State of Palestine Country Report on Out-of-School Children
Country study on out-of-school children
Highlights
In the State of Palestine, very few children of primary school age are excluded from education, but nearly five per cent of 10-15-year-old children and one out of three 6-9 year-olds with disabilities are out of school. The aim of this study is to identify who these excluded children are, where they live, and to understand why they are not in school.
Based on a global initiative led by UNICEF and UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics, it aims at providing a more in-depth analysis, using a unique conceptual and methodological framework to develop comprehensive profiles of out-of-school children and link them to the barriers and bottlenecks that led to school drop-out. It takes into consideration a variety of factors such as socio-economic factors, the quality of education, and the influence of the environment, the community and the school.
This study aims not only at understanding what barriers and bottlenecks prevent access to school, but also at taking action about it. Based on research findings, it proposes practical ways of removing these barriers to get children back to school, and to keep the children who are at risk of dropping out in school. By promoting and implementing sound policies that address exclusion, we can make a substantial and sustainable reduction in the number of out of school children.
Keeping children in school or getting them back into school and learning safely is a collective effort, which must be brought to the forefront of policy makers’ agendas. UNICEF and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education hope that all relevant stakeholders will use the results and the practical recommendations of this study. It will help every child in the State of Palestine to fully realize their right to safe and quality education, to the benefit of all.
