Educating all children presents a significant challenge due to the large number of children who live in remote, rural areas of developing countries. High rates of poverty in rural areas limit educational opportunities because of demands for children’s labour, low levels of parental education and lack of access to good quality schooling.

Based on household surveys in 80 developing countries, 30 per cent of rural children of primary-school age do not attend school, compared to 18 per cent in urban areas. And because rural areas have larger populations of children, they account for 82 per cent of children who are not in school in developing countries.