Status: 04.10.2022 11:18 a.m
Conflicts, hunger crises, extreme weather – these endanger educational opportunities for children all over the world. A particularly large number of countries are affected in Africa, according to a report by the Save the Children charity.
According to a study by the aid organization Save the Children, crises and climate change are jeopardizing the educational opportunities of millions of children worldwide. In Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia and Mali alone, a total of 49 million girls and boys are at extreme risk of not receiving an appropriate education, the aid organization said when a study was published.
It is estimated that around 78 million children worldwide cannot go to school due to various crises.
Food price risk factor
For the report, the aid organization claims to have examined the education systems in 182 countries. The susceptibility and willingness to deal with various dangers that endanger children’s right to education were examined. Boys and girls who do not go to school are more likely to be victims of hunger, violence, abuse, child labor or early marriage, the report says.
Above all, the global hunger crisis and conflicts, rising food prices and extreme weather have a strong impact on the education systems of many countries, the aid organization explained. With Sudan, Somalia, Mali, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, Eritrea and Djibouti, seven of the ten most vulnerable countries are in Africa.
No energy for the way to school
All ten most vulnerable countries also had high levels of food insecurity: in Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and the Central African Republic, more than 20 percent of the population are said to be in a hunger crisis.
This also has an impact on educational opportunities: in Somalia, for example, the children interviewed by the organization no longer attend classes because they lack the energy to go to school because of the hunger crisis. In Afghanistan, since the Taliban took power, educational opportunities have deteriorated, especially for girls, according to the study.
Pandemic as “serious catastrophe”
One of the biggest improvements is in Colombia, which is believed to be due to easier access to Covid-19 vaccines. Still, the pandemic is “one of the most devastating catastrophes to affect children’s education in living memory,” said Save the Children’s director of education, Hollie Warren.
The consequences are felt most severely by children and young people, who are already most severely affected by conflicts, climate catastrophes, hunger crises and poverty. In many countries, schools were closed for months to contain the pandemic.
protect education systems
However, it is possible to protect education systems. Every country needs a preparedness plan to ensure learning opportunities for children in crisis. Those countries whose education is already at risk must “act as quickly as possible”: children need targeted offers to catch up on what they have missed, especially basic knowledge. In addition, it makes sense to divide young people into classes according to their level of learning and not according to their age.