Prometheus 6   

PAMBAZUKA NEWS: EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE

AFRICA/GLOBAL: CHILD DEATH RATES BETWEEN RICH, POOR WIDENING, STUDY SAYS
The gap between child mortality rates in rich and poor countries is growing increasingly wide, the medical journal The Lancet reports in the latest of a series of articles on child health. "Gaps in child mortality between rich and poor countries are unacceptably wide and in some areas are becoming wider, as are the gaps between wealthy and poor children within most countries," the authors of the article wrote.

AFRICA: POORER NATIONS STRUGGLE WITH BALLOONING BIRTH RATES
Population growth rates in developed and developing countries are becoming increasingly skewed, posing challenges to governments worldwide, according to the 2003 World Population Data Sheet released on Tuesday. Published by the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB), the survey estimates a 193 percent population increase in Central Africa--the fastest-growing region in the first half of the 21st century--compared to a mere 6 percent gain in Northern Europe and a population decline in the rest of Europe.

AFRICA: UN LITERACY DECADE - HOPE OR HYPE?
The launch of the UN Literacy Decade was yet another in a series of international pledges to provide education to all. Time and again, in the past two decades, an atmosphere of urgency to achieve education goals has been created. And yet, each time, these pledges have met with very little commitment and action.

CENTRAL AFRICA: 'MIDDLE' AFRICA TO EXPERIENCE THE FASTEST POPULATION GROWTH
Demographic projections by the Population Reference Bureau for the first half of the 21st century show that the Democratic Republic of the Congo leads countries in "middle" Africa that are expected to experience the fastest population growth in the region. The bureau's "World Population Data Sheet" for 2003 showed that the Congo, with an estimated population of 56.6 million, would have 181 million people by 2050. Overall, the central Africa region's population will grow to 193 percent of its current size by 2050, followed by western Africa, which is expected to grow to 142 percent of its 2003 population. The population of southern Africa, a region that has been adversely affected by HIV/AIDS, was projected to fall by 22 percent.

EAST/SOUTHERN AFRICA: PRIMARY EDUCATION - INCREASING ACCESS FOR ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN AIDS-AFFECTED AREAS
This paper investigates the national and community level interventions that offer promise for increasing primary education access for children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable in areas heavily affected by AIDS in the eastern and southern Africa region. Some of the lessons learnt are that: Initiatives should target all vulnerable children in AIDS-affected areas and should create affordable schooling opportunities; non-formal education should be prioritised in addition to formal education and that initiatives should be developed with community participation and cater to community needs.

KENYA: STREET CHILDREN PROJECT TO GET MORE SUPPORT
Several organisations have pledged support for the Government in rehabilitating street children. Eleven non-governmental organisations dealing with children said they would begin programmes to support street families. Their representatives said they would form an alliance with private companies to ensure more than 1,500 children countrywide were rehabilitated.

MALAWI: DEEPENING POVERTY THREATENS HOUSEHOLDS
A household-level recovery from the past year's food security crisis in Malawi is being complicated by deepening levels of poverty, observers say. In a recent interview with IRIN in the capital Lilongwe, World Food Programme (WFP) country representative, Gerard van Dijk, said "poverty, combined with HIV/AIDS" had worsened household vulnerability.

NIGERIA: EDUCATION SCHEME FOR GIRLS LAUNCHED
The Federal Government has joined hands with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) to develop the Strategy for Acceleration of Girls Education in Nigeria (SAGEN), a plan of action designed to ensure that equal number of boys and girls were in the education system by 2005.

SIERRA LEONE: CHILD SOLDIER REHABILITATION PROGRAMME RUNS OUT OF CASH
A programme to rehabilitate more than 7,000 child soldiers who fought in Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war is in danger of stalling because of a serious shortfall in funding, the UN children's fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday. UNICEF said that US $1.4 million is needed immediately and a further $2.5 million would be required in the "near future" if their critical re-education and re-training programmes were to be completed.

SOUTH AFRICA: HISTORY CLASSROOM LAUNCHED ONLINE
The Department of Education, together with a non-governmental organisation, SA History Online (SAHO), has launched a Web site as a resource site and teaching aid for pupils and students.

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: PRIMARY SCHOOLING - RECENT TRENDS AND CURRENT CHALLENGES
This paper argues that achievement of the Millennium Development Goals of Education for All (EFA) by 2015 will not only require a level of international resources and commitment not yet seen, but will also require better tools for monitoring educational progress at the country level. The authors estimate that more than 37 million young adolescents aged 10-14 in sub-Saharan Africa will not complete primary school. Their estimates are based on data from nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys from 26 countries, collectively representing 83 percent of the sub-Saharan youth population.

UGANDA: SECONDARY SCHOOL REMAINS A DREAM
As the first beneficiaries of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) complete the primary cycle this year, government has a challenge to take them on to secondary level. It is estimated that this year, 1.6 million children will leave primary education as a result of UPE.

posted by Prometheus 6 at 7/29/2003 07:50:24 PM |