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Expanding Access to Education and Protection of at Risk Children

24.08.2016
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A project funded by the European Union (EU) and UNICEF five-year (2016-2020), to which the EU brought a grant of €30 million.

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Context of the project:

During the past few decades, Egypt made significant progress towards increasing school access and participation, especially among girls. However, due to the rapidly growing school-aged population, the number of out-of-school children is still substantial, especially in the deprived areas. In addition, children with special needs face many challenges to access education due to the inadequacy of the schools’ infrastructure, curricula and teaching practices.

The widespread use of violence as a socially acceptable disciplinary practice is one of the main issues affecting children’s safety and wellbeing in Egypt. The 2014 Egyptian demographic health survey showed that 93% of children aged 1-14 have been exposed to violent disciplinary practices. Girls are particularly vulnerable to various forms of abuse such as FGM/C and child marriage. In addition, there are 16,019 street children.

Objectives:

This EU funded project has the following specific objectives:

  • To scale up the community schools model and improve access of out of school children to primary education for the most disadvantaged children.

  • To support the inclusion of children with disability in the education system.

  • To support the Government of Egypt in operationalizing the Child Law and the provisions of the constitution related to the protection of children.

Accomplishments:

  • Eight Governorates were identified in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to be supported through the project.  

  • To support the implementation of the project at the governorate level, 58 NGOs were identified, out of which five national and international NGOs were selected and contracted.

  • A total of 663 community school sites in Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Fayoum, Alexandria and Behaira. The new community schools will provide access to 16,575 out-of-school children.

  • To allow access for children with mild disabilities in mainstream schools, 55 schools in Alexandria, Gharbia, Matrouh, and Sohag governorates were selected so as to provide quality inclusive education. Preparation has started through rehabilitation activities, supplies provision, and workforce improvement. To sustain their efforts, performance improvement centers were established and equipped in Alexandria and Sohag. The centers will take the lead in training a cluster of surrounding schools.

  • The project supports the National Task Force on Ending Violence Against Children as well as the National Council for Children and Motherhood by strengthening their capapcity and service coverage with a view to end all forms of violence against children in Egypt.

  • Overall the project is leading in large-scale advocacy and communication multimedia campaigns related to children’s rights, child protection, and education.

 

 

Project category
Multisector
Editorial sections
Egypt