Education
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© UNICEF/CHI00004/Zeng Huang |
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Grade schoolers cluster around newly installed computers with Internet access in China |
East Asia and the Pacific has achieved more than any other region in increasing children’s access to basic education. In 1970, more than 50 million primary school-aged children were not enrolled in school. Today, less than 7 million of them are not in school. Despite this remarkable achievement, we still face the following challenges in education:
- Widening social and economic rifts are denying marginalized groups their right to a basic education.
- Secondary school enrolment rates need to be improved. More than 60 million children – or one in three children – do not go on to secondary school, partly because of school fees and other education-related costs.
- Gender discrimination is broadening existing gaps between boys and girls enrolment at the secondary level. In many countries, there is an alarming increase in the number of boys dropping out, whereas in other countries, the discrimination against girls is increasing. Once in school and depending on cultural norms, children often encounter gender biases, stereotyping and various forms of violence that interfere with their learning.
- Rates of children attending preschools are stagnating, even declining in some countries. Meanwhile, some governments are cutting back on funding for early childhood education and increasingly relying on the private sector to take responsibility.
- Quality of education is a major concern, especially in poorer, more rural areas, and children are dropping out as a result. Curricula and teaching methods are outdated and irrelevant. Classrooms are overcrowded, without enough desks and textbooks. Students suffer from malnutrition and hunger, which affects their ability to learn, and teachers are poorly trained and poorly supported with materials and other teaching aids.
In our region, UNICEF focuses on four main areas in education as part of efforts to address these challenges:
