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The Challenges
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© UNICEF/CEE/CIS/ 2004/00137/Pirozzi |
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Two schoolboys at Secondary School Number 43, Bokhtar District, Khatlon Provice, Tajikistan. |
- Falls in education spending. Education spending fell by one-third in the Russian Federation in the 1990s, and by at least three-quarters in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia and the Kyrgyz Republic.
- Poverty. Children from poorer backgrounds are less likely to go to school, or complete their education.
- Crumbling schools. In Armenia, lack of heating means that classrooms are often colder than the playgrounds. Three quarters of the schools in rural Uzbekistan do not have functioning toilets.
- Lack of equipment and textbooks. In Moldova, there are no funds for teaching materials, and only 3% of schools have access to the Internet. In parts of Tajikistan, up to 10 students have to share a single textbook.
- Girls’ education. There are concerns about falling female enrolment. In Turkey, one quarter of girls never enrol. Among those who do, 40% do not complete primary school.
- Undervalued teachers. In Tajikistan, a cleaner or driver for an NGO can earn as much in one month as a teacher in one year. In Uzbekistan, a teacher earns the equivalent of around US$6 per month.
- Malnutrition. Deficiencies in iodine and iron, in particular, hamper mental ability. As a result, many children are unable to learn effectively.
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