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A South African boy in fourth grade at Putumua Junior Secondary school Picture: Eva-Lotta Jansson/EFAReport

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The global goals agreed by world leaders are clear Â鶹APP“ every child in the world should get a free, quality education by the year 2030.

But a huge lack of funding could mean that all girls and boys will not go toÌýprimary school until 2042 and lower secondary until 2059.

And full secondary education for all will not be achieved until 2084 Â鶹APP“ more than 50 years late Â鶹APP“ according to a devastating report today by the United Nations agency UNESCO.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) came into force this year and include the target of quality education for all at every age level by 2030.

But funding would need to beÌýSIX TIMES higher than it currently isÌýto achieve that goal, says the .

In the foreword, renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs said: Â鶹APPœThis report should set off alarm bells around the world and lead to a historic scale-up of actions to achieve (this goal).Â鶹APP�

Â鶹APPœThe gaps in educational attainment between rich and poor,Ìýwithin and between countries, are simply appalling.Â鶹APP�

Indonesian children from Palau Papan island cross a bridge to go to school each day

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Among the findings in the report are:

• On current trends only 70% of children in low-income countries will complete primary school in 2030, a goal that should have been achieved in 2015
• 40% of the worldÂ鶹APP™s children are taught in a language they donÂ鶹APP™t understand
• 60 million people could be lifted out of poverty if all children had an upper secondary education by 2030
• 3.5 million child deaths could be prevented in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 if mothers were educated to lower secondary level
• Almost 30% of children from the poorest families in low-income countries have never been to school
• Conflict is one of the biggest barriers to education, keeping more than 36 million children out of school
• Even at the fastest rate of progress seen in the regions,Ìýone in 10 countries in Europe and Northern America would not achieve universal upper secondary completion by 2030

The 2016 GEM report is the first in a 15-year series. Its introduction says: Â鶹APPœEducation will not deliver its full potential to catapult the world forward unless participation rates dramatically improve, learning becomes a lifelong pursuit and education systems full embrace sustainable development.Â鶹APP�

UNESCO said education is key to all of the 17 SDGs Â鶹APP“ including increased prosperity, better agriculture and health, less violence and greater gender equality.

There is a special youth version of the report Â鶹APP“

Director-General Irina Bokova said: Â鶹APPœA fundamental change is needed in the way we think about educationÂ鶹APP™s role in global development, because it has a catalytic impact on the well-being of individuals and the future of our planet.

Â鶹APPœNow, more than ever, education has a responsibility to beÌýin gear with 21st-century challenges and aspirations, and foster the right types of values and skills that will lead to sustainable and inclusive growth and peaceful living together.Â鶹APP�

At the launch of the report in London today, Bokova mentioned the global ,Ìýwhich will deliver its findings on September 18.

Launched a year ago,Ìýthe commissionÂ鶹APP™s remit is to examine how to reverse the lack of financing for education around the world. It is chaired by Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, and features 20 former and current world leaders.

It follows the launch in May of the to help children affected by humanitarian emergencies such as wars and natural disasters. The fund aims to reach more than 13.6 million children and youth living in crisis situations with quality education over the next five years and 75 million by 2030.

Bokova said: Â鶹APPœI am convinced we need this kind of intervention. This is the case we are also making with the Education Commission.Â鶹APP�