This document analyses the extreme educational inequality existing in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is one of the main obstacles to inclusive social development. The region is faced with a dual challenge in the form of gaps in access to education combined with a profound learning crisis. In order to address this problem, the use of a bidimensional index of inequality of opportunity in education for assessing both of these dimensions simultaneously is proposed as a tool for guiding comprehensive public policies.

The results show that the bidimensional index for the region is far higher than it is for OECD member countries. This reflects the region’s larger gaps in coverage and its high degree of inequality in learning opportunities, which are closely associated with household cultural capital and wealth. The situations in Chile and Peru are examined in greater detail, as these countries have succeeded in implementing structural reforms over the last decade that have been effective in reducing inequality of opportunity in education.

The study concludes with recommendations for strengthening the role of education as a driver of social mobility by placing priority on investment in early childhood education, completion of secondary education, inclusion of underprivileged groups, strengthening of the teaching profession, skills development in the curriculum, and the financial sustainability and institutional strengthening of the region’s education systems.