This report has been prepared by ADRA International on behalf of the Adventist Church as part of Every child. Everywhere. In School. Focused on ensuring every child, everywhere, attends school and completes their education so they can fulfill their God-given potential, it is a global, Adventist led movement.

With 20 million members globally, and the second largest private education system in the world, ADRA believes the Adventist Church has both the unique opportunity, as well as the moral responsibility, to spur progress on towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) and ensure that every child receives a quality education. We recognize our significant place in the global education system, along with our capacity to influence positive change.

Respectively, faith-based education accounts for 14% and 11% of primary and secondary education across Sub-Saharan Africa. And faith-based schools report higher parent satisfaction than their public-school counterparts. Not only is this an important contribution to the quality education of children, everywhere, it also gives us valuable networks and insights which can be used to advocate for further progress and to enhance policy.

This report is divided into five sections — an executive summary and four thematic areas, including Financing Education; Inclusion in Education; Education Quality and Retention; and Education and Crisis. Each section outlines the major barriers to education within that thematic area, a range of the suggested solutions and concludes with a concise summary of those discussed solutions as recommendations for policy makers.