6 May 2008
Maputo — The current world food crisis presents a serious challenge to education in Africa, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Koichiro Matsuura, has warned.
Speaking at the Eighth Biennial of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), under way in Maputo, Matsuura said that children need adequate food if they are to study. A shortage of foodstuffs could lead to a reduction in the number of children who enroll, or who remain at school.
Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, girls are the first to drop out of school, either because their families lack the resources for them to continue studying, or because they are called upon to support their parents in productive activities to sustain the household.
Matsuura stressed that "education is a human right", and governments must invest in it so that the path can be opened to other social and economic goals.
His words on the food crisis echoed the warning given last week by a spokesperson of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Veronique Taveau, speaking in Geneva, who said that rising food prices could lead many families in poor countries to stop sending their children to school
"Increasing food prices will oblige families to reduce their budgets, cut expenses on schooling, pull their children out of school, and put them to work", she predicted.
Faced with this danger, Matsuura urged African countries to maintain their commitment to the promotion of education, and dedicate sufficient funds to their education budgets.
Recognising that many African countries run substantial budget deficits, he recommended greater commitment to seeking specific partnerships with NGOs, private institutions, and foreign donors for developing education at all levels.
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