Primary school enrolment still very low

Primary school enrolment in several West African countries is very still low, and in some countries twice as many boys as girls were enrolled in the schools, UNESCO reported on Wednesday. Only a few of those who do not go to school attain a basic level of skills, it added.

Prepared by UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics, the "Education Statistics 2001 - Regional Report on sub-Saharan Africa," said only 26 percent of primary-age children in Niger were in school while only 10 percent of secondary school age children were enrolled in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea and Niger.

UNESCO found that tertiary education was "marginal" in Sao Tome while only 28 percent of the teachers in Equatorial Guinea were trained. Twice as many boys as girls were in secondary school in Benin, Chad, Guinea- Bissau and Togo.

Four out of ten primary-age children in sub-Saharan Africa do not go to school, the report which examined the state of education in 49 countries between 1998-99, said. Only one child in 10 attended pre-primary education, with eastern and southern Africa accounting for 62 of children in pre-primary institutions, mainly private schools.

In half of the countries surveyed, 20 percent of primary school teachers had not received any training while there were 40 pupils per teacher. In Chad and Mali, along with Mozambique and Uganda, however, there were 60 pupils to a teacher.

"The educational challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa are considerable. Poverty, HIV/AIDS, war, civil conflicts and high population growth are major hurdles. One person in three is of primary or secondary school age," UNESCO reported.

The detailed report is available from http://www.unesco.org/statistics.