All over Cambodia teachers’ demands for “informal fees” are forcing children to quit classes because their parents cannot afford to pay. Seng Hong of NGO Education Partnership, an umbrella grouping of Cambodian education organizations, says research shows sending one child to school uses up almost a tenth of the average family income. “This increases if the family has two or more kids to send to school,” he said. “Then they may reconsider which kids should go to high-grade education and which kids should stop.” (BBC)
A recent Newsweek International report over the a recent discovery and controversy surrounding reports of child abuse in a school founded by the talk-show host Oprah Winfrey has only served to highlight the prevalence of sexual abuse in South Africa.
Those children displaced by the ongoing conflict in Iraq are not receiving enough educational support and access, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), approximately half of Iraqi IDP's, some 220,000 are school aged children. “Displaced children have a particularly hard time accessing schools, water supplies and medical care. Many move without proper papers, creating bureaucratic hurdles in their new areas,” Hajaj added. “Displaced families struggle to find work, push children into poverty and make them vulnerable to child labour or other harmful forms of exploitation. And some children even become separated from their families during their move.” (IRIN)
Also in Iraq the number of girls attending school dropping, say analysts and they now fear that a large gender gap will soon appear. "The fear of losing their children through violence has led many families to keep their children at home but the number of girls kept at home is higher because in addition to the security problem, they are being forced by their families to assist in household chores," said Sinan Zuhair, a media officer for the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
The situation in Iraq is very similar to the one Pakistan is facing, as Education the first casualty in Swat, as violence continues. "If this situation continues, it is going to have an adverse effect on education," Mohammad Iqbal, principal of the Degree College for Boys, in Mingora, the largest city in Swat district. However it is girls that are primarily being pulled from school due to the increased violence in the region.
In Zimbabwe it is the teachers that are leaving the schools, and forcing many students out of the classrooms. Schools close as hordes of teachers resign, and students are forced to transfer schools in the midst of preparations for end of year exams. Recession that has engulfed the country for some seven years, is the primary cause of the teachers exodus. “The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), the biggest grouping of educators in the country, said this week that 15,200 teachers had migrated to neighboring states, such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland, since the beginning of 2007.”
The stubborn military conflict in Afghanistan is posing growing risks to the country's children, a UNICEF ambassador said Wednesday. Martin Bell says in his new report that progress made during the last few years, such as higher levels of school enrollment and lower child mortality, could be reversed due to the fighting unless more is done to protect young people (CBC.ca/Associated Press).
In Bangladesh the primary-school dropout rate rises to 47 percent. High dropout rates in Bangladesh are not uncommon, but according to a study conducted by 10 NGOs and the Commonwealth Education Fund, the rate is now becoming quite alarming. Primary school dropouts have increased from 33% in 2002 to 47% in 2006, while the enrollment of children between 6-10 years has also declined, from 97% in 2002 to 93% in 2005.