UNICEf's mission for education
UNICEF is deeply committed to creating a world in which all children, regardless of their gender, socio-economic background or circumstances, have access to free, compulsory and quality education. As education is often lacking due to resources or funding, a quality education is key in benefiting children, as shown in this video: Child Friendly Schools - Schools for Life. In education, UNICEF supports the Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3 to ensure that all children have access to and complete a full course of primary schooling, and to eliminate gender disparity in education by 2015. Other global goals echoing these commitments include the World Education Forum’s Dakar Framework for Action, which stresses the rights of girls, ethnic minorities and children in difficult circumstances; and the emphasis in A World Fit for Children on ensuring equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.
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UNICEF’s mandate to serve the most marginalized populations also focuses special attention on girls, who are the largest group excluded from education. UNICEF works to mobilize and provide resources to communities in need. In countries with low net enrolment rates for girls, programs are implemented to help governments formulate policies, procedures and practices that will significantly reduce the number of girls who are not in school. UNICEF also leads on the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), which is the Education for All flagship for girls’ education: a partnership of organizations committed to narrowing the gender gap in primary and secondary education.
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While UNICEF adapts its strategies to fit each situation, its interventions typically include outreach to identify excluded and at-risk girls and get them into school, policy support and technical assistance for governments and communities to improve access for those children who are hardest to reach or suffer most from discrimination, and programs to eliminate cultural, social and economic barriers to girls’ education. As part of its equity strategy, UNICEF is working on identifying the bottlenecks that inhibit school participation and to understand the complex profiles of out-of-school children that reflect the multiple deprivations and disparities they face in relation to education. The School Fee Abolition Initiative enables countries to take pioneering steps to eliminate fees and other costs to address economic barriers preventing children from accessing basic education. UNICEF also provides development and implementation support, promotes educational quality and helps countries prepare for and respond to crises, in order to ensure that affected children learn in safe, stable and gender-sensitive environments.
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To learn more, visit UNICEF's website for basic education and gender equality.