Chapter 2. Progress towards the EFA goals - Unesco

PROGRESS TOWARDS THE EFA GOALS
Early childhood care and education
poor guide to deprivation. Guatemala is not one
of the world’s poorest countries, but it has one
of the highest levels of child stunting. Almost half
of the country’s children are malnourished – and
in parts of rural Guatemala, where the population
is largely Mayan, the figure reaches 80%. Over
the past two years, drought and high food prices
have made things worse. But the underlying
problem is extreme inequality in wealth
distribution, allied to the failure of government
to mobilize resources for social protection.
Nutritional indicators have been deteriorating
in many countries over the past two years.
World agricultural prices rose sharply in the
two years to 2008, affecting all major traded
food staples. While prices have since fallen, they
have stabilized at levels far higher than they were
before 2007. Effects at the national level have
varied considerably, depending on the incidence
of poverty and dependence on food imports.
However, higher food prices have almost certainly
stalled global progress in cutting malnutrition.
Recent estimates from the Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations suggest that
the number of malnourished people in the world
increased from 848 million in 2005 to 963 million
in 2008, largely because of rising food prices
(FAO, 2008). Another 44 million people may
have been pushed into malnutrition during 2008
(Commission on Growth and Development, 2008).
The damage inflicted by higher food prices has
been unevenly spread. Outcomes depend on
whether households are net sellers or buyers
of food, on access to savings or credit and on
current nutritional status. For people living below
the international poverty threshold of $1.25 a day,
many of whom spend 50% to 70% of their income
on food, higher food prices pose a stark choice:
eat less or decrease spending in other areas
(von Braun, 2008; World Bank, 2008a). Landless
rural households, low-income urban groups and
female-headed households have been among
the hardest hit. Many have cut already inadequate
diets and switched from protein-rich foods to
cheaper coarse cereals (Hauenstein Swan et al.,
2009; von Braun, 2008). In Bangladesh, where
rice and wheat prices almost doubled in 2007,
it is estimated that a 50% increase in the price
of food staples increases the prevalence of iron
deficiency among women and children by 25%
(Bouis, 2008).
Figure 2.2: Low birth weight sets the scene for lifelong disadvantage
Average % of infants with low birth weight, selected regions, 2000–2007 1
% of infants with low birth weight
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
East Asia/
Pacific
Latin America/
Caribbean
Middle East/
North Africa
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Notes: Regions presented are those used by UNICEF, which differ to some extent from
the EFA regions. Low birth weight is defined as less than 2.5 kilograms.
1. Data are for the most recent year available during the period specified.
Source: UNICEF (2008b).
Short-term distress in the form of rising malnutrition
will have long-term consequences for education.
As more children experience episodes of
malnutrition in early childhood their prospects for
learning will be diminished. At the same time, rising
pressure on household budgets will have wider
consequences as poor parents are forced to adjust
household budgets. There is evidence from
Bangladesh, Jamaica and Kenya of households
cutting education spending to accommodate higher
food prices (Hossain et al., 2009; World Bank, 2008e).
High food prices have not been the only cause
of rising malnutrition. In northern Sri Lanka,
300,000 people were displaced by conflict in 2009.
It is estimated that about 13% of the displaced
were children under 5. A survey covering six of
the thirteen camps for displaced people found
that one in four children was malnourished and
one in three was moderately or severely stunted
(Jayatissa, 2009). Failure to adequately protect
these children raises wider issues of humanitarian
concern. But the consequences for education will
also be severe.
South
Asia
Maternal health — critical, but neglected
The health of newborn children – critical for later
educational chances – is intimately related to
the health of their mothers. Women who are
malnourished and suffering from micronutrient
deficiency face far higher risks during pregnancy
and childbirth, and are more likely to give birth to
underweight babies. Restricted growth of the foetus
during pregnancy is a major risk factor for maternal
health and child survival – and is likely to lead to
future educational disadvantage.
Short-term
distress in the
form of rising
malnutrition will
have long-term
consequences
for education
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