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Formal primary education
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Expanding Access to Primary Education
Based on current estimates, unless more is done, there will still be more than 29 million children who do not go to school in 2015. Germany works pro-actively in a range of areas in the partner countries in order to ensure that more children benefit from primary education. As part of this process, the aim is to increase school enrolment rates so that the "Education for All" objective can be achieved by 2015.
In the last 30 years, school enrolment rates worldwide have risen substantially. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the number of primary school children worldwide increased from around 300 million to almost 700 million between 1970 and 2006. In the mid-1960s, only 50 per cent of children in developing countries started school; in 2006, the average enrolment rate stood at 86 per cent. The regional disparities are still substantial, however. Most sub-Saharan African countries still have school enrolment rates of around 70 per cent. The figures for the majority of Arab countries of around 84 per cent. In the Latin American/Caribbean region 94 per cent of children are enrolled in school.
Improving infrastructure
Building, renovating and expanding schools are key elements in Germany's programme of promoting primary education in developing countries. Girls in particular benefit from a denser network of schools as many of them are not allowed to attend schools some distance away from their homes, due to parents' concern for their safety. School facilities and equipment – sanitation, furnishings, blackboards, books and other teaching/learning materials – are upgraded.
Incentives to increase school attendance
One of the most effective ways of increasing school attendance rates is to reduce the costs of schooling. Education grants in the form of subsidies, school funds, education vouchers or scholarships can also bring more children into school.
In order to offer a greater incentive for school attendance and ensure that children remain in school for a longer time, additional services such as medical care or school meals for pupils are also provided. A study in India has revealed that school attendance among girls increases by 15 percentage points if the local school provides them with lunch.
Involving parents
Germany supports the participation of parents and communities in its initiatives to promote primary education. Experience has shown that parents' involvement can motivate parents to enrol their children, especially girls, in school even if they did not receive any schooling themselves.
In Guatemala, for example, German Financial Cooperation has provided support for the Guatemalan Government's strategy to involve parents and communities in school education on a comprehensive basis. The parents organise themselves in education committees that are responsible for school administration, for hiring teachers, paying their salaries and monitoring their performance. The state provides the necessary funding.
In many countries parents are also actively involved in structural measures carried out in schools – for example by helping with construction work or donating materials or cash. That way they are able to identify more strongly with the school and feel responsible for keeping it in good condition.
Eradicating child labour
The International Labour Organization (ILO) campaigns worldwide to make school attendance children's main activity. Germany supports the ILO's campaign against child labour and is working pro-actively for the worldwide ratification of the ILO Convention on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour. Since the early 1990s, German development cooperation has also supported the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). IPEC now operates in more than 80 countries and supports governments in implementing strategies to eradicate child labour.
However, legislation banning child labour does not apply to the large number of children who work for or with their parents. Through financial subsidies to cover the loss of the child's earnings, many children can be given the opportunity to attend school. This approach has been adopted in Brazil, where families with children have been given income support, through a nationwide programme, if each child attends at least 90 per cent of classes.
