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An estimated of 6 million school children may drop out by the year 2026, as per a report by UNICEF. The reason is cut down of funding by the global contributors.
UNICEF’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) of education projected a cut of USD 3.2 billion worldwide resulting cut of school children from 272 million to 278 million.
Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director said, “Every dollar cut from education is not just a budgetary decision, it’s a child’s future hanging in the balance.”
“Education, especially in emergency settings, often serves as a lifeline, connecting children to essential services like health, protection, and nutrition. It also provides the strongest opportunity for a child to escape poverty and build a better life,” she said.
The analysts say West and Central Africa faces the sharpest impact, with 1.9 million children at risk of losing out, while the Middle East and North Africa could see an additional 1.4 million out-of-school children, alongside major rollbacks in all other regions.
Nearly 28 countries are projected to lose at least a quarter of the education assistance they rely on for pre-primary, primary, and secondary schooling. Among them, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali face some of the greatest risks, with enrolment at risk of declining by 4 per cent.
Around the world primary education system will be affected to the greatest impact and those drop out children face in their life-time earnings.
Some of the lower income countries will not able to make evidence-based plans, adequately support teacher development, and monitor learning outcomes.
This means that even children who remain in school could see their learning suffer, with at least 290 million students across all regions projected to face a decline in quality of education.
UNICEF urges donor and partner countries to act no to protect education by funding.
“Investing in children’s education is one of the best investments in the future – for everyone. Countries do better when their children are educated and healthy, and it contributes to a more stable and prosperous world,” said Russell.
