2/3 Of Guinean Children Don't Finish Primary School.
More than two-thirds of children in Guinea-Bissau do not complete primary education, with education among the deprivations in a country where more than half of the population is young, according to data released today by UNICEF.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today took stock of the situation of children in the African country, at the beginning of a forum that, for two days, marks Children's Day and discusses with young people the Guinea-Bissau they want, aligned with the African Union's 2063 vision.
According to UNICEF, “in Guinea-Bissau, the multidimensional analysis of child deprivations, carried out in 2021, clearly showed that almost seven in ten children suffer six or more deprivations of their rights at the same time”.
Poverty is part of deprivation, being one of the biggest issues that affects children and young people in Guinea-Bissau, as Lusa Wilson Gama, from UNICEF, told Lusa, but the issue of education also stands out.
“The primary education completion rate is at 30%, according to the latest report which says that three in ten children completed primary education. It’s worrying”, he stressed.
These indicators related to education are contained in a report carried out in 2018 and that organization does not have other more up-to-date data.
The deprivation analysis carried out in 2021 also shows that “young people in Guinea-Bissau are in fifth place among those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change”.
The impacts, he said, “are felt in terms of their health, education and protection, leaving them exposed to deadly diseases”, in a country where “children are highly exposed to coastal flooding and air pollution”.
The report states that investments are needed in social services, especially in education, water, hygiene and sanitation.
According to the same document, “76% of children are victims of violent discipline”, only “14% of children have access to sanitation” and the percentage of those who participate in early childhood programs is less than 15%.
“These are worrying data for Guinea-Bissau”, he reiterated.
For the UNICEF representative, “changes do not depend solely on the Government”.
“We all have a role to play, from parents at home, from national and international partners, to religious and community leaders, but obviously the Government has a different role in relation to other entities”, he considered.
The purpose of the forum taking place in Bissau is to draw up an action plan to deliver to the Guinean Government, with proposals to change the situation.
The initiative joins the celebrations of World Children's Day, celebrated on November 20th around the world, simultaneously with the anniversary of the creation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989, by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, of the Nations United.
The youth forum brings together young people from all regions of Guinea-Bissau, who will contribute with opinions and visions of the field, of what is happening in each community, and will draw up an action plan of what young people in Guinea-Bissau Bissau have a vision for the country in which they live.
Conclusion
This situation of children in Guinea-Bissau is worrying. Poverty, together with the low primary education completion rate (30%), stands out as a major challenge. Violent discipline affects 76% of children, only 14% have access to sanitation and less than 15% participate in early childhood programs.
Young Guineans are ranked as the fifth most vulnerable to climate change. This has to change. Let's hope that this youth forum will be able to create a comprehensive action plan, involving different sectors of society, to definitively address these issues.
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Picture: © Lusa
