The number of children missing out on any schooling has increased by six million, bringing the total to 250 million, according to new figures released on Monday by the UN Education, Science, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
One of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals is universal access to primary education (age 7-14 years). Many positive strides have been taken, but there is still a long way to go.
Here are some things keeping children out of school:
1. Sickness – Children are often sick, and they miss school so frequently that it’s hard to keep up. Some children become too sick to attend school at all. In Uganda, malaria costs children an average of 42 days in school absences each year. When a parent, especially the mother, falls sick, an older female sibling will often be called upon to provide care.
2. Death of Parents – After the death of one or both parents, an older sibling often takes the role of a parent. Baby Finds Grace is children’s book used by our mental health teams to help children through grief and trauma.
3. Hunger at School – For many poor families, school is the only place where children can expect a good meal. Reliably providing good meals is one of the top ways schools keep students from dropping out.
4. Lack of School Fees – Even in nations with a public education program, households may still be responsible for many fees. When family resources are low, a family will have to choose one or two children to attend school while the others stay at home. Older children, orphans, and girls are most likely to be left out.
5. Lack of School Supplies – Many families cannot afford fees for tuition, books, or uniforms.
6. Work – Children may drop out to go to work. Children may be kept home to help with domestic chores or caring for siblings. Older children supporting younger siblings must work to have money for food and other needs. This is a major contributor to the dropout problem.
7. Attitudes Toward Education – Younger children may leave school because their guardians do not feel that they are capable of learning at a young age, so they are kept at home. Guardians may consider a child’s education finished once the child has learned how to read and write. There is sometimes resentment toward the government’s education program because children who would not have gone to school are now required to attend, and parents find the added cost of uniforms, books, and supplies a burden the government should bear.
8. Lack of Sanitary Pads – Girls often drop out of school because a lack of personal care products keeps them at home for some time every month. Eventually, they fall too far behind and drop out.
9. Pregnancy – Girls who become pregnant will almost certainly drop out of school. Part of keeping girls from becoming pregnant is protecting them from abuse and transactional sex (sex in exchange for food, shelter, school fees, grades, etc.).
10. Child labour – More than 150 million children aged five to 17 – half of them under 11 – are victims of forced labour and often miss out on education. Of those, 73 million work in hazardous jobs, according to the International Labour Organization. Child labour is classed as work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children – and interferes with their schooling. Child labourers work in a variety of roles including in homes, mines, fields and factories. They can carry heavy loads, work long hours and suffer exposure to pesticides and other toxic substances. Many girls begin working as young as five, mainly in agriculture or in homes as domestic servants. Child domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to trafficking, forced labour, sexual violence and many health issues.
11. Child marriage – Each year, around 12 million girls a year are married before the age of 18 – including 38% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa – often with devastating consequences for their health and education. Too often marriage is seen as a higher priority for girls than going to school. “Child marriage violates girls’ rights to health, education and opportunity. It exposes girls to violence throughout their lives and traps them in a cycle of poverty,” says the charity Girls Not Brides. Boys can be affected but most victims of child marriage are girls.
12. Natural disasters – Natural events such as earthquakes, cyclones, floods and landslides can derail schooling for millions of children. They can damage or destroy schools or force them to be used as temporary shelters. Even if the schools survive, it can take months or even years for them to be repaired and for education to return to normal. Families whose livelihoods have been destroyed may no longer be able to afford to send their children to school.