NMICS 2010 Report - Central Bureau of Statistics

NMICS 2010, Mid- and Far Western RegionsAuxiliary Nurse Midwife), and almost the same percentage (30 percent) of deliveries took place in ahealth facility. The majority (95 percent) of women who received no antenatal care visits deliveredat home; however, almost half (49 percent) of women who attended four or more antenatal carevisits also delivered at home.In the two years preceding the survey, almost three fifths (59 percent) of women aged 15–49 yearsin the MFWR with a non-institutional live birth in the two years preceding the survey reported thattheir newborn was dried before the placenta was delivered and 88 percent reported that theirnewborn was wrapped in a separate cloth after drying. However, one third (34 percent) of womenreported that their newborn was bathed within one hour of birth, and only 36 percent waited therecommended 24 hours before bathing their newborn.Child developmentAround one third (32 percent) of children aged 36–59 months in the MFWR were attending earlychildhood education at the time of the survey. In addition, 71 percent had engaged with an adulthousehold member in four or more activities that promote learning and school readiness during thethree days preceding the survey, with an average number of 4.4 activities. Some 43 percent ofchildren had engaged with their father in one or more activities, with an average number of 0.8activities. Only five percent of children under five in the MFWR lived in a household with at leastthree children’s books, and only one in 1,000 lived in a household with 10 or more children’s books.Some 55 percent had two or more types of playthings. Leaving children alone or in the presence ofother young children is known to increase the risk of accidents. Around half (51 percent) of underfiveswere left with inadequate care in the week preceding the survey, with 32 percent left aloneand 42 percent left in the care of children aged less than 10 years.The Early Child Development Index (ECDI) represents the percentage of children who aredevelopmentally on track in at least three of four domains (literacy–numeracy, physical, socioemotionaland learning). Some 58 percent of children aged 36–59 months in the MFWR weredevelopmentally on track as indicated by the ECDI. The low level for literacy–numeracy (18 percent)might be attributed to limited access to early childhood education opportunities in these regions.Education and literacyAround three quarters (74 percent) of women aged 15–24 years in the MFWR were literate.Attendance in an organized early childhood education programme is important for the readiness ofchildren for school. Seventy-two percent of children in the MFWR who were currently attendingGrade 1 had attended preschool in the previous year. Some 73 percent of children of primary schoolage were attending primary school or higher. However, only 56 percent of children of secondaryschool age were attending secondary school or higher.The Gender Parity Index (GPI), which measures the school attendance ratio of girls to boys, was 0.99at primary school level, indicating that girls and boys in the MFWR attend primary school at aboutthe same rate. However, secondary school GPI dropped to 0.90, indicating that fewer girls than boysattend secondary school.Child protectionSlightly more than two fifths (42 percent) of children under five had been birth registered with civilauthorities in the MFWR, despite 73 percent of children having a mother/caretaker who knew howto register a birth.‘Child labour’ is defined as work that exceeds a minimum number of hours, depending on the age ofthe child and the type of work. Overall, 44 percent of children aged 5–14 years in the MFWR wereinvolved in child labour. Some 51 percent of children aged 5–11 years were involved in child labour19