I am in contact with Juan from UNICEF in Bolivia. Here are some Issues related to excellence and equity in the early childhood field.
Fifity per cent of children aged under 1 and 12 per cent of children aged from 0-9 years old lack a birth certificate. The causes of this lack of registry are of an economic and cultural character: the cost of obtaining a birth certificate is high, and there is a lack of information on the benefits of registering children. A child whose birth is not registered does not exist in the eyes of the state and therefore does not have access to the basic services and rights guaranteed by law.
An estimated 616,000 children and adolescents work. These children prematurely have to assume responsibilities which do not correspond to their age, and frequently are exploited at work. Also, work impedes many children from attending school. Only 39 per cent of working children continue their schooling, while 4.3 per cent have never gone to school.
It's amazing to mentally compare what we're so used to here in the US to the depiction of Bolivia that you provided this week. The number of children and adolescents that work and take on adult responsibilities is astounding, which would absolutely affect their ability and availability to attend school and receive an education.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin