UNICEF in action
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© UNICEF/CEE/CIS/ 2004/00150/Pirozzi |
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Sumaya, 12, at a Secondary School in Bokhtar District, Khatlon Province, Tajikistan. |
Across the region, UNICEF works to maintain and enhance standards in education. We advocate for greater investment in education. The poorest countries must prioritise education to make economic progress. Teachers must be properly rewarded, buildings must be maintained, and more resources are needed for basics, such as textbooks.
The time is ripe for education reform, with falling numbers of school-aged children, signs of lasting economic growth and the region’s “cultural capital” – in the Russian Federation, 90% of students have classical literature at home, compared to 60% in the EU. Parental involvement in schools is greater in the region than in the EU, and parents are more likely to help children with their homework. Such parental support provides a foundation for the preservation of what was good in the education systems of the old regimes – particularly universal coverage – and for reforms to adapt education to a rapidly changing world. We urge policy makers to match parental enthusiasm and prioritise education as a bulwark against poverty, ignorance and disease.
Turkey and “25 by 2005”. UNICEF and its partners worldwide aim to maximise enrolment of girls in the 25 countries where their enrolment is lowest by 2005. With one quarter of girls out of basic education, rising to more than half in some provinces, Turkey is the only country in the region taking part in 25 by 2005. UNICEF is intensifying its activities to reach the girls who are not in the classrooms. The goal for 2005 is to provide quality basic education for all girls in the 30 Turkish provinces with the lowest enrolment.
Promoting Child-Friendly schools. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNICEF supports the Child-Friendly Schools Initiative. The country needs quality education to prevent the migration of young families and to help displaced families come home. The project aims to improve the educational quality by focusing on those most vulnerable to school drop-out, changing old-fashioned approaches to teaching, boosting children’s capacity to learn and giving families and communities a greater role within schools. The project is based on the reality of children’s lives and aims to give an equal chance to all children, including Roma.
