International Day of Education2026 · Date · History · Messages · Quotes
A/RES/73/25
About International Day of Education
International Day of Education is a United Nations observance on 24 January celebrating the role of education in peace and development. UNESCO leads the international education work associated with the day.
Its framing treats education as a human right, a public good and a public responsibility. That makes the observance suitable for examining not only access to schooling but also quality, inclusion, lifelong learning and participation in decisions about education.
Why International Day of Education matters
Education affects many other development goals: opportunity, health, equality, civic participation and the ability of communities to adapt to change. The day provides a recurring point for connecting those larger outcomes to practical education policy and experience.
Useful activities should include learners’ perspectives rather than speaking only about them, especially when discussing barriers to access, quality or participation.
History of International Day of Education
On 3 December 2018, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 73/25 proclaiming 24 January as the International Day of Education.
The proclamation recognized education’s role in peace and development and reinforced international commitments to inclusive, equitable quality education and lifelong learning.
The first International Day of Education was observed on 24 January 2019. UNESCO records that Nigeria spearheaded the General Assembly resolution establishing the day.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Nigeria
UNESCO records that Nigeria spearheaded the General Assembly resolution establishing the International Day of Education.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution 73/25
First documented observance
UNESCO identifies 24 January 2019 as the first-ever International Day of Education.
UNESCO
UNESCO leads major International Day of Education programming and official resources.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
3 fields not established in reviewed sources
How to Observe International Day of Education
Ask learners to identify one change that would make education more accessible, inclusive or effective, then present the findings to decision-makers.
Hold a reading, mentoring or skills-sharing activity tied to a real local learning need.
Audit an education resource for accessibility, language, disability inclusion or affordability barriers.
Use UNESCO or another authoritative education source to discuss one major challenge without turning global statistics into context-free slogans.
Recognize educators and learners while also examining the systems and resources needed for good education.
International Day of Education Facts
International Day of Education is observed on 24 January.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed the day in 2018 through resolution 73/25.
The observance explicitly links education with peace and development.
UNESCO describes education as a human right, a public good and a public responsibility.
The annual campaign theme may change and should be refreshed separately from the permanent guide.
For International Day of Education, the first International Day of Education was observed on 24 January 2019.
UNESCO records that Nigeria spearheaded the UN resolution establishing the day.
International Day of Education Messages
On International Day of Education, may awareness lead to informed discussion, practical action and respect for the communities at the heart of the observance.
May International Day of Education encourage thoughtful participation, shared responsibility and action that continues after the observance ends.
Wishing everyone observing International Day of Education a day of reflection, constructive dialogue and purposeful follow-through.
International Day of Education Quotes
“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
UNESCO — first-ever International Day of Education, 24 January 2019 (opens in a new tab)
UNESCO — Nigeria spearheaded the resolution establishing the day (opens in a new tab)
UNESCO — UN General Assembly proclaims 24 January International Day of Education (opens in a new tab)
unesco.org — authoritative source (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/73/25 action note 3 December 2018 (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day of Education?
24 January The documented recurrence rule is: 24 January.
Does International Day of Education fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is International Day of Education an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: United Nations / UNESCO international observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Day of Education?
The reviewed sources identify United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Nigeria. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as UNESCO.
Is International Day of Education international or country-specific?
The documented scope is international or global: United Nations / UNESCO international observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-05.
When was International Day of Education created?
The UN General Assembly proclaimed it in December 2018 through resolution 73/25.
Why is education connected with peace and development?
The UN proclamation recognizes education as foundational to inclusive societies, opportunity and wider sustainable-development goals.
Who leads the international observance?
UNESCO is the principal UN agency associated with education and leads major International Day of Education programming and resources.
How this differs from closely related observances
These distinctions use the cited evidence to clarify scope without treating related observances as identical.
Is International Day of Education the same as World Science Day for Peace and Development?
International Day of Education has a broad education-rights focus. World Science Day specifically examines science, society, cooperation, peace and development.
Open World Science Day for Peace and Development →Distinction sources
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