All reports and publications
Analysis, evidence and policies to support all out-of-school children
Data is the cornerstone of the Out-of-School Children Initiative (OOSCI). It is the basis on which the initiative is able to make recommendations on policy and practices that will allow more children to attend school.
The Initiative has produced a number of resources with detailed information outlining the educational situation both regionally and in a country-specific context.
Guidance on Distance Learning Modalities to Reach All Children and Youth During School Closures
Guidance on Distance Learning Modalities to Reach All Children and Youth During School Closures
As schools closed around the world due to COVID-19, many governments acted quickly to try and ensure that students continued learning through a number of distance learning modalities. As the crisis developed, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed large inequalities in access to technology and has led to a global widening of gaps between those with opportunities to learn, in particular those who can access online lessons and resources, and those with few or even no opportunities to learn during school closures. This guidance provides key considerations and recommendations for government policy makers and education staff of national and international organizations involved in the education response during school closures, ensuring continuity of learning for all children and youth. It examines the opportunities and challenges of different distance learning modalities, with a focus on low- and no-tech modalities and approaches (such as the use of basic mobile phones) to reach the most disadvantaged and marginalized children.
Malaysia Country Study 2019
Malaysia Country Study 2019
This Report is part of the global Out-of-School Children Initiative (OOSCI), which is a joint initiative by UNICEF and UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). The initiative is aimed at providing support for countries in reducing or eliminating incidences of out-of-school children using pre-primary, primary and secondary school datasets as well as household survey and other data. The report compiles comprehensive profiles of excluded children in Sabah, the barriers keeping them from going to school, and recommendations to address this issue.
New Methodology Shows that 258 Million Children, Adolescents and Youth Are Out of School
New Methodology Shows that 258 Million Children, Adolescents and Youth Are Out of School
This fact sheet presents the latest UIS data on education available as of September 2019. Despite the extensive work being done to implement Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which promises to provide universal primary and secondary education, evidence suggests that there has been little reduction in the global numbers of out-of-school children, adolescents and youth. In the decade that followed 2000 the numbers of out-of-school children declined at a steady rate, however, between 2010 and 2018 the number has stagnated and since 2015 has fallen by little more than 1 million per year. Some 59 million children of primary school age, 62 million adolescents and 138 million youth of upper secondary school age are currently still out of school resulting in a total figure of 259 million as of September 2018. https://www.allinschool.org/media/2866/file Regional out-of-school figures Many countries have made great strides in reducing the number of children who do not attend school. They have achieved these successes by investing in interventions such as abolishing school fees, introducing relevant curricula, and providing scholarships to financially struggling families. Some national governments increased spending on education and invested in new classrooms, teacher recruitment and text books. In all age groups, sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest number of out-of-school children, it is also the region with the highest rate of exclusion for children who are denied the right to education. Youth of upper secondary school age have considerably higher numbers of out-of-school children than other ages groups across all regions. Gender disparities persist at the regional level Fifty-four per cent of the 376 million out-of-school children, adolescents and youth in 2000 were female, this figure has fallen to 50 per cent in 2018 but these global averages do not indicate the differences that can be found at national and regional levels. With the exception of Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and North America where boys are more likely to be out of school, all other regions puts girls at a disadvantage at primary school-age. The largest disparity within this age group as well as that of the lower secondary-age group can be seen in Central Asia. Latin America and the Caribbean are the closest to achieving gender parity within these two age groups. In the Upper secondary age group Eastern and South-Eastern Asia have the highest rate of disadvantaged males. https://www.allinschool.org/media/2871/file
Learning Against the Odds
Learning Against the Odds
The fundamental right to education for every child is clearly acknowledged in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which marks its 30th anniversary this year. Thanks to the rapid advances in education provision over the past few decades in East Asia and Pacific, there has been considerable progress in integrating out-of-school children and adolescents into basic education, from pre-primary and primary to lower and upper secondary levels. However, a staggering number of 35 million children and adolescents are still out of school. Key barriers to education persist, including lack of services. Gender equality is still an unresolved issue across the region, with adverse cultural norms and harmful practices continuing. As such, a transformation in the education systems is urgently needed, as doing ‘more of the same’ is not enough. UNICEF’s East Asia and Pacific Regional Office developed the Regional Synthesis Report ‘Learning Against the Odds: Evidence and Policies to Support All Out-of-School Children and Adolescents in East Asia and Pacific’, based on the latest data and evidence made available from countries in the region. This Report analyzes trends, develops profiles of the most vulnerable populations and identifies key barriers, and finally suggests 10 specific policies to improve equitable provision of quality education and learning opportunities for all in the region, to make the vision of the Convention of the Rights of the Child a reality.
Cameroon Country Study 2018
Cameroon Country Study 2018
Developed within the framework of Cameroon-UNICEF cooperation, this study on out-of-school children and adolescents, the subject of this report, aims to contribute to a better understanding of the magnitude and extent of the phenomenon in Cameroon. This study is part of the Global Initiative for Out-of-School Children. Using administrative data and data from household surveys, the report produces convergent indicators that provide a precise picture of the situation both nationally and in the ten regions of the country.
Eritrea National Strategy and Implementation Framework for Out-of-School Children
Eritrea National Strategy and Implementation Framework for Out-of-School Children
The National Strategy on out-of-school children (OOSC) is a holistic framework that reflects the commitment of the Eritrean Government to help children who have never been to school or have dropped out due to different barriers. It articulates the principles, strategic objectives, actions, coordination mechanisms, and resources that will ensure effective implementation of the recommended strategies that support OOSC to get educational opportunities. The key strategic focus areas are: an improved policy and legal environment to promote children’s right to education; improved access to quality education, changing negative social norms (such as underage marriage, disability bias…etc.) that hamper children from schooling, as well as coordination, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the effective implementation of the strategy.
State of Palestine Country Report on Out-of-School Children
State of Palestine Country Report on Out-of-School Children
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.
A Report on Out-of-School Children in Eswatini 2018
A Report on Out-of-School Children in Eswatini 2018
This report investigates the magnitude and the nature of the problem of out-of-school children in Eswatini, considering the pre-primary, primary, lower secondary and senior secondary phases. The objective is to identify and consolidate the main issues regarding out-of-school children to inform further systematic research into this issue in Eswatini, but also to consider other related issues in line with the UNICEF-UIS Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children. This report is based on an overview of the existing literature as well as analysis of available quantitative data sources.
South Sudan Country Study 2018
South Sudan Country Study 2018
In the wake of persistent fragility and conflict, at least 2.2 million school-aged children are estimated to be out of school with thousands more at risk of dropping out. The number of out-of-school children (OOSC) in South Sudan has increased in recent years and this trend is projected to continue, reaching over 2.4 million in the next two years, if present circumstances are maintained. Although the country has made efforts to increase access to education prior to the country’s conflict in 2013, barriers to education existed before the conflict including but not limited to extending access to remote areas, high levels of poverty, and socio-cultural dimensions, in which OOSC was a challenge before 2013. However, the challenges still exist in today’s landscape across geographies and education levels as well as new challenges brought about from the conflict. In terms of some of the challenges, girls are more likely than boys to be excluded from education in South Sudan – in some parts of the country, over 75 per cent of primary-aged girls are not in school. Children in rural areas and those displaced by conflict are also amongst the most educationally-disadvantaged in the country, but nearly all South Sudanese children fit into at least one of the at-risk profiles, including children who are overage for their grade level, child labourers, children with disabilities, and street children, with a danger that the current schooling crisis will become the status quo. This study analyses and uses available data to examine who and where these children are, unpacking the major barriers and bottlenecks that hinder school participation for so many children in South Sudan and mapping the existing policies and strategies that are in place to tackle these key issues. It culminates with a series of concrete, evidence-based recommendations for action aimed at enabling South Sudan’s large out-of-school population to enrol in – or return to – school.
Afghanistan Country Study 2018
Afghanistan Country Study 2018
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has achieved enormous progress in the education sector since 2001. Educational access in terms of infrastructure and enrolment – in particular that of girls – has improved dramatically. However, this significant report estimates that as many as 3.2 million children in Afghanistan remain out of school, accounting for over 40 per cent of children in primary and lower secondary school age. Girls at all ages are less likely to attend school than boys. In addition, a further 300,000 children who currently access primary and lower secondary school are at risk of dropping out. We cannot achieve our Government’s ambitious plan for long-term prosperity in Afghanistan without continuing to prioritize programming that brings out-of-school children (OOSC) into the education system. This report represents a major step forward for stakeholders concerned with education provision in Afghanistan. The report establishes a baseline of the number and profiles of OOSC, outlines factors that contribute to unsatisfactory enrolment rates, and recommends practical policy options for overcoming barriers to education in Afghanistan. By better understanding our OOSC, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and its partners can better plan to achieve universal access to educational opportunities.
Formative Evaluation of the Out-of-School-Children Initiative (OOSCI) 2018
Formative Evaluation of the Out-of-School-Children Initiative (OOSCI) 2018
The evaluation aimed to verify the contribution of UNICEF and partners, as part of the OOSC Initiative, in opening up learning opportunities – formal, non-formal or informal – for all children, and to enable the programme to meet its accountabilities to OOSCI donors. The evaluation covers the period 2010 to 2016 (from inception to the publication of the first Operational Manual). In preparation for the evaluation, the UNICEF Education team articulated a new theory of change for OOSCI. The theory of change depicts that the provision of detailed data and evidence on why children are out of school, coupled with extensive advocacy efforts, will prompt governments to implement changes in their education systems that are necessary to bring children into school, and to achieve the stated goal of OOSCI – a substantial and sustainable reduction in the number of children that are out of school. This theory of change has subsequently been included in the updated OOSCI Operational Manual.
Out-of-School Boys and Girls in the Dominican Republic 2017
Out-of-School Boys and Girls in the Dominican Republic 2017
This study provides a methodology for exhaustive analysis of educational statistics, generating indicators that allow characterization of the situation of children who are out of school or are at risk of being out of school, based on five dimensions of exclusion. The analysis focuses on excluded girls and boys at the pre-primary grade, the primary level and the lower secondary level, across a wide range of disparities and different grades of exposure to education.