Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
New York (Agenzia Fides) – On a worldwide level, the disparity in access to education is extremely large; the gap between the rich and poor nations is growing, especially in the area of education, which the economic crisis taking place not only has consequences on the food crisis and the financial market, but it also has a serious impact on the formation of the youth of developing countries. Large investments and efficient policies are needed in order to rescue the millions of children in the world who suffer illiteracy and a lack of schooling.
This issue was recently analyzed in detail by the UNESCO, their report entitled: “Overcoming Inequality.” The report shows a series of observations, including the fact that many times the economic growth of the countries in the southern hemisphere have not extended to the new generations. Even when not the entire outlook is a negative one, there are several problems in this area which are truly wide-reaching. In developing countries, one out of every three school-age children – about 193 million – suffer from brain lesions and reduced educational opportunities due to malnutrition. The number surpasses 40% in some south Asian nations.
Nearly 75 million school-age children are not attending classes. Nearly one-third of them live in sub-Saharan Africa, where only 5% of the youth reach university. The national disparities are a reflection of that which exists on an international level. For example, in countries like Ethiopia, Mali, and Niger, 20% of the poorest children have three times less possibilities of attending elementary school than 20% of the richest in the population. In other places, the situation is no better. In Peru and the Philippines, the youth that belong to 20% of the poorest population have an average of 5 years less studies than children of the richest families. The young women continue to be the least favored.
The difference in schooling between the sexes continues to be evident, mostly in south Asia and insub-Saharan Africa. The disadvantages related to the language, race, and ethnic background or the differences between rural and urban zones continue to be an obstacle. However, the UN agency says that there are also important results being seen. Both in south and east Asia, as in sub-Saharan Africa, the schooling numbers have increased. In Ethiopia and Tanzania, the number of non-schooled has decreased by 3 million. In spite of this, it will be difficult for there to be an established universal primary school education in the world by 2015. This will be one of the international objectives in development.
According to the initial projections, in 2015 there will still be 29 million youth without schooling. This is an optimistic view that does not take into account the situations of violence and conflict present in several countries, like Congo and Sudan. In relation to the difference of education between sexes, in a country like Pakistan, there is a 100/80 ratio of boys to girls who attend school.
The world situation would be the following: in 2015, 12 countries would have more than half a million of children without education. Another problem is that of the teachers. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 3.8 million would be needed from now until 2015. Finally, it should be noted that 16% of the world population, 776 million people, are illiterate – two thirds of whom are women. In 2015, the illiterate adults would be – considering demographic growth – over 700 million. In order to intervene in a significant manner, more resources are necessary. While in 2005, donor countries had committed to investing 50 billion dollars in child education, the current commitments – without taking into account the world crisis – are making observers fear a deficit of 30 billion dollars, which will have negative consequences, especially on Africa. (Mtp) (Agenzia Fides 18/12/2008)
