When I visited the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan earlier this year, I met with children who told me what education means to them. For Syrian youths who have been forced from their homes and have lost everything, education is about more than qualifications or test scores; it embodies their hope for the future.
Millions of children around the world, like those in Zaatari, are central to the work of the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, which I joined last September. This commission is committed to the fourth U.N. Sustainable Development Goal, which aims by 2030 to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all."
This goal is still a distant prospect for far too many children. With so many development issues demanding our attention, policymakers should bear in mind that education is not just a good in itself; It is also a catalyst for many other development gains.