Inequality prevents millions of children from going to school
Press release 461/2008
10 December, 2008
The failure of governments to create equal education opportunities means that millions of children and young people are deprived of the chance to rise from poverty, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO states in its newly released report.
The provision of universal primary education has made rapid but uneven progress among countries and regions. Compared to the previous decade, the enrolment rate in primary education has doubled since 1999 – in sub-Saharan Africa it has even increased six-fold. There, 70 per cent of the age class now go to school.
In 2006, primary education was received by 609 million children in developing countries; in 1991 the corresponding figure had been over 100 million less. Since 1999, the number of primary school pupils has increased by 40 million. The good results are explained, above all, by the improved political leadership, the rise in public investments for education, the abolishment of school fees, the building of schools and the better quality of teaching. Of Finland’s development cooperation partner countries, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Mozambique have increased their education budgets rapidly, and have achieved good results.
The report cites poor governance and political decision-makers, weak national education policies and back-tracking on commitments by aid donors as the reasons for a lack of equality. At the same time, the report warns that national and international inequality corrodes the preconditions for achieving educational objectives.
Inequality in education is great both between and within countries. Children in the poorest 20 per cent in countries such as Ethiopia, Mali and Niger, are three times less likely to be in primary school as children from the wealthiest 20 per cent. In Peru and the Philippines, children in the poorest 20 per cent receive five years less education than children from the wealthiest families.
Wealth is not the only marker for disadvantage. Girls are still neglected in education. Gender enrolment gaps remain large across much of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Disadvantages based on language, race, ethnicity and rural–urban differences also remain deeply entrenched. In Senegal, children in urban areas are twice as likely as those in rural areas to be in school.
“Unequal opportunities for education fuel poverty, hunger, and child mortality, and reduce prospects,” commented UNESCO’s Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura.
The central message is that governments need to attach a greater priority to fairness and social justice. “If the world’s governments are serious about Education for All, they must get more serious about tackling inequality,” states Mr Matsuura.
Additional information: Senior Education Adviser Jussi Karakoski, Department for Development Policy, tel. +358 9 1605 6435