International Day Of The African Child 2023
AWLA is wishing all the African Children HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD and enjoins them to focus on education and prioritise it. Give education 90% attention. Give it your best and you’ll be glad you did!!!
The International Day of the African Child is commemorated on June 16 annually since 1991 to honour the young South African students in Soweto who were ambushed and massacred by the Police on 16 June 1976 for daring to protest against education injustice and inequality in the apartheid regime.
Despite this monumental sacrifice, the African Child is still denied education
With 244 million girls and boys, between 6 and 18 years, worldwide out of school in 2021 of which 118.5 million were girls and 125.5 million were boys.Almost 100 million of them are in sub-Saharan Africa.
AIM
The Day of the African Child is aimed at celebrating the children of Africa, promoting their rights, inspire reflection and action towards addressing the challenges they face on a daily basis.
THE 2023 THEME
“The Rights of the Child in the Digital Environment.” this apt and in season considering the global shift to Digital Environment. In order not to leave anyone behind it is indeed pertinent to note the importance of information technology and the need to equip the African Child and protect their right to quality education.
WORRISOME STATISTICS
It’s worrisome to note:
1. In 2019, 34 million children in primary education age in Africa were not enrolled in school. This number decreased from 45 million in 2000. On the other hand, the number of adolescents and young people not enrolled at the secondary level increased March 2023
2. Over 400 million children are currently living on the African continent – and the number is rising. The United Nations estimates that Africa’s population will double to 2.4 billion by 2050. That’s one quarter of the world’s population
3. “10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, which is the highest rate in the world. The figure indicates that one-third of Nigerian children are not in school, and one in five out-of-school children in the world is a Nigerian.”24 Jan 2022
4. The figures in Nigeria have oscillated between 10.5 million and around 15 million for more than a decade, with the situation growing worse due to the degenerating security situation in the country.
Download full address here AWLA DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD 2023
