UNESCO Global Education Report 2025

Released by: UNESCO
Theme: “Leadership in Education – Lead for Learning”

The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report is UNESCO’s flagship annual study tracking progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) — Quality Education for All.
The 2025 edition focuses on the role of leadership at every level of education systems — from policymakers to school heads — in improving learning outcomes and equity.

Around 272 million children, adolescents, and youth worldwide remain out of school.
Strong and effective educational leadership is second only to teacher quality in influencing student achievement.
Leadership gaps persist — many schools lack trained principals and empowered local leaders.
The report highlights gender disparities in leadership roles and learning outcomes.
A special thematic edition, “Education and Nutrition: Learn to Eat Well,” underscores how nutrition and education outcomes are interlinked.

Invest in capacity building for school leaders and administrators.
Empower local schools with greater autonomy and community participation.
Strengthen data collection systems to monitor SDG 4 progress.
Integrate education with other sectors like health, nutrition, and social welfare for holistic development.
Prioritise equity and inclusion, ensuring marginalised groups are not left behind.

India has achieved near-universal enrolment but faces challenges in learning outcomes and leadership quality.
The report urges India to focus on training and empowering head teachers and to ensure strong leadership at every school level.
Aligns with India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 goals on leadership and institutional autonomy.

Reinforces that education leadership is key to achieving quality learning for all.
Calls for a shift from policy to effective implementation at grassroots level.

Publisher: UNESCO
Frequency: Annual
First Published: 2002 (as the EFA Global Monitoring Report)

Dhananand Publications LLP.