Proper education in childhood always sets the stage for success or failure in the future. However, one in four children under the age of five in the world suffers from malnutrition. These children often suffer from developmental disorders, which in turn diminish the chances of a good education. In addition, half of the preschoolers do not go to the nursery or similar facility; In sub-Saharan African countries, less than one in five children take advantage of early education.
Worldwide, some 57 million school-age children do not attend school. More than half of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa, and more than 20 percent in southern and western Asia. Fifty-four percent of children who do not attend school are girls.
Many boys and girls enrolled in school drop out early. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 56 percent of children complete a full primary education. In 2010, 69 million young people of secondary school age (10 to 16 years) did not attend high school, 774 million young people were over 15 years of age and were adults who could not read or write, and almost two thirds of them are women.
For socially disadvantaged groups, having access to education is especially difficult. Apart from girls, women and the poor, these groups include indigenous peoples, religious, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities, and people living in conflict regions are also at a great disadvantage.
There are some characteristics that sub-Saharan African countries do not meet
- Education objectives are not achieved:
In 2000, at the World Forum on Education in Dakar, the international community adopted education for all as a Global Plan of Action . 2015 was set as the deadline to achieve the objectives, the same date as for the Millennium Development Goals launched in the same year.
Despite the significant progress made in some countries, the overall forecast in the EPT Monitoring Report 2013/14 was not rosy: With the deadline for Education for all, it is clear that despite the progress made During the past decade, the global targets for 2015 were not achieved .
If the current trend continues, the goal of universal primary education will continue to suffer in these countries than the initial educational crisis. Although the number of school-age children who do not attend school fell between 1999 and 2011, from 108, 000, 000 to 57, 000, 000, this being a great step forward, it must be recognized that the pace of progress has become extremely slow.
In fact, almost no progress was made at all between 2008 and 2011, according to the EFA Monitoring Report, the funding deficit to achieve a good quality basic education for all in 2015 has reached 26 billion dollars from the USA year.
- Cost of school attendance:
Many people in developing countries cannot afford the cost of tuition fees, books, teaching materials, school uniforms or transportation to school. As a result, her children do not go to school or drop her out . In countries where tuition fees have been abolished, tuition fees have increased significantly.
Many families depend on the income and contributions of their children . The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that some 215 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 have to work, so they often do not have time to attend school.
- Budget deficits:
Universal compulsory education remains difficult to achieve in many countries because the necessary financial resources are not available. In most developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, education budgets meet the needs. High national deficits are an additional limitation.
According to the Global Monitoring Report, the world's governments spend an average of 5.1 percent of gross national product (GNP) on education. In the United States and Western Europe that figure is 6.2 percent. While the investment of some states in education is even higher than 8 percent of GDP, some developing countries barely make up 3 percent.
If the education system is maintained at that rate with the rapid growth in the number of school-age children in developing countries, the investment will have to be substantially greater than it is now. Certainly, the poorest developing countries will not be able to raise that money themselves. Bad governance, high staff turnover, corruption, lack of organizational capacity and bad management are other obstacles to the universal provision of an education Quality .
- Poor quality teaching:
The quality of teaching in many of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa is poor. Even children who have completed primary school may lack the basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills . Curricula often lack clear objectives, are overloaded with subjects, do not meet the learning needs of elementary school students, ignore cultural and regional factors, and are based on of distorted or stereotyped images of male and female social roles.
Other problems that arise frequently, are a failure to bring the teaching times and curricula in line with the daily lives of children, and the outdated teaching methods . Group work, independent learning, critical thinking and problem solving, the use of new technologies and the development of life skills tend to be neglected.
As a result, young people lack the crucial knowledge and skills that then give them the confidence to make their way into the labor market.
- Lack of schools and teaching staff:
Not only rural regions, but also many urban poor districts lack a wide network of primary schools. Children from rural regions can walk long distances to school . In addition, many girls are not allowed to attend schools some distance because their parents are concerned about their safety.
The working conditions of teachers in developing countries are often too intense: many teachers have to teach two or three shifts a day, with large classes and in bad pay. Many schools are poorly equipped and have no funds to cover overhead costs such as water, electricity or children's transportation .
Teachers can also be poorly trained and prepared for their work. The low esteem in which the profession is celebrated and the remote location of many schools do not make teaching an attractive profession.
- The lack of post-primary education
The increase in enrollment rates and the increasing number of children who finish primary school in developing countries is leading to the need to create opportunities for post-primary education and vocational training. The opportunities available are not yet adequate. In many cases, they are not oriented to the needs of the economy, nor do they meet the needs of young people.
Vocational training systems are rudimentary in many countries . General education is too theoretical and not based on the needs of the labor market. Universities and schools in developing countries are poorly equipped with material and financially, and few of them are able to carry out their teaching mission and adequate research.
AUTHOR: JoT333, editor of the great family of hermandadblanca.org
