UNICEF: School Barred to Millions of Asian Children
December 10, 1998 - 0:0
PARIS More than 50 million primary school age children in South Asia are denied access to even basic education, UNICEF reported Tuesday. Girls suffer far more than boys and almost two-thirds of the region's women are illiterate, the United Nations Children's Fund said in its report the state of the world's children 1999". Primary school enrollment has risen from 60 percent in 1970 to almost 70 percent today.
The report found significant variations, however, between countries and between urban and rural areas. In India, 80 percent of children in urban areas attend school, while in rural areas the rate is just 60 percent. Regional politics and customs play a significant role in school attendance. In the southern Indian state of Kerala, for example, nine out of ten primary school age children are in education, while in rural Bihar the figure is just 20 percent.
Nearly two-thirds of South Asian women are illiterate compared with about one-third of men. Discrimination is most severe in war-torn Afghanistan, where the Islamic Taleban authorities have barred girls from school. In Bangladesh, in contrast, three-quarters of children attend school, the rates being similar for boys and girls. The report also warned that 40 percent of children quit school before reaching the higher grades the highest rate for any region in the world.
Almost half the region's people live in severe poverty, earning less than $1 a day, the report said, while child labor remains a persistent problem in promoting greater access to education. Pupil-teacher ratios are high in some countries. In India the average figure is 60 children to one adult. The report also said teacher training needed upgrading, with rural schools offering poor quality education.
Meanwhile, in East Asia and the Pacific region school enrollment is high and several countries have achieved or are close to achieving universal primary school education, the report said. However in both Cambodia and Myanmar there are wide regional variations, up to 40 percent, in school attendance. In Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos girls are more likely to be discriminated against, while in Mongolia school attendance rates are lower for boys.
The report warned that the regional economic crisis is expected to effect girls more than boys as cash-strapped families favor the education of sons. The gender gap widens for girls in secondary school and nearly a quarter of the region's women are illiterate, compared with one in ten men. Several countries are on track to reach the goal of 80 percent of primary school entrants reaching grade five, among them China, Fiji and several other Pacific island countries, the report said.
However, it said Cambodia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam had problems with early drop-outs. Economic and climatic crises threaten education gains in several countries Indonesia, Mongolia and Thailand with poor families unable to pay for their children's education, it said. Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam were struggling with legacies of years of conflict and persistent poverty, the report said. The report also highlights key initiatives helping to boost education in the region.
In Bombay, the Pratham Mumbai education initiative a partnership of educators, community groups, corporate sponsors and government officials has created 1,600 pre-schools and helped revamp more than 1,200 primary schools. In Pakistan, the northern areas education project is bidding to improve the quality of education by training hundreds of teachers and establishing pilot schools. (AFP)
The report found significant variations, however, between countries and between urban and rural areas. In India, 80 percent of children in urban areas attend school, while in rural areas the rate is just 60 percent. Regional politics and customs play a significant role in school attendance. In the southern Indian state of Kerala, for example, nine out of ten primary school age children are in education, while in rural Bihar the figure is just 20 percent.
Nearly two-thirds of South Asian women are illiterate compared with about one-third of men. Discrimination is most severe in war-torn Afghanistan, where the Islamic Taleban authorities have barred girls from school. In Bangladesh, in contrast, three-quarters of children attend school, the rates being similar for boys and girls. The report also warned that 40 percent of children quit school before reaching the higher grades the highest rate for any region in the world.
Almost half the region's people live in severe poverty, earning less than $1 a day, the report said, while child labor remains a persistent problem in promoting greater access to education. Pupil-teacher ratios are high in some countries. In India the average figure is 60 children to one adult. The report also said teacher training needed upgrading, with rural schools offering poor quality education.
Meanwhile, in East Asia and the Pacific region school enrollment is high and several countries have achieved or are close to achieving universal primary school education, the report said. However in both Cambodia and Myanmar there are wide regional variations, up to 40 percent, in school attendance. In Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos girls are more likely to be discriminated against, while in Mongolia school attendance rates are lower for boys.
The report warned that the regional economic crisis is expected to effect girls more than boys as cash-strapped families favor the education of sons. The gender gap widens for girls in secondary school and nearly a quarter of the region's women are illiterate, compared with one in ten men. Several countries are on track to reach the goal of 80 percent of primary school entrants reaching grade five, among them China, Fiji and several other Pacific island countries, the report said.
However, it said Cambodia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam had problems with early drop-outs. Economic and climatic crises threaten education gains in several countries Indonesia, Mongolia and Thailand with poor families unable to pay for their children's education, it said. Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam were struggling with legacies of years of conflict and persistent poverty, the report said. The report also highlights key initiatives helping to boost education in the region.
In Bombay, the Pratham Mumbai education initiative a partnership of educators, community groups, corporate sponsors and government officials has created 1,600 pre-schools and helped revamp more than 1,200 primary schools. In Pakistan, the northern areas education project is bidding to improve the quality of education by training hundreds of teachers and establishing pilot schools. (AFP)