Primary schools across sub-Saharan Africa are admitting a higher number of children, according to an international report launched last week by the Minister of State for Trade and Development.
The Unesco Global Monitoring Report states that primary school enrolment in the region increased by over 30 per cent between 1999 and 2008. In total, the report shows that an additional 52 million children across the globe were enrolled in primary school.
“Ireland recognises the pivotal role education plays in improving lives in the developing world,” said Minister of State Jan O’Sullivan, who was recently on a five-day visit to Irish Aid programme countries Malawi and Mozambique.
“Children who are educated have a far better chance of staying healthy, gaining employment and realising their potential as active citizens of their country over the long term.”
She added that the rise in numbers “shows that targeted partnerships between donors such as Ireland and the Governments of these countries are yielding excellent results.”
The minister said much more needed to be done to make sure that success achieved in the last decade was maintained, noting that hunger remains a serious obstacle to any progress in education.
According to the report, one third of children under the age of five in developing countries are malnourished, which impairs both their cognitive development and their educational prospects.
“Tackling hunger is at the centre of our development programme. A child who is hungry is less likely to learn or to remain in school,” she said.
“We must continue to make progress in improving health and nutrition, increasing families’ resilience to shocks and tackling HIV and Aids – all of which have implications for progress on education.”
