Bahá’í Sacred Writings, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, #415

Therefore, the beloved of the Lord and the handmaidens of the Merciful should, with all their heart and soul, educate children and instruct them in the school of virtue and perfection. Nor should they tolerate in this regard the least neglect or shortcoming. Surely it would be better if a child were deprived of life than to allow him to live in a state of ignorance, for that innocent child would otherwise fall prey to innumerable defects, be called to account and held responsible before God, and be despised and rejected by the people. What a grievous sin! What a dire error!

The first duty of the loved ones of God and the handmaidens of the Merciful is to strive by every possible means to educate all children, girls and boys alike. For the latter are even as the former; there is no difference whatsoever between them. The ignorance of either is blameworthy; the unawareness of either is reprehensible. “Are they equal, those who know and those who do not know?”