Education is not just a system. It’s our first line of defence.
This year’s theme is “The power of youth in co-creating education”. The International Day of Education 2026 will recognise youth and their role as agents of change in achieving inclusive and equitable quality education and building peaceful, just and inclusive societies.
Around the world, 272 million children and youth are still out of school.
But the deeper crisis is quieter: 7 in 10 ten-year-olds cannot read a simple text, even when they attend school.
Education today is shaped by forces not triggered by children: conflicts, poverty, climate disruption, displacement, digital exclusion. Nearly half of refugee children never enter a classroom, and millions cannot go to school every year due to extreme weather conditions.
And yet, education remains our most powerful tool to break the silos of vulnerability. One additional year of schooling increases lifetime earnings by ~9%, improves health outcomes, and strengthens entire communities.
This is why education must be treated as collective responsibility, not charity.
This is why corporate social responsibility must extend beyond funding, into long-term service, inclusion, and co-creation with youth people.
By supporting teachers, reaching out to vulnerable populations, and listening to young voices, we do more than educate. We restore opportunity and invest to dignity.
Education is not preparation for life.
It is protection, empowerment, and resilience.
That is why Evnia is committed to empowering the next generations through #STEM initiatives fostering #techinnovation and continuously supporting critical thinking and the elevation of human progress and educational leadership in an age of technological acceleration!
The International Day of Education will be celebrated through a hybrid event at UNESCO Headquarters on Friday 23 January 2026. On this occasion, UNESCO will release a new global measurement by the Global Education Monitoring Report assessing student and youth participation in education legislation and policymaking and introduce the new cohort of the SDG4 Youth & Student Network.
