Reaching the marginalized: EFA global monitoring report, 2010; 2010

REACHING THE MARGINALIZEDGetting left behindin Ethiopia did not significantly affect schoolenrolment, the death of a mother reducedenrolment among both boys and girls by around20% and disrupted attendance by enrolled children(Himaz, 2009).Stigmatization and institutionalized discriminationoften reinforce education disadvantages associatedwith HIV and AIDS. In Thailand, a qualitative studyfound that those with HIV were denied admissionto school, in violation of national laws. Educatorsexpressed concern that other parents would reactnegatively to the enrolment of HIV-positive students(Save the Children UK, 2006). To some degree,discriminatory school practices hold up a mirrorto society. One large household survey in Indiaindicated that 58% of women and 43% of men fromhouseholds not affected by HIV and AIDS would notsend their children to a school with an HIV-positivechild (Loudon et al., 2007). The same survey foundthat stigma was a major reason for dropout. Youngchildren reported losing interest in their studies,becoming depressed and dropping out becauseof taunts by peers, while adult caregivers reportedthat stigma and discrimination by teachers werethe major educational barrier.One effect of stigmatization is to force HIV andAIDS underground. In a study examining theeducational needs of HIV-positive learners inNamibia and the United Republic of Tanzania,every HIV-positive child interviewed cited experienceof the negative consequences of disclosure andemphasized greater safety in silence (UNESCOand EduSector AIDS Response Trust, 2008). Suchfears can be well founded. In Brazil and Haiti,teens infected with HIV reported experiencingviolence and fighting among their peers in schoolas a response to their HIV-positive status(Abada-Barrerío and Castro, 2006; Loudon, 2006).Governments’ failure to respond with sufficienturgency to the threat posed by HIV and AIDS ineducation is often part of the problem. While therehas been an increase in the number of orphanedchildren able to access school thanks to publicpolicy interventions, much needs to be done.A survey of eighteen national education plans insub-Saharan Africa that have been developed since2005 found that just ten had specific strategies forchildren affected by HIV and AIDS, and that onlyEthiopia, Kenya, Namibia and Rwanda includeddetailed integrated strategies (UNESCO-IIEP, 2009).To failures in policy planning can be added a morewidespread failure by political leaders to lead publicawareness campaigns aimed at challengingmisperceptions and overcoming stigmatization.One policy response to stigmatization has been toprotect learners by not identifying their HIV status,but this can have unfortunate results. In Namibia,it has led to an absence of information on how manylearners are HIV-positive, and hence a lack of specialarrangements or allowances for them (UNESCOand EduSector AIDS Response Trust, 2008).ConclusionIdentifying the underlying causes of marginalizationin education is a step towards the development ofpolicies aimed at equalizing opportunity. Childrendo not choose the circumstances into which they areborn. Yet the wealth of their parents, and their owngender, ethnicity or language can greatly influencetheir achievement in education and beyond.This chapter has highlighted the interactionof poverty and social attitudes in creatingdisadvantages that limit opportunities for education,restrict mobility and perpetuate marginalization.What happens in the education systems is criticalbecause schooling can act either as a great levelleror as a driver of disadvantage. But overcomingmarginalization in education requires policiesthat target wider problems rooted in poverty,stigmatization and unequal power relationships.There are no policy blueprints. Marginalizedpeople across the world share many experiencesin common. By the same token, the circumstancesthat shape these experiences are highly varied.This is true even within countries. For example, thefactors that drive the marginalization in educationamong pastoralists in northern Kenya are verydifferent than those driving marginalization inNairobi’s slums. Poverty is a near universal sourceof extreme disadvantage in education, thoughpoverty does not operate in isolation. The povertyrelateddisadvantages experienced by young girlsor ethnic minorities are reinforced by socialattitudes that undermine self-confidence and lowerthe perceived value of education. These differencesmatter because successful interventions againstmarginalization have to tackle specific underlyingcauses that may be missed by blanket interventions.The ultimate goal for education policy is to create anenvironment in which effort and talent, rather thanpre-determined circumstances, determine learningachievements and life-chances. The next part of thischapter explores routes for attaining this goal.Teens in Braziland Haiti reportedexperiencingviolence at schooldue to theirHIV-positive status185