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4 out of every 10 children not enrolled in pre-primary education: UNICEF

April 10, 2019 4:42 pm

UNICEF reveals that about four in every 10 children in the Pacific are not enrolled in pre-primary school.

This contributes to the more than 175 million children – around half of pre-primary-age children globally – not enrolled in pre-primary education.

UNICEF says failure to participate in pre-primary programmes puts children at a disadvantage from the start.

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Access to pre-primary education varies in Pacific countries, where some countries are making good progress to increase enrolment, including Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and the Federated States of Micronesia.

UNICEF Pacific Representative, Sheldon Yett says pre-primary schooling is children’s educational foundation – every stage of education that follows relies on its success.

He says In the Pacific, progress has been made and more children than ever before are enrolled in pre-primary education.

However, Yett adds the most vulnerable are still denied this opportunity and this increases their risk of repeating grades or dropping out of school altogether.