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Dubai: Over six million children in the Arab world are currently not enrolled in primary education - one of the most fundamental rights of a child, according to a UN education official.
As the issue of primary education came to the fore with the launch of Dubai Cares by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dr Malak Zaalouk, Unicef's regional education adviser, said that pursuing an education is the right of every child.
According to Unicef, of the over 100 million children worldwide not in the primary education system, more than 55 per cent are girls, who, when denied an education, are more vulnerable to poverty, hunger, violence, abuse and exploitation.
Economic reasons
"There are numerous economic and other reasons to make sure that children receive an education, but fundamentally it is a child's right. It's like breathing and eating - a basic right," Dr Malak told Gulf News via telephone from Amman, also stressing the importance of providing quality education.
"We should not stop at simply providing education - it is important to have a strategic vision of how to improve quality as well."
With greater awareness about the importance of education worldwide an aim of Dubai Cares, Dr Malak highlighted the need for people to understand that entire communities have to be on board for education efforts to really be effective. Supporting educators - one of the goals of the initiative, is also vital for the system to truly work, she said.
"You have to have a system that will give educators enough support, funding and institutional back-up. Governments, international agencies and philanthropic initiatives have to make sure there is also enough funding to support the educators."
With education one of the keys to breaking the cycle of poverty, Dr Malak said that the one of the main reasons that children are unable to attend school is because of limited resources.
Some of the poorest nations in the region, including Djibouti, Yemen and Sudan, are among the countries with the highest numbers of children not attending schools. According to Unicef, in Djibouti only 30 per cent of girls go to primary school and 41 per cent in Yemen.
"The situation is improving, but there is a long way to go. There are many countries that have an issue with access [to education], but most countries in the region have an issue with quality, which has to be focused on to combat the big dropout rate."
How to help
To contribute to Dubai Cares send donations to: National Bank of Dubai account number 01 51 777567
For further information log on to dubaicares.ae or call 800 77800
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