Global Education

Without schooling, a child has no future. Without an educated population, a nation has no future. This two-part Wide Angle series examines gaps and voids in educational opportunities that, tragically, keep many developing countries from advancing. Following a group of children from around the world as they progress through life-and, on an uneven basis, through school-the series gets to the heart of this colossal yet not intractable socioeconomic problem. 2-part series, 57 and 87 minutes.

Over 100 million children worldwide have never spent a day in school. One in four does not complete even five years of basic education. Now, 182 nations have promised to provide access to free and compulsory education for every child in the world-by 2015. To test the reality of that sweeping commitment, this Wide Angle installment profiles children in Japan, Kenya, Benin, Brazil, Romania, Afghanistan, and India who have managed to enroll in the first year of primary school-in most cases despite great odds. Exploring cultural comparisons from viewpoints that are too often overlooked, this program offers an in-depth study of the lives of young people in widely differing circumstances, as each one takes a hopeful first step into an uncertain future. (57 minutes)

In 2003, the Wide Angle program Time for School profiled children in seven countries-Afghanistan, Benin, Brazil, India, Japan, Kenya, and Romania-as they started their first year of school, often in the face of great adversity. Three years later this Wide Angle episode returns to visit each child, updating the progress of their educational and personal development. The similarities and contrasts that emerge among the lives of these young people provide rich insight into the disparities of opportunity around the globe-underscoring the hard fact that more than 100 million children worldwide are growing up without schooling. This richly detailed documentary puts a human face on the global crisis in access to education. Additionally, anchor Daljit Dhaliwal discusses the state of global education with former National Economic Council director Gene Sperling. (87 minutes)