Today, September 5th, is World Teachers Day. A day to be grateful for all teachers in the world, for educating our children. And we are!
Unfortunately, the education of nearly 49 million children in Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia and Mali is at extreme risk of collapse, according to new analysis by WNCB Alliance partner Save the Children. The report shows how COVID-19 combined with conflict, climate change, displacement, and lack of digital connectivity derail children’s learning. Children out of school tend to find it harder to catch up on lost learning, and grow more vulnerable to hunger, violence, abuse, child labour and child marriage, especially girls.
According to calculations, between 20,000 and 40,000 children in Mali work in the gold sector, such as in mines. Furthermore, many children work in family-based agriculture. Boys also work as seasonal labourers in the rice and cotton fields. Due to the high risk of the collapse of the education system in Mali, children here have an even bigger chance to end up in a working situation.
Our colleagues in Mali recognize the issues stated in the report. Vincent Dembele, project manager for WNCB in Mali: “A strong education system is very important for the future of children and therefore of our country. Poor quality education leads to a low education level of children, which increases the risk of dropping out of school. Out of school, children are extra vulnerable to end up in work situations. Good schools are the best way to prevent and combat child labour.”
The report concludes that ‘building resilient education systems is key to ensuring continuity and recovery of learning when emergencies interrupt provision. Anticipatory planning which future-proofs education systems against new global health crises, conflict, economic shocks, and sudden and slow-onset disasters linked to climate change is needed. Only by ambitious global leadership will it be resolved.’
WNCB fully supports the recommendations call to take action. In the WNCB position paper ‘Call for urgent action to get children out of work and into school’, we urge governments across the world to live up to their responsibilities as signatories of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the ILO conventions 138 and 182, and ensure access to publicly funded, qualitative and safe education for all children. We need governments to declare education an emergency, investing at least 20% of the national budget or 6% of the GDP in quality public education and ensuring strong synergies between education and adequately resourced child protection and social protection systems.