MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL 2:ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION

Target 2.A: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will

be able to complete a full course of primary schooling

Enrolment in primary education in developing regions reached 90 per cent in 2010, up from 82 per cent in 1999, which means more kids than ever are attending primary school.

In 2011, 57 million children of primary school age were out of school.

Even as countries with the toughest challenges have made large strides, progress on primary school enrolment has slowed. Between 2008 and 2011, the number of out-of-school children of primary age fell by only 3 million.

Globally, 123 million youth (aged 15 to 24) lack basic reading and writing skills. 61 per cent of them are young women.

Gender gaps in youth literacy rates are also narrowing. Globally, there were 95 literate young women for every 100 young men in 2010, compared with 90 women in 1990.

Progress

Too many children are still denied their right to primary education. Between 2000 and 2011, the number of children out of school declined by almost half—from 102 million to 57 million. However, progress in reducing the number of children out of school has slowed considerably over time. Stalled progress means that the world is unlikely to meet the target of universal primary education by 2015.

Progress (cont.)

The poorest children are most likely to be out of school. Children and adolescents from the poorest households are at least three times more likely to be out of school than children from the richest households. Girls are more likely to be out of school than boys among both primary and lower secondary age groups, even for girls living in the richest households.

Progress (cont.)

Poorest 20% Richest 20% Poorest 20% Richest 20%0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

BoysGirls

Primary School Age Lower Secondary School Age

Percent of children not in school by household wealth

If current trends continue, the world will not meet the goal of universal primary education by

2015

One in four children who enter primary school will probably leave before reaching the last grade

Sources http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/education.shtml http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/report-2013/

mdg-report-2013-english.pdf https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+afric

an+children+in+school&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a