Revealed: What affects most children in schools

Most children in Africa feel unsafe at school, despite education being the most important thing in their lives, a new survey has revealed.

According to a new survey released by ChildFund Alliance, a child development organization, of the over 6,000 children aged between 10 and 12 years polled in 41 countries, over a third including 1.6 per cent from Kenya feel unsafe at school.

The findings revealed that learning is not as accessible and safe as it should be, in spite of 98 per cent saying that education is important to them.

The ChildFund Alliance Secretary-General Meg Gardinier said children are worried about issues ranging from unsafe facilities, disaster protocols and lockdown, weapons, drugs and bullying.

“These are not issues children should have to contemplate. School should be about learning, not about fears for their personal safety,” she said.

Ms Gardinier, said insecurity at school remains a great concern, as safety is a prerequisite for learning.

She said, despite these challenges, 45 per cent of those polled said education can help them get better jobs, while nearly a quarter are confident it will make them better people.

The children, however, when asked about solutions, 43 per cent of all respondents said they would feel safe at school if security measures existed to keep students protected from harm.

She said these figures do not vary between developing or developed countries.

“The number of children and young people not attending school has almost halved since the turn of the century and in most countries, there are now as many girls as boys in primary school,” she said.