{"id":76468,"date":"2023-01-25T00:53:40","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T00:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africannewspaper.net\/2023\/01\/25\/united-nations-educational-scientific-and-cultural-organization-unesco-and-united-nations-international-childrens-emergency-fund-unicef-call-for-urgent-action-on-regional-learning-crisis-on-the\/"},"modified":"2023-01-25T00:53:51","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T00:53:51","slug":"united-nations-educational-scientific-and-cultural-organization-unesco-and-united-nations-international-childrens-emergency-fund-unicef-call-for-urgent-action-on-regional-learning-crisis-on-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africannewspaper.net\/2023\/01\/25\/united-nations-educational-scientific-and-cultural-organization-unesco-and-united-nations-international-childrens-emergency-fund-unicef-call-for-urgent-action-on-regional-learning-crisis-on-the\/","title":{"rendered":"United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) call for urgent action on regional learning crisis on the International Day of Education 2023 – African Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\u201cToday we strongly urge governments across Eastern and Southern Africa to turn high-level commitments made at last September\u2019s Transforming Education Summit (TES) into concrete action to support the millions of children waiting for their education to be prioritized. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe acknowledge countries progress and steady efforts to relentlessly strengthen their education systems and adjust to changing times, however the numbers are sobering; some 41 million children are out of school across Eastern and Southern Africa. For too long business as usual has prevailed, resulting in underfunded schools, underpaid and underqualified teachers, overcrowded classrooms and outdated curricula, undermining children\u2019s ability to reach their potential.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only do children need to be in school, but they need to be learning effectively when they are there. Sub-Saharan Africa is the least proficient in reading comprehension. Only one in ten 10-year-olds in this region can read and comprehend a simple text. This is despite the fact that many of these children live in extreme and prolonged crises and are the most vulnerable to learning poverty. Children need support to recover from learning loss. This can be done by transforming how education systems reach them, including investment in teaching innovation, curriculum reform, early learning, and psychosocial support. Primary focus must be on building children\u2019s foundational literacy and numeracy, making sure they actually learn how to read and write so they start their learning journey independently.<\/p>\n