Which country educates its children best?

The Global Story

Every few years governments around the world compete in global rankings to see which nation is deemed to have the best school system in the world. Schools in Asia often get the best results, and other countries like Estonia and Canada are also highly praised.

But in many parts of the world there are often huge barriers to getting children into the classroom at all - such as poverty, climate change and war.

On today's episode, Lucy Hockings speaks to the BBC's Sean Coughlan and Professor John Jerrim from University College London about which countries have the most successful education systems in the world and what others can learn from them.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory.

Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts and Eleanor Sly

Sound engineers: Mike Regaard and Ben Andrews

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Hosts & Guests

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada