Imagine a textbook written in an indecipherable language, or a blackboard without chalk. Imagine a class being held in a loud concert hall, or a child trying to do homework in the midst of a hurricane. Clearly, when key components of the learning process and context are lacking, education itself is doomed to fail.

Indeed, access to education of poor quality is tantamount to no education at all. There is little point in providing the opportunity for a child to enrol in school if the quality of the education is so poor that the child will not become literate or numerate, or will fail to acquire critical life skills.

Quality education, which is essential to real learning and human development, is influenced by factors both inside and outside the classroom, from the availability of proper supplies to the nature of a child’s home environment. In addition to enabling the transfer of knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in a profession and break the cycle of poverty, quality plays a critical role in closing the gender gap in basic education.