NAIROBI, June 14 (Bernama/Xinhua) — Massive investment in basic education for African children is needed if the continent is to realise its long-term transformation plans, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday ahead of the Day of the African Child on Sunday, reported Xinhua.
UNICEF noted that education budgets on the continent remain in a dire state, with less than one in five countries dedicating 20 percent of their public budgets to improving children’s basic skills.
“To ensure Africa thrives, we urgently need a continental revolution that translates promises into concrete action and ensures that children have the foundational skills they need to progress to higher education and reach their full potential,” Etreza Kadiri, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, said in a statement in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The theme of the 2024 Day of the African Child, celebrated annually on 16 June, is “Education for Every African Child: The Time Is Now”, highlighting the urgency of achieving universal child literacy on the continent.
UNICEF said despite its role in building the human capital that will drive Africa’s growth, education on the continent is underfunded, meaning millions of children are not acquiring the basic literacy and skills they need to survive.
According to UNICEF, despite significant efforts by African governments over the past decade to increase enrolment rates in primary and secondary schools, schools continue to lack basic facilities, are overcrowded and have a shortage of teachers.
Four in five 10-year-olds in Africa cannot read and understand a simple text, highlighting the dire state of learning outcomes on the continent, a UN agency said.
UNICEF estimates that around $183 billion per year is needed to support Africa’s children’s education and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals on education, but with only $106 billion currently available, a funding gap of more than 40 percent remains.
The agency further noted that African governments spend about 2 percent of their education budgets on pre-primary education and 20 percent on tertiary education.
UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Gilles Fanineau, underscored the urgency of the situation, saying more than 100 million primary and secondary school children in Africa are out of school, highlighting the need for increased investment in new, adequately staffed and equipped learning facilities.
— Bernama/Xinhua News Agency
BERNAMA provides up-to-date, reliable and comprehensive news and information delivered via BERNAMA Wires, www.bernama.com, BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 IFLIX channels, and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media:
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, Bernama TV, Bernama Radio
twitter : @bernama.com, @Bernama TV, Bernama Radio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
Tick tock: @bernamaofficial
