(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Unicef and Educate A Child (EAC), a programme of Qatar's Education Above All Foundation, have launched the project Operation Come-To-School to accelerate access to education for children in the most remote areas of Kenya. It seeks to reach 300,000 children in Kenya by 2018.
Operation Come-To-School is in line with the Kenya ministry of education's 2014-2018 National Education Sector Programme that seeks to accelerate access to education for the most marginalised children. EAC has been a partner of Unicef since 2012.
Kenya has nearly 1.5mn children, aged 6-13 years old, who are out of school due to poverty, child marriage and gender-related cultural practices.
The programme will focus on improving demand for education to increase school enrollment and attendance; improving school facilities, including construction of classrooms, solar lighting and sanitation facilities; strengthening in-school teaching and the learning process through a child-friendly school approach; providing mobile schools and alternative basic education so that nomadic children can access education and strengthening county education systems.
"This agreement with Unicef Kenya, represents an important additional milestone to our efforts to ensure every out of schoolchild in Kenya is given the opportunity to a basic education," said Dr Mary Joy Pigozzi, director of EAC, adding: "Operation Come-To-School builds on our existing successful partnerships in Kenya with the Girl Child Network and UNHCR, which have enrolled almost 68,000 out of school children."
EAC's Operation Come-To-School will help out of schoolchildren in the arid and semi-arid lands of Wajir, Garissa, West Pokot, Turkana, Kajiado and Marsabit, together with those in informal urban settlements (Nairobi and Mombasa) the one coastal island of Lamu.
"Unicef is committed to supporting the Kenya to ensure that out of school children are not denied one of their most basic human rights, the right to education," said Pirkko Heinonen, acting interim representative for Unicef in Kenya. "We are delighted to partner with the EAC to make sure children out of school in Kenya can access education wherever they live."
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.