Africa: New Surveys of Children Highlight Education Challenges Across Eastern and Southern Africa

Johannesburg — Ahead of World Children's Day 2024, data from multiple countries reveal children's awareness of their rights, but significant barriers to education persist

A new survey, conducted by UNICEF in collaboration with national governments and partners, reveals both encouraging awareness and pressing challenges faced by children across Eastern and Southern Africa. Collected from over 5,471 children across multiple countries, the data highlights significant barriers to education even as children become increasingly aware of their rights. The findings, released just ahead of World Children's Day 2024, underscore the urgent need for policies and support to address these obstacles and improve educational access across the region.

Children from Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe took part in U-report surveys, online polls and face-to-face consultations which highlight that over 87 per cent of children are aware of their rights, with 50 per cent recognizing their right to education as one of their most important rights. Despite this awareness, significant barriers persist. The survey indicates that the lack of learning materials, school fees, long distances to school and overworked teachers, are critical challenges. Encouragingly, 62 per cent of children reported feel they have a role to play in improving the quality of education. During a virtual consultation, many girls raised concerns  about access to menstrual hygiene products and called for schools to improve their support for menstrual health and hygiene.

Over 14,000 children in Tanzania recently participated in a survey exploring the country's Vision 2050. The results from one of the surveys reveal that 40 per cent of U-Reporters believe education should be the nation's top priority by 2050, while 30 per cent prioritize infrastructure. When it comes to education reforms, digital literacy emerged as the leading focus, followed closely by entrepreneurship and vocational training.

UNICEF Somalia recently held consultations with 321 children from five states to inform its new country program strategy. The face-to-face interviews revealed that a significant portion of the children, particularly those who are internally displaced and from minority communities (totalling 50 per cent of the 321), reported that they do not attend school in a safe, clean, or accessible environment. Notably, girls—making up 52 per cent of the sample—and children with disabilities face particularly significant challenges. Although results vary considerably across geographic and demographics, the country has an overall primary school enrolment rate of only 34 per cent. Additionally, many children indicated that their schools lack essential learning materials, such as desks and chairs. Furthermore, many girls expressed feeling unsafe both in their schools and in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Education challenges faced by children across sub-Saharan Africa are stark, with 9 out of 10 children aged 10 years old unable to read a simple text or solve basic math problems. This lack of foundational skills threatens not only the futures of individual children but also the overall development of nations.

As World Children's Day approaches, UNICEF calls on governments across the region to prioritize education in their national budgets – devoting at least 20 per cent to learning – to help ensure all children have access to quality, inclusive, and relevant education.

This article originally featured in AllAfrica.