L’Express of Madagascar – page 25

SPECIAL EDICTION FROM DECEMBER 2011 FROM THE DAILY EDITION

“Erosion of Education” by Michella RAHARISOA

All of the indicators are in red in the educational sector. The number of non-educated children is increasing. Furthermore, the quality of their education is left to be desired.

A report published by the World Bank before the crisis mentions the significant advances realized in the fields of education and the increased rate of education forms part of these improvements. But the current political crisis has decreases all of these achievements.The number of non educated children is constantly growing. Between the school years of 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 the number passed from 260,500 to 399,362 to arrive, in 2010/2011, as far as 450,000(as per UNICEF). The rate of achievement in the primary school system is also falling in the realm of 5.3% (as per the Ministry of Education)

This decline is caused, in part, by the budget restrictions, politic adapted by the government since the suspension of budget aid. After the reading carried out by UNICEF on the budget outline in August 2011, the investment for education decreased from 164.8 billion Ariary in 2008, to 28.9 billion Ariary in 2012. The support of parents is also at the bare minimum.
“In 2010, all primary public schools did not benefit from the -school treasury- intended to lighten the parental responsibility for the education of their children.” reports UNICEF. This situation does nothing but aggravate the rate of abandonment of education. Some children drop out of school because their parents can’t financially afford their studies.

The degradation of the educational sector is also marked by the fall of the quality of education. In July 2011, UNICEF didn’t hold back their concerns. “Madagascar is at risk of not reaching the Millennium Objectives for development. Number two is aimed at ensuring that each child is on their way to completely finishing the primary cycle. However they are facing the current progressive erosion of the sector.”