Africa struggles with secondary education
Governments in Africa are struggling to meet demands for secondary education, with girls facing more challenges to securing access than boys, according to a report from UNESCO. Many countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, are unable to successfully provide education services to more than one-third of children.
Ukraine – President: Ensuring children’s right for education is undisputed priority of state policy
Ensuring children’s rights to education remains an undisputed top priority of Ukraine’s state policy, President Viktor Yanukovych said at the October 27th nationwide meeting on children’s rights protection. “Parents should have a guarantee that the learning process for their children will be improved,” he said. In particular, he noted, despite some progress there are problems in ensuring children’s preschool education and there are no significant changes in school education. “The percentage of our youngest citizens in pre-school education throughout the state in general does not exceed 56% … Although the number of such education facilities has increased slightly, they provide services to only about 37% of children,” said Viktor Yanukovych.
Bengal slammed for not implementing right to education act
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Friday slammed the West Bengal government for not implementing right to education act in the state. Addressing the media here at conclusion of a two-day-long public hearing, NCPCR Chairperson Shanta Sinha said the problem of child labor and trafficking were rampant in West Bengal because of non-implementation of the right to education act. “It seems that the issue is not of resources but that of will,” Sinha said. “These and many other children are falling victim to child labor and trafficking because the authorities have not implemented the RTE in all seriousness that could allow children a chance at education and better future,” she said.
U.S. is urged to keep up fight against trafficking
The U.S. remains a key player in the fight against human trafficking and a congressional proposal to cut funding would adversely affect the global battle to end the trade, writes Matthew Friedman, regional project manager for the United Nations Inter-Agency on Human Trafficking. Between 12 million and 27 million people around the world are trapped in slave like conditions as result of human trafficking.
UAE: Federal law on child rights on anvil
A new federal law on the protection of children’s rights in the country is in the pipeline, said UAE Minister of Justice Dr Hadif bin Juaan Al Dhahiri on Tuesday, October 25th. Out of its international responsibility, the UAE has been keen to join the International Conventions Related to Child Protection. As part of implementation of the agreement, the Ministry of Social Affairs has submitted a new federal draft law regarding child rights, said Dr Al Dhahiri. During the launch of the national campaign on awareness of child rights at the General Women’s Union (GWU) in Abu Dhabi, the minister said that the Ministerial Committee for Legislations has finalized its approval for the draft law, which will be issued soon via constitutional channels.
Haiti vaccinates against cholera
Haitian officials have agreed to back a massive nationwide cholera vaccination campaign in the wake of the nearly half-million infections since an outbreak that began last October. The effort is being led by Partners in Health, which plans to administer 100,000 vaccinations in January in parts of Port-au-Prince and in the Artibonite Valley, where the outbreak was first reported.
