UNICEF backs campaign to send children to school

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is backing a major initiative to encourage more children in southern Sudan, a vast region emerging from decades of civil war, to go to school. The "Go To School" campaign was launched on Saturday in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan. Its goal is to double the number of children attending primary school during the course of the school year, which began on Monday, UNICEF said in a statement. "Beyond the waters of the Nile, oil and minerals, Southern Sudan has a precious - an infinite - natural resource: the minds, the determination and the potential of her people, especially her children," Rima Salah, the UNICEF deputy executive director, said at the launch of the campaign. Southern Sudan's education system was ruined by civil war, which ended with the signing of a peace agreement between the former rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Sudanese government in early 2005. UNICEF estimated that only 22 percent of 2.2 million school-age children are enrolled in primary school. There are four times more boys than girls in school, and only about 1 percent of girls complete primary education. About 8,600 teachers, the majority of whom are untrained volunteers, cover approximately 2,000 schools. Many of these "schools" consist of little more than a blackboard propped under a tree. During the campaign, more than 3.8 million textbooks and teachers' guides and basic school supplies for up to 1.6 million children will be delivered to schools all over southern Sudan, according to UNICEF. More than 1,500 new classrooms will be constructed, and accelerated training is underway for teachers and classroom facilitators. Survey teams are compiling a comprehensive list of all schools in the region - including the most informal - for planning purposes and to know how many children are attending class, UNICEF said. The government of southern Sudan is leading the effort, with the support of donors, UN agencies, NGOs and communities. About US $22 million has been received so far, with a similar amount still required to complete the targets for 2006.