Education inequalities becoming 'great divider': UN Chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Monday that inequalities in education access and quality worldwide are rapidly becoming the "great divider."

Roughly 70% of 10 year-olds in poorer nations are unable to read basic texts, and in developed countries "education systems often entrench rather than reduce inequality, reproducing it across generations," the UN chief said at an education summit at the UN's New York headquarters.

"The rich have access to the best resources, schools and universities, leading to the best jobs while the poor, especially girls, face huge obstacles to getting the qualifications that could change their lives," he said.

"Too often curricula are outdated and narrow, education systems take little account of lifelong learning, and teachers are under-trained, under-valued and under-paid," he added.

Guterres said that the crisis will not be resolved by maintaining the status quo, calling for transformation of education systems across the globe, and urging world leaders assembled for the 77th UN General Assembly to take heed of his warning.

"Let us ensure that the students of today and future generations will be able to access the education that they need in order to create a more sustainable and more inclusive, just and peaceful world for everyone, for girls and boys," he said.