Back to school: portrait of children not in school

HIBAPRESS-RABAT-UNESCO

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and UNICEF estimate in this report that 115 million primary school-aged children are out of school. Globally, this represents 18% of children in this age group, or almost one in five.

This report aims to paint a picture of these children: who and how many are there? It presents a new methodological approach to counting out-of-school children and to examining the relationship between participation and the characteristics of children and the households in which they live.

Data from many developing countries reveal disadvantages in primary school participation based on gender, location and household wealth.

The report also shows that efforts to expand access to primary education must take into account diverse groups of out-of-school children, for example, those who never enter school, those who start late and those who drop out early.

Each context requires its own policies. Moreover, the profile of out-of-school children varies considerably from country to country. Therefore, knowledge of the possible determinants of out-of-schooling is critical for planning policies aimed at reducing the number of children excluded from education.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is an agency whose goal is to help children in developing countries living in poverty, to provide them with the care and stimulation they need in the early years of their lives and protection from disease, war and natural disasters.