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A new index ranking how well-prepared children are to succeed in school puts Chad last among 100 countries studied, followed by Afghanistan, Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali.
Save the Children compiled the index by evaluating primary school-aged children not attending school, under-five survival, Grade 1 repetition, female literacy and female fertility.
In the bottom five countries 20 percent of children do not reach age five, and those who do often suffer cognitive and physical impairments limiting their productivity and development, according to the report, “State of the World’s Mothers 2009: Investing in the Early Years”.
Of the bottom 31 countries, 20 are experiencing armed conflict, emerging from conflict or hosting large refugee populations.
Following Cuba and Armenia at the top of the index are Cyprus, Chile and Azerbaijan.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
