The number of children and young people out of school worldwide has climbed to 273 million, the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has said.

UNESCO, in the 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM), stated that the number of out of school children and young people has climbed for the seventh consecutive year.

The report finds that one in six school-age children are excluded from education, while only two in three complete secondary school.

Progress has also slowed across most regions since 2015, with conflict and population growth among the main drivers.

“Progress in keeping children in school has slowed across almost every region,” the report notes, with sub-Saharan Africa particularly affected.

In conflict zones, the situation is even more acute, with millions more children out of school than official figures capture.

In spite of these setbacks, UNESCO highlighted significant gains over the past two decades.

Global enrolment has risen sharply, with “more than 25 additional children accessing school every minute” since the year 2000.

The report also finds some countries have made remarkable progress, slashing out-of-school rates and expanding access to all levels of education.

However, the report cautions that no single policy can tackle exclusion.

It urged tailored approaches and sustained investment to ensure all children can learn.

A judge in Brazil has ruled that jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro can be placed under house arrest for the next three months because of poor health.

Bolsonaro, 71, was taken two weeks ago from his cell to a private clinic, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia and treated in an intensive care unit.

He has since been discharged from intensive care but his lawyers have argued that his recurrent health problems, many of which stem from a knife attack he suffered in 2018, warrant him being granted house arrest for humanitarian reasons.

Bolsonaro, who governed from January 2019 to December 2022, was sentenced to 27 years in jail for leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power.

Previous requests by his lawyers to allow him to serve his sentence in the confines of his home were rejected.

But on Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes granted the request for an initial period of 90 days from the day of his discharge from hospital.

Moraes said that after that period, Bolsonaro’s situation would have to be re-assessed.

The judge, who also presided over the court case in which Bolsonaro was found guilty, also ordered that the former president wear an ankle monitor.

After he was convicted in September, Bolsonaro spent some time under house arrest while his lawyers appealed against his sentence.

But in November he was moved into a police cell after he tried to remove his ankle monitor with a soldering iron.

He later blamed the incident on “paranoia” induced by the medication he was taking.

Judge Moraes ruled at the time that Bolsonaro was a flight risk and ordered his arrest.

In Tuesday’s ruling, the judge laid down strict rules by which Bolsonaro must abide while he is serving his sentence at home.

He will not be allowed to use a phone or social media and the only visits he can receive are those by his family, lawyers and medical personnel – which will be restricted to limited periods.

Since being jailed, Jair Bolsonaro – who is banned from running for public office after being convicted – has backed his son Flávio as his preferred candidate for the presidential election in October.

The 44-year-old senator has been gaining ground in opinion polls, with one recent survey suggesting he is neck to neck with the incumbent, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, should the election go to a run-off.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations (UN) have reaffirmed shared commitment to enhancing peace, security and stability in West Africa through strategic collaborative efforts.

ECOWAS President, Dr. Omar Touray, and UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Simão, made the pledge during Simão’s courtesy visit to Touray in Abuja.

The meeting was a strategic high-level consultation between them aimed at deepening collaboration toward achieving regional peace and security amid escalating regional conflicts.

Touray described ECOWAS as the central platform for regional dialogue, coordination and collective engagement, adding that the consultation focused on the evolving political and security landscape across the sub-region.

He also underscored the importance of sustained dialogue, preventive diplomacy and strategic alignment between regional and international partners.

“We are at a critical juncture, where sustained institutional leadership and calibrated responses remain essential to navigating ongoing transitions and emerging challenges in West Africa and the Sahel.

“This exchange reflects a shared commitment to coherence, trust and strengthened coordination, with particular emphasis on reinforcing African-led approaches, avoiding fragmented initiatives and preserving functional cooperation among Member States,” he said.

Earlier, Simão reaffirmed the value of close ECOWAS–UNOWAS collaboration in advancing peace, security and stability in West Africa and the Sahel.

He emphasised the need to chat credible pathways toward enduring political solutions within a “measured, coordinated and responsive framework,” in accordance with regional priorities.