Updated August 6, 2025.

Children living in poverty face many barriers to accessing education. Some barriers are obvious — like lack of  schools — while others are more subtle, such as teachers lacking  training to support student learning. 

Increasing access to education is a powerful way to lift people out of poverty, grow economies, and even build climate resilience. Yet in many countries, education remains out of reach — especially for the most vulnerable children, including girls, children with disabilities, and those living in conflict zones.

That’s why many global programs aim to overcome these barriers to education for children all over the world. Organizations like Education Cannot Wait, the Global Partnership for Education, and Room to Read lead this work. And now, Global Citizen and FIFA have partnered to launch the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund to raise $100 million to be distributed to grassroots organization efforts.

Here are 12 major challenges the world must address to ensure every child can access their right to quality education.

1. Lack of Funding 

Without adequate funding, education systems cannot provide the infrastructure, staff, or materials needed to function effectively. Developing countries can’t rely solely on their own financing for education — there’s also a need for more foreign aid. Currently, only 20% of global education aid goes to low-income countries. 

Cuts to education aid, especially for foundational reading and math for young children, can reduce the future earning potential and development of children from low-income countries. In these countries, aid accounts for an average of 17% of public education spending and in some cases even half of national education budgets. However, global aid for education is projected to fall by a quarter by 2027, severely impacting educational outcomes in countries that rely heavily on foreign aid.

2. Shortage of Capable Teachers

Even when schools exist, they need trained, motivated teachers to deliver quality education — but many countries face a severe shortage. Teacher effectiveness has been found to be the most important predictor of student learning. However, there is a global shortage of trained teachers. 

As a result, globally, 250 million children are failing to acquire basic literacy skills. After the pandemic, 70% of primary-age children in low- and middle-income countries could not read and comprehend simple writing. 

Globally, 44 million new teachers are required to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected by this crisis, requiring an estimated 15 million new teachers by 2030.

3. No Proper Classrooms

A safe, supportive classroom environment is essential for learning. In many places children are learning outside, or are squeezed into overcrowded classrooms or classrooms that are falling apart.

In Zambia, for example, where free primary and secondary education has been implemented since 2021, 2 million more children now attend school. However, a lack of infrastructure and resources has led to overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of desks, threatening the quality of education. Classes that started with 40 students in 2019 now have more than 100 students.

Additionally, schools can lack the basic facilities, like running water and toilets. Lack of sanitary facilities means students — especially those who menstruate — cannot attend.

4. Not Enough Learning Materials

Without textbooks, school supplies, and learning tools, children struggle to keep up, while teachers need these supplies to prepare for lessons. In some places, outdated and worn-out textbooks are often shared by multiple students.

Targeted programs can change the availability of textbooks in the classroom and increase a child’s ability to learn. Cameroon and the World Bank together improved access to textbooks, which has resulted in one French, English, and Math textbook for every two students, with a goal of decreasing this to a set of books for every student by 2026.

5. Exclusion of Children With Disabilities

Although education is a universal human right, being denied access to school is common for the world’s 240 million children who have disabilities. 

Students with disabilities have lower attendance rates and are more likely to be out of school or leave school before completing primary education. 

A combination of discrimination, lack of training in inclusive education methods among teachers, and inaccessible schools for children with physical disabilities leave this group uniquely vulnerable to being denied their right to education. 

6. Being the ‘Wrong’ Gender

Put simply, gender remains a key barrier to education in many parts of the world. Despite recent progress, young women in certain areas of the world often aren’t enrolled in school at the same rates as young men. 

In other areas like Afghanistan, 1.4 million girls and young women have been banned and denied  from accessing secondary and higher education since the Taliban took power in the country in August 2021. 

Keeping girls in school benefits them and their families, but poverty forces many families to choose which of their children to send to school. Girls can miss out due to a cultural belief that there is less value in educating a girl than a boy. Instead, they could be sent to work, or made to stay at home to look after siblings and take care of household chores. 

Child marriage is another contributing factor, with one in five girls marrying before 18 — often ending their schooling.

7. Living in Conflict or in an Area At Risk of Conflict

In areas affected by crisis or instability, education is often interrupted, delayed, or abandoned altogether — leaving children without safety or structure. Over 473 million children, more than one in six worldwide, live in countries affected by conflict. The percentage of children living in global conflict zones has doubled, increasing from around 10% in the 1990s to almost 19% in 2024.

Conflict disrupts education by destroying schools and infrastructure, disrupting learning continuity, and increasing the children’s need for psychosocial support. 

In regions where schools are closed, occupied, or destroyed, children can also be more vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups, physical violence, and sexual exploitation.

Currently, only around 3% of global humanitarian assistance has been allocated to education. Without support, conflict-affected children lose out on the chance to reach their full potential and help rebuild their communities.

8. Distance From Home to School

When schools are far away, children face long, sometimes dangerous journeys that discourage attendance. For many children around the world, a walk to school of up to three hours in each direction is not uncommon. This is too much for many children, particularly children living with a disability, those suffering from malnutrition or illness, or those who are required to work around the household. Imagine having to set off for school, hungry, at 5 a.m. every day, not to return until 7 p.m. Many children, especially girls, are also vulnerable to violence on their long and hazardous journeys to and from school.

9. Hunger and Poor Nutrition

A child who is hungry cannot focus. Malnutrition undermines cognitive development and attendance, making it hard to stay in school. And we know, good nutrition is a foundation for effective learning. 

Children who don’t have enough to eat can have trouble focusing in school, and can suffer from developmental delays.

One way to support children and improve their academic performance is by providing nutritious meals at school. These programs can help keep children enrolled in school and improve their ability to concentrate on their studies. 

10. The Expense of Education

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes clear that every child has the right to a free basic education — so that poverty and lack of money should not be a barrier to schooling. In many developing countries, over the last several decades, governments have announced the abolition of school fees and as a result, they have seen impressive increases in the number of children going to school. 

For families living on less than $2 a day, even minimal school costs can be a barrier. Without financial support, children from these households are forced to drop out of school, stay home and take up chores or work to support their families. 

In many low-income countries, even when tuition is free, the additional costs of essential items like uniforms, books, supplies, exam fees and transportation prevent children from attending school. As a result children from the poorest households are up to four times more likely to be out of school compared to those from high-income households. 

11. Period Poverty

Menstrual stigma, a lack of products, and inadequate sanitation prevent many girls from attending school each month — setting back their learning. More than 500 million people globally lack access to menstrual products and adequate hygiene facilities.  

Period poverty means lacking access to affordable menstrual products, safe sanitation, and education related to menstrual health management. This affects women, girls and people who menstruate all over the world. A combination of shame, limited access to sanitary products and not having access to safely managed toilets keeps many girls away from school when they start their period. 

12. Climate Crisis 

Climate change poses a huge threat to children’s education by causing school closures, displacing communities and putting pressure on resources. This ultimately disrupts learning and reduces educational achievement.

In 2024, around 242 million students globally from 85 countries had their learning  disrupted by extreme climate events, including heat waves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods, and droughts. About 74% of the 242 million affected students came from low- and lower middle-income countries.

Moreover, rising temperatures, storms, floods, and other climate hazards can damage school infrastructure and supplies, hinder routes to school, lead to unsafe learning conditions, and impact students’ concentration, memory, and mental and physical health. 

Every child deserves the chance to learn. But without urgent action, barriers like poverty, displacement, and inequality will continue to block access to education. Removing those barriers isn’t charity — it’s how we build a more equal and sustainable world.