The United Nations has declared that education is a human right and a public responsibility. It has set January 24 as the International Day of Education, as a day to celebrate the role of education in creating and maintaining global peace and development. It is education that will create a society that is inclusive and that provides quality education for all youth and lifelong learning for all people. It is estimated that in 2023, 258 million children and youth still do not attend school; 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school. Some four million children and youth refugees are out of school because they are denied this right.
Mother Theresa, Mother Caroline, and the SSNDs who followed in their steps realized the importance of education in all of its forms and continue to find ways to be educated individuals to the fullness of their potential.