that do, tend not to focus on outcomes.
• Chronic underfunding : An average of 6.6% of education budgets at national and subnational levels were allocated to pre-primary education. Low-income countries, on average, invest 2% of education budgets in pre-primary education, which is far below the target of 10% by 2030 suggested by UNICEF. In terms of international aid, pre-primary education remains the least funded sector.

What are the solutions?

Political will and ownership are key to transforming ECCE. UNESCO’s review highlights progress in some countries, giving an indication of what is required to successfully strengthen the capacity of ECCE systems:

• Expanding and diversifying access : Increasing investment and establishing a legal framework to expand ECCE services are essential steps. Innovative ECCE delivery mechanisms such as mobile kindergartens with teachers, equipment for learning and play, have been deployed in some countries to reach remote areas and provide children with pre-primary education.  
• Enhancing quality and relevance : ECCE curriculum frameworks should cover different aspects of early learning and prepare children with essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions to transit smoothly to formal education.
• Making ECCE educators and caregivers a transforming force : For the transformation of ECCE to take place, ECCE educators need to be adequately supported and empowered to play their part.
• Improving governance and stakeholder participation : Countries have adopted different modes of governance. There are generally two systems that are followed, an integrated system and a split system.
• Using funding to steer ECCE development : Strengthening domestic public financing is important for providing affordable ECCE. Since ECCE services are offered by different ministries, there must be a clear demarcation of funding and financing rules for different sectors and different ministries. Innovative financing may include earmarking resources from economic activities and other sources.
• Establishing systems for monitoring and assessing whole-of-child development . System-level action in strengthening the availability and reliability of data obtained from assessments enables efficient and timely monitoring of programmes and child developmental milestones.
• Galvanize international cooperation and solidarity . The World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education is an opportunity to mobilize existing global, regional, and national networks to increase focus on identifying and sharing innovations, policies and practices.

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Essay on Importance of Education for Students

500 words essay on importance of education.

To say Education is important is an understatement. Education is a weapon to improve one’s life. It is probably the most important tool to change one’s life. Education for a child begins at home. It is a lifelong process that ends with death. Education certainly determines the quality of an individual’s life. Education improves one’s knowledge, skills and develops the personality and attitude. Most noteworthy, Education affects the chances of employment for people. A highly educated individual is probably very likely to get a good job. In this essay on importance of education, we will tell you about the value of education in life and society.

Importance of Education in Life

First of all, Education teaches the ability to read and write. Reading and writing is the first step in Education. Most information is done by writing. Hence, the lack of writing skill means missing out on a lot of information. Consequently, Education makes people literate.

Above all, Education is extremely important for employment. It certainly is a great opportunity to make a decent living. This is due to the skills of a high paying job that Education provides. Uneducated people are probably at a huge disadvantage when it comes to jobs. It seems like many poor people improve their lives with the help of Education.

Better Communication is yet another role in Education. Education improves and refines the speech of a person. Furthermore, individuals also improve other means of communication with Education.

Education makes an individual a better user of technology. Education certainly provides the technical skills necessary for using technology . Hence, without Education, it would probably be difficult to handle modern machines.

People become more mature with the help of Education. Sophistication enters the life of educated people. Above all, Education teaches the value of discipline to individuals. Educated people also realize the value of time much more. To educated people, time is equal to money.

Finally, Educations enables individuals to express their views efficiently. Educated individuals can explain their opinions in a clear manner. Hence, educated people are quite likely to convince people to their point of view.

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Importance of Education in Society

First of all, Education helps in spreading knowledge in society. This is perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of Education. There is a quick propagation of knowledge in an educated society. Furthermore, there is a transfer of knowledge from generation to another by Education.

Education helps in the development and innovation of technology. Most noteworthy, the more the education, the more technology will spread. Important developments in war equipment, medicine , computers, take place due to Education.

Education is a ray of light in the darkness. It certainly is a hope for a good life. Education is a basic right of every Human on this Planet. To deny this right is evil. Uneducated youth is the worst thing for Humanity. Above all, the governments of all countries must ensure to spread Education.

FAQs on Essay on Importance of Education

Q.1 How Education helps in Employment?

A.1 Education helps in Employment by providing necessary skills. These skills are important for doing a high paying job.

Q.2 Mention one way in Education helps a society?

A.2 Education helps society by spreading knowledge. This certainly is one excellent contribution to Education.

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Education is essential to life as it helps us understand the world and enhance knowledge. Education is considered as the key to a successful life. A person who is not educated finds it difficult to find a job, is not able to build a career, and is unsuccessful in every aspect of life.

The essay on the importance of education is a popular topic assigned to students in school. This essay topic highlights the importance of education in our lives and how it can open the doors to success. To help students with their essay writing, we have listed some samples of how to write an essay on the importance of education.

‘The pen is mightier than the sword’. – Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Essay on Importance Of Education in English

Education is important for a person, his family, and society. Today, we are living in a digital world, where education is essential for survival. Education makes us knowledgeable, develops skills, and makes us intelligent. Education paves the way toward a successful life. It prepares us for real-world challenges and improves our understanding of people and developments around us. Education is important for personal, social, and economic development. A well-educated person can significantly contribute to the economic growth and development of his family and society.

Why is Education Important?

Mahatma Gandhi said about the importance of education, ‘Real education consists in drawing the best out of yourself. What better book can there be than the book of humanity?’ Education is a silent and peaceful weapon that can bring success without harm. The power of education, knowledge, and ideas is more influential and enduring than the force or violence the sword represents.

Education empowers us by providing specialized knowledge, relevant skills, and critical thinking abilities. We are more likely to engage in constructive and positive activities when we understand things in our ways. Education can tell us what is important and what is not to live a successful and peaceful life. It shows the difference between love and hate.

A society needs to have an educated populace so that people are informed and engaged in civic activities. Informed citizens contribute to the democratic process and are better equipped to address societal issues peacefully. Countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, etc. have the largest number of educated people. This is why these countries are consecutively on top of the Literacy and Human Development Index charts.

Education Leads to Success

By becoming knowledgeable and developing skills, we can deal with real-world situations. Dealing with challenges is part of life and growth. The more challenges we face, the stronger our cognitive and creative thinking develops. For example, when we prepare for an exam, we are told to solve sample papers, mock tests and previous year’s exam papers to adapt to the exam environment better. By doing so, we have already experienced the examination feeling and know we are stronger and more intelligent than before.

Education offers us career opportunities. An educated person is more likely to get better job offers than someone who is not educated. For someone who is looking for specialised and higher-paying jobs, higher levels of education can help them achieve success.

Education Helps in Sustainable Development

Modern problems require modern solutions. Today, there are several global crises like climate change, pollution, health and safety issues, poverty and unemployment, biodiversity loss, terrorism, etc. It is very important to overcome these and many other global problems to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). Education is the only way that can help us achieve sustainable development goals.

Education makes us aware of regional and global issues and with enhanced knowledge, we will be able to come up with better and environmentally friendly solutions.

Education Can Create a Better World

Education has the power to change the world and make it a better and safer place for every living being. With improved knowledge, skills and social abilities, we can make informed decisions, participate actively in our communities, and contribute meaningfully to society.

Education is a key tool in the fight against poverty. It provides us with the skills needed for employment and economic participation, breaking the cycle of poverty across generations. A well-educated population is more likely to have access to better job opportunities and higher incomes.

A well-educated populace is very important for the smooth functioning of democratic societies. Education instils civic values, critical thinking, and a sense of responsibility, enabling us to actively participate in the democratic process and contribute to the development of just and accountable governments.

Education serves as a beacon of hope. It promises a better future. It is a fundamental entitlement for every human being on Earth, and to withhold this right is morally wrong. The absence of education in young people is a significant detriment to humanity. As the world faces new challenges, we need to understand those challenges and come up with sustained solutions to make this world a better place.

Essay on Importance of Education in 150 Words

Education plays an important in shaping a person’s future. It empowers our minds, nurtures critical thinking, and fosters a well-rounded perspective. The purpose of education is not limited to gaining knowledge and skills only. It equips us with essential skills for personal and societal development.

It is a catalyst for economic growth, breaking the shackles of poverty. Moreover, education promotes social equality, fostering inclusivity and understanding. In an interconnected world, educated citizens contribute to global harmony, innovation, and environmental sustainability.

Today, the Indian Government has made elementary education compulsory for children in the age group of 6 to 14 years. It means every parent or guardian has to provide elementary education to their children. There are public schools and public libraries available where these students can obtain free education with schemes like Mid-Day Meal, National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme, Skill Development Scheme, etc.

10 Lines to Add in Essay on the Importance of Education

Here are 10 lines to add to the essay on the importance of education.

1. Education is important to become successful in life.

2. Education can help bring peace and prosperity in life.

3. A well-educated population contributes to the overall progress and prosperity of a nation.

4. Education fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, essential for innovation.

5. It promotes social cohesion by fostering understanding, tolerance, and empathy among diverse groups.

6. Accessible education is a powerful tool for promoting equality and reducing societal disparities.

7. Informed and educated citizens are better equipped to participate in democratic processes.

8. Education enhances economic opportunities, leading to personal and collective financial stability.

9. Lifelong learning is important for adapting to technological advancements and evolving career landscapes.

10. Ultimately, education empowers individuals to contribute positively to their communities and the world at large.

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Essay on Importance of Education- FAQs

What is a short essay on education.

Education empowers us by providing specialised knowledge, relevant skills, and critical thinking abilities. We are more likely to engage in constructive and positive activities when we understand things in our ways. Education can tell us what is important and what is not to live a successful and peaceful life. It shows the difference between love and hate. A society needs to have an educated populace so that people are informed and engaged in civic activities. Informed citizens contribute to the democratic process and are better equipped to address societal issues through peaceful means.

Que. 2 What are some lines on education?

Education lays the foundation of a successful life. Education helps us understand the world around us. Education is the key to success. An educated person can adapt to the changing environment and can also influence the world around him with his intelligence and knowlege. Education makes us an intelligent and knowledgeable person. An educated person understand the world better than someone who is not educated. Education and literacy are not the same.

Que. 3 How can education help achieve sustainable development goals?

Accessible and quality education creates a skilled and knowledgeable population capable of addressing various challenges. Accessible and quality education fosters a skilled and knowledgeable population capable of addressing various challenges. Accessible and quality education fosters a skilled and knowledgeable population capable of addressing various challenges. Accessible and quality education fosters a skilled and knowledgeable population capable of addressing various challenges.

Que. 4 Can education lead to a successful life?

Education is considered as the key to successful. Through education, we develop critical thinking skills, allowing us to analyze situations, make informed decisions, and solve complex problems. Education opens doors to a wide range of career opportunities by providing the necessary qualifications and skills sought by employers in various industries. Personal growth is equally important to foster qualities like discipline, perseverance, and self-motivation, which are crucial for success.

Que. 5 How can education help eradicate poverty?

Education provides us with the necessary knowlegde and skills, which are applied to solve real life problems. Education can help eradicate poverty as people become knowleable and intelligent by stuyding. Knowlege and skills are important for us to escape poverty through better employment opportunities and economic participation.

This was all about an essay on education. We hope we were able to cover all the important points of this topic. For more information on such informative and creative essay topics, follow GeekforGeeks.

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Princeton sues Department of Education, alleging noncompliance with records request

Nassau Hall, the home of Princeton’s administration.

Louisa gheorghita / the daily princetonian.

On May 17, the University filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education (DoE), alleging that the federal agency had failed to disclose relevant information after the University made a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for records related to the DoE investigation into Princeton in 2020. Originally enacted in 1967, FOIA  compels federal agencies to disclose information upon request — with narrow exemptions.

The lawsuit not only implicated the DoE with a failure to “promptly make the requested records available to Princeton and the public,” but also contains a second count that alleges the DoE failed to “determine whether to comply with the request … within the statutorily prescribed time limit.” 

The Daily Princetonian reached out to both parties for comment. University Spokesperson Jennifer Morrill referred the ‘Prince’ to the filed complaint. At the time of publication, the DoE did not respond to the request. 

According to the complaint filing, the University sought documents related to an investigation brought against Princeton by the DoE in 2020. On Sept. 2, in the wake of a country-wide reckoning with systemic anti-Black racism, University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 published a letter to the campus community on racism at Princeton, writing that “[r]acism and the damage it does to people of color persist at Princeton” as well as that racist assumptions “remain embedded in structures of the University itself.” 

Soon afterward, the DoE, then spearheaded by Betsy DeVos, initiated a Title VI investigation into Princeton’s non-discrimination practices. In a letter sent on Sept. 16, then-Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education Robert King wrote that “[b]ased on its admitted racism,” the DoE believed that Princeton may have failed to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Based on the results, King continued, “the Secretary of Education may consider measures against Princeton … including an action to recover [federal] funds.”

On Feb. 4, 2021, Eisgruber announced that the DoE had dropped its investigation in January after months of prominent national debate over the investigation — including a condemnation of the investigation issued by over 90 university presidents in an open letter.

The complaint further claims that around Dec. 8, 2022, the University submitted a FOIA request seeking a variety of documents between Jan. 1, 2017, and Jan. 19, 2021. 

Among other materials, the University requested records and correspondences that referenced Eisgruber and race (or the related terms “racism”, “discrimination”, “equal opportunity”, or “diversity”), records relating to the decisions to open and close the investigation, and records on the DoE’s own policies created during the time period “concerning or related to race, discrimination, nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, speech, or the First Amendment.”

However, the lawsuit alleges that initial requests were unsuccessful, and follow-ups in separate occasions also did not yield documents, which was detailed in a series of exhibits attached to a motion for summary judgment filed by the University. Eventually, on Aug. 11, 2023, the University, “provide[d] the Department with a watermark draft of an earlier version of [the] Complaint.” This action allegedly prompted a series of exchanges which ended with DoE representatives verbally promising “to provide a response within one to two months.” However, the lawsuit claims that the records were still not provided, and after further attempts, the University eventually pursued legal action. Over three years have elapsed since the Department’s investigation was dropped.

The Trustees of Princeton University v. United States Department of Education is currently assigned to Hon. Dabney L. Friedrich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The University is represented by Daniel W. Wolff of Crowell & Moring LLP.

Christopher Bao is an assistant News editor and the accessibility director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

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