Ms. Russell said: “With the learning of an entire generation of children at risk, this is not the time for empty promises. To transform education for every child, we need action and we need it now.”
A new report has revealed that boys are 1.3 times more likely to gain critical mathematical skills compared to girls.
UNICEF said that the reason for this is related to negative gender norms and stereotypes that generally portray girls as being less mathematically minded.
It’s believed these kinds of ideas are projected on girls from a young age and cause them to underestimate or doubt their abilities.
“Girls have an equal ability to learn mathematics as boys – what they lack is an equal opportunity to acquire these critical skills,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“We need to dispel the gender stereotypes and norms that hold girls back – and do more to help every child learn the foundational skills they need to succeed in school and in life.”
UNICEF mentioned that learning maths is critical for memory, comprehension, analysis and can strengthen job opportunities later in life.
Data was collected from over 100 countries around the world and while it was obvious that girls were lacking maths skills, it was suggested that children who have a lack of early childhood education will also fall behind.
In 34 low-middle income countries it was found that 75 per cent of school aged children are lacking foundational math skills.
For 79 middle-high income countries, a third of 15-year-old do not have the minimum proficiency for maths with UNICEF saying that wealth also has an impact on these figures.
“The report notes that schoolchildren from the richest households have 1.8 times the odds of acquiring numeracy skills by the time they reach fourth grade, than children from the poorest households.
“Children who attend early childhood education and care programmes have up to 2.8 times the odds of achieving minimum proficiency in mathematics by the age of 15 than those who do not.”
UNICEF said the pandemic has had a toll on education around the world.
