Illiteracy has been a major issue in several of the developing countries. This, along with a lack of trained and educated teachers, inadequate learning material, poor sanitation, and makeshift classroom, is the main reason behind the lack of education around the world. To counter this problem, the United Nations played a massive role in the provision of educations to children out of school worldwide. But even after so much effort and money used on this project across the globe, the progress of this initiative has come to a standstill.
January 24th marks the United Nation’s International Day of Education, which is celebrated to recognize the efforts done to reduce the illiteracy rate of the world and the work that needs to be done to ensure the provision of high-quality education that can be accessed by everyone.
Data regarding the recent survey for Children out of School Worldwide
According to the new recent survey conducted by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), one out of five numbers of children out of school worldwide, a figure that has barely changed in the last five years. These new numbers came forward during the fourth meeting of the Sustainable Development Goal – Education 2030 steering Committee meeting that was held in Paris.
This unique body has been made to govern, direct and ensure that every boy and girl is getting good quality primary and secondary education by the end of 2030 and reduce the number of children out of school worldwide.
The new estimates made from the recently conducted survey presents that around 263 million adolescents and youth with the age group from 15 to 17 are not in school. The value is parallel to the number of quarters of the people living in Europe. This total includes 60 million children of primary level, 60 million of secondary level and 142 million children out of school worldwide of upper secondary level.
Sub-Saharan region Education ratio
Out of all the data collected from the survey around the globe, the largest numbers of children out of school worldwide are found, Africa. As of 2014, 1 out of 5 children is not in school, which is a substantial amount of progress with respect to the data collected in the 1990s during which around 45% of children were not enrolled in schools. 1/5 of the children are out of school at the primary level, followed by 1/3 of the secondary level. According to the data collected, around 60% of the youth living in the sub-Saharan region are not in schools.
The ratio of Illiteracy in girls increasing than boys
For every hundred boys of primary level out of school, a hundred and twenty-three girls are denied their right to get the education and are prohibited even to set foot inside a classroom ever. This ratio is very high in the sub-continent and African region when compared with the rest of the world. Only 66% of countries across the globe have reached gender parity that allows the female to be educated along with the males in the area.
According to the data collected, fifteen million girls of primary level with never be able to learn and write as compared to ten million boys. Over half of these girls, around 9 million, are inhabited in the Sub Saharan region. Along with Northern Africa, Western Asia also suffers the same fate majorly due to poverty.
Armed Conflicts affecting Education Sector
Armed conflict areas also play a large barrier in the education sector. Around 263 million children out of school worldwide live in areas that are affected by armed conflicts. Kashmir is one of those places in which there is the cessation of all activity, including the closing of the educational sector that has majorly affected the lives of the inhabitants due to the violent behavior and multiple riots between India and Pakistan from the last 200 days.
To ensure the providence to education in the upcoming years, UNICEF has launched an initiative that will develop proposals for programs that will reduce the number of children out of school worldwide.
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