Formal Education for out-of-school children in Comoros

Created On March 20, 2024 Last Modified On March 24, 2024

Country Context:

The Comoros archipelago, comprising four islands, has been marred by political, institutional, and economic crises over the past decade, leading to political instability and deteriorating living standards. While remittances have helped alleviate poverty for many households, the country still grapples with widespread poverty, with a significant portion of the population living below the poverty line of US$1.25 per day. This dire economic situation poses a significant challenge to ensuring the right to education for all children. Recent reports indicate that approximately 25,000 children aged 6-11 are not attending school, and even among enrolled children, there's a concerning trend of declining completion rates and a high repetition rate of 19%.

Solution

The project aims to provide formal education for out-of-school children (OOSC) in Comoros by 2017. It consisted of three components: expanding access and enhancing retention, fostering demand for school enrollment, and strengthening sector management. Specific target groups included children aged 6-7 who had never attended school, those aged 8-9 above legal admission age and have never been to school, and children aged 10-11 who have dropped out, mainly focusing on girls who are victims of violence. The project involved constructing or refurbishing classrooms, training volunteer teachers, and conducting community outreach.

Impact

In 2012, the Comoros Country Status Report on education highlighted the plight of 25,000 compulsory school-age children who were not accessing education. The project aimed to address this by providing educational opportunities to these out-of-school children across the three islands of the Union of Comoros. Overall project management yielded satisfactory results, with the construction or refurbishment of 161 classrooms and enrollment of 96.7% of the targeted out-of-school children, demonstrating significant progress towards improving access to education in the country.