SUDAN: Death More Likely Than Education for South Youth: UN Report
Children in South Sudan are more likely to die before the age of five than complete a basic education, the United Nations said in a report released on Tuesday.
More money needs to be invested in education to secure peace in South Sudan as the region counts down to independence on 9 July, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) said.
“If you don’t give people hope and opportunities for education, what do you think is going to happen? People who are without hope are people who are going to be far more prone to being drawn into armed conflict,” said Kevin Watkins, director of UNESCO’s educational monitoring report.
The region set to be the world’s newest country comes at the bottom of most indicators for access to education.
Only 46 percent of South Sudan’s children of primary-school age are in school, the second lowest enrollment rate globally. The situation is worse for secondary education, with the region’s enrollment rate of just 4 percent being the lowest in the world. AlertNet (21 June 2011)