Sustainable Development Goal 4 calls for the provision of inclusive and equitable quality education for all by 2030. Despite that commitment, 263 million children and young people are still out of school and, after a decade of progress, the number of primary-aged children not in school is going up, rather than down. According to the global initiative Education Commission, if current trends continue, only 1 in 10 children in low-income countries will be on track to acquire basic secondary-level skills by 2030. We asked several education experts why the number of primary-aged children not in school is going up and what the international community can do to counteract this.
Why is the number of primary-aged children not in school going up?
“If talking about Kenya for example, with only 10 years to 2030 the country has a lot to do in order to achieve this goal. Firstly, very few primary schools were added after the introduction of free primary education. Only a few teachers are employed, classes are congested and the concentration of students is low, affecting the quality of education. Secondly, the population is growing exponentially putting more pressure on the few available primary schools. Thirdly, as the population of pupils grows the number of schools stays the same or increases at a very slow rate. Fourthly, there has been reluctance when it comes to enforcement and some parents still need to be educated and informed about the importance of education. Lastly, early pregnancies are another challenge facing the completion rate in primary schools”.
“Some of the reasons are a lack of quality in education because of such factors as overcrowded classes; unhelpful conditions at home for studying (insufficient space/high household population); children being forced to work part-time or full-time; children being asked to look after other disabled/children/seniors in the house or having to do housework, a lack of books/school supplies/computer/internet access; and the perception of school as a source of expenditure because of some school managements’ demands in the name of “contributions”.
“Many reasons explain this – high population growth rates in the region; girls are more likely to remain excluded from education while out-of-school boys stand a greater chance of eventually entering school; child marriage; poor sanitation, unavailability of sanitary disposal facilities and water shortages; natural disasters; many children are taught outdoors when the weather permits; children living in war zones (the case of South Sudan); few teachers; the expense of education; poverty”.
“In urban settings, 60% of the residents stay in informal settlements without proper government amenities – water, electricity, schools and hospitals. For primary-aged children, the nearest government public schools may be a few kilometers away. They are few in number and the children are afraid to walk to schools for security reasons. Many opt to stay at home and engage in survival chores.”
„The stagnation in the enrolment figures suggests that the gains in access to education under the Education For All (EFA) agenda are being persistently eroded by high school dropout rate, particularly in disadvantaged sub-populations in the Global South. These children cannot remain in school because of multi-layered forms of structural inequality and vulnerability, such as being a girl, disabled, and poor”.
What can the international community do to counteract the decrease in children attending school?
“International assistance is needed in the form of funds and technical support in resource-starved countries. They need help to diagnose the problems and to design effective policies and strategies. Help is also needed in effective planning, managing implementation and monitoring progress. Both the in-school conditions and the non-school factors have to be identified in specific situations. Lessons can be drawn from good practices and examples from both other countries and within each country.”
“Social safety net support is needed to be linked with this poorest quintile family to subsidize the little income that they expect from the child for continuing education from grade 1 to 3. Under social safety net support, a women’s (mother’s) economic empowerment scheme is needed to be established so that mothers can earn some money and have a voice about child education. A different education curriculum for the poorest quintile population needs to be developed by mixing general education with technical education for grades 4 and 5”.
“Awareness of parents, communities and children should be raised regarding the benefits of starting school at the appropriate age; the importance of retention in and completing primary education; the need for strong community participation in developing education in their communities; emphasis on the long-term economic and social benefits of education for all, particularly girls. Also, to ensure inclusivity, the international community should assist with the building of systems and the capacity of education authorities to provide special education for children with special learning needs, working children and those affected by conflicts”.
Check all the available jobs in education on the DevelopmentAid platform here.
