Vice-minister: China ready to share poverty alleviation experiences through education

China is willing to share its experience in poverty alleviation through education with the world and increase its support for developing countries, especially African countries, a senior education official said on Wednesday.

Tian Xuejun, vice-minister of education, said poverty is a common challenge facing mankind and increasing access to quality education is the key to eradicating poverty.

China has implemented targeted poverty alleviation plans, and the country considers education the fundamental way to prevent transmission of poverty between generations, Tian said at the International Symposium on the Roles of Education for Poverty Alleviation under the Framework of 2030 Agenda.

The country has offered great support in education development for impoverished regions, established a comprehensive financial aid system for students in need and promoted the development of vocational education and adult education, he said.

Firmin Matoko, Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations at UNESCO, said the fight against poverty has been the overarching goal of the global community for decades.

Education not only guarantees full employment at work, but also empowers youth women and the most vulnerable so no one is left behind, he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries. Closures of schools and all learning spaces have affected 94 percent of the students, almost all in low and lower-middle income countries, he said.

China can offer the world many lessons and solutions in this regard. In 2020, China won its battle against the poverty thanks to the rapid development of a quality education system, among other reasons, he said.

The impressive stories witnessed in China have proved to the world education and skills development are the foundation for fighting poverty education, he added.

Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, said there is powerful evidence for the transformational power of education. If only more young people completed secondary education, more than 400 million people could be lifted out of poverty, reducing the total number of poor people by more than half globally.

Education is a pillar of the response to crisis and can make our society better, more inclusive, prosperous, and resilient to future shocks, she said.

The world must seize the opportunity to make education transformative for every child, every youth, and every adult in the world, she added.