Microsoft Word - AMICS-29Jan2013 - Childinfo.org

School Readiness
Progress in schooling is often associated with cognitive abilities acquired at a young age.
Prior participation in integrated early childhood development programmes can play an
important role in a child s future education, because they shape children s attitudes towards
learning and help children to develop basic social skills. Attendance in pre-school education
in an organized learning or child education programme is important for achieving children s
school readiness. Table 10.2 shows the proportion of children in the first grade of primary
school in the 2010/2011 school year, who attended pre-school the previous school year.
Table 10.2: School readiness
Percentage of children attending first grade of primary school who attended preschool
the previous year, Afghanistan, 2010-2011
Percentage of children
attending first grade who
attended preschool in
previous year 1
Number of children
attending first grade of
primary school
Sex
Male 12.3 684
Female 13.1 525
Region
Central 19.1 255
Central Highlands 4.9 92
East 30.7 161
North 6.1 159
North East 6.7 217
South 9.7 36
South East 10.0 118
West 6.2 170
Residence
Urban 19.8 280
Rural 10.5 928
Mother's education
None 11.1 1,063
Primary 19.4 83
Secondary + 31.0 61
Wealth index quintile
Poorest 11.9 224
Second 10.1 200
Middle 8.2 220
Fourth 9.6 247
Richest 20.3 317
Total 12.7 1,208
1
MICS indicator 7.2
Overall, only 13% of children who were attending the first grade of primary school in the
2010/2011 school year were attending pre-school the previous school year. The proportion
of children in rural areas (11%) who had attended pre-school the previous year is almost
twice as low as children living in urban areas (20%). Regional differentials are also very
significant. First graders in the Central Highlands region are six times less likely (5%) to
attend pre-school than their counterparts living in the Eastern region (31%).
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