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UNICEF Report Details Effects of Syrian Civil War on Children

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The Syrian Civil War has displaced more than two million refugees, putting an immense burden on the infrastructure—educational and otherwise—of many of its neighbors. A new UNICEF report, issued on 13 December, 2013, describes the impact of the civil war on children as well as education within Syria itself.

UNICEF reports that since 2011 almost three million children from Syria have had to quit school as their families have been displaced or their schools destroyed. There are now nearly twice as many children in Syria aged 5 to 17 years old out of school as there are attending, and the numbers are hardly better for the displaced refugee population. 80 per cent of school-age Syrian children are out of school in Lebanon, 66 per cent in Iraq, 63 per cent in Turkey.

The civil war has destroyed what was a successful public school system in Syria. “Before the crisis began in March 2011, Syria could point to a healthy record in basic education. An estimated 97 per cent of primary-age children were attending school, as were 67 per cent of secondary-age children,” the report said. Syria’s literacy rate also surpassed the regional average and was on a par with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, higher than Egypt’s or Iraq’s.

The report concludes with four key recommendations:

  • Long-term planning for the education of displaced Syrian children, including the “development and implementation of innovative education policies and models that reflect the presence of Syrian children as an enduring reality.”
  • Host countries must be supported and international investment doubled—international appeals for funding have reached only 62 per cent of their goal this year.
  • Scale up success and innovation. Certain programs like transferable certification for Syrian refugees, and volunteer instruction in Arabic have proven effective ways to help displaced students resume their education.
  • End the devastation of Syria’s education infrastructure — “an estimated 4,000 schools have been destroyed, damaged or turned into shelters for displaced people,” says the report.

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Private Equity Firms Have Their Eye on Africa

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SAM_0628A rapidly emerging middle class is becoming prominent in Africa. Due to this shift in social demographic, schools in countries such as Nigeria are preparing themselves for a new influx of students willing to pay their way towards attaining a quality education.

Curro Serengeti Academy in Johannesburg opened just over a year ago, and is already targeting 2,000 pupils in the next decade from around 900 now, building a huge auditorium and classroom extensions.

A growing demand for private schools like Curro Serengeti from a burgeoning African middle class is creating the conditions ideal for private equity deals in the continent’s education sector. Firms specializing in private equity can expect handsome returns of anywhere between 25 to 30 percent, if they manage to take up a long-term investment of up to 12 years and adjust to possible shifts in legislation unscathed.

Development Partners International is one company with their eye on the continent. It is currently working on two opportunities in the sector, partner Eduardo Gutierrez said. Additionally, emerging markets firm Actis, which has made investments in Chinese and Brazilian education companies, is also considering investment in the continent.

“Education is a really important sector for us globally,” said Simon Harford, its co-head for Africa. “Education in Africa needs to be funded and developed and advanced and we would love to play a part in that.”

 When asked, a senior private equity executive stated, “There are a lot of rich people in Nigeria, in Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Accra, who would like their children to get a great education.”

For those who are earning upwards of $5,000 per year, education is a high ranking obligation. Therefore, many private equity firms are catching on to this gap in the market and are coming forward to offer their expertise. “If we had the right partner we could put up 20 great private schools in African capitals in three years,” the executive continued.

Yet, investing in African educational endeavors can justifiably be viewed as a risky pursuit. Firstly, Africa is a continent where legislation has been known to change overnight. Political instability is rife and thus investment of any sort is never a fail-safe decision. “Regulations in Africa can sometimes be relaxed, but there is still the exposure to possible sudden changes in legislation,” said Karan Khemka of consulting firm Parthenon Group, who has seen some emerging market countries ban fee increases overnight.

“We’ve seen very tight regimes become very relaxed. We’ve seen very relaxed regimes go to ultra tight,” he said.

Although these notions must be taken into consideration, private equity firms are maintaining their pursuits due to their belief that Africa needs to invest in education if it is tackle it’s unemployment problem.

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Spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Scholarship Program

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A Saudi view of Canada Day | Amer

Established in 2005, the King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP) is a scholarship program for Saudi Arabians to study abroad at the undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral level. Since 2005, the program has cost US $5 billion, which makes it one of the most well-funded scholarships in the world. The scholarship pays for a three years of study, English language training, and health insurance.

The program has a hand in securing Saudi Arabia‘s economic future and its global competitiveness. According to Claude Scaldi, the Assistant Director of ESL at the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, “The scheme has been established and tailored to suit Saudi society’s needs in labour, employment, and infrastructure.” The scholarship was also public relations move following 9/11. Following 9/11, the drop in Saudi enrollment in US schools cost Saudi Arabia about $40 million.

The scholarship funds 90% of all Saudis who are studying abroad. In the 2010-2011 academic year,there were approximately 130,000 students funded across 22 countries. Originally, the program was intended to be short – only a couple of years – but it was extended in both 2007 and 2009. At this point, the program is expected to continue until 2020.

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Majority of African MBAs Return Home

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Women's University in Africa

A survey of MBA students from 19 African countries who are studying at the top business schools in US and Europe reveals that 70% of students intend to return home,  and 35% of those who return plan to start their own businesses in Africa. Half of these entrepreneurs are women.

The schools surveyed were the top ten American and European business schools as of November 2012. Respondents from such schools applied: London Business School, Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, INSEAD, Brandeis International Business School, Wharton Business School, Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, MIT Sloan, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Darden Business School, and Cambridge Judge.

The survey was conducted by Jacana Partners, a private equity company which invests in African investors. The organization believes such investment paves the way for job creation and long-term economic stability in Africa.

Jacana invests between one and five million dollars in small and medium enterprises across a variety of sectors in West and East Africa, including the countries: Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda. So far, the organization has invested approximately $20 million, creating over 1,300 jobs.

Investment in the private sector is becoming and increasingly attractive method of development, especially since government aid is often mishandled or withdrawn due to political reasons. Often, government money meant as aid is simply distributed among corrupt bureaucracies. On the other end, government involvement in foreign countries is established simply for appearances, i.e. to appear generous in the eyes of the international community. Vain displays of stewardship often replace real discussion about efficient uses of money and resources.

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World’s Leading Learning Company Investing in Private Education in Developing Countries

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visit in a schoolRecently, Pearson issued a large investment on low-cost private schools. As the world’s leading learning company and global publisher, Pearson set out a $15 million fund to Asia and Africa. The investment will be providing funds for private education for students in poor families. It will also provide support services and teacher training. The large fund will be given to both current and new schools.

Sir Michael Barber, chair of for-profit Affordable Learning Fund, says that high quality education can be provided at a low cost. Even for private schools. He suggested that cost would be three to five dollars a month per student. The funds will aid schools and families in getting a better form of education. Even better than what is provided in government schools.

For some families, this will be a new door to a new form of education. While for others it is the same form of education but at a lower cost. Some countries not only have preexisting private schools, but they also prefer it over public schools. In countries such as Pakistan, more than 70% of students already attend private schools. Most of these students and their families find government schools to be unreliable. They would rather pay for better education even with financial difficulties. This investment by Pearson will lower the cost of private education for these families. Along with it, it will enable more families to also seek private education.

“Low-cost private schools are cheaper than government schools but often get significantly better results – sometimes twice as good,” said Barber.

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Inequality in South Asia Harms Education

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chaaran girl

India and Pakistan are facing inequality in the classroom, preventing academic achievement for many students. Variations in age and skill level have caused issues for students of all ages; students of different learning capacity are all taught together, regardless of actual grade.

In India, where 97% of children already attend school, the focus needs to be put on enhancing investments in primary education, which will help create classes that cater to specific learning levels. Pakistan faces similar needs, where both countries could improve education rather than guarantee learning.

Village schools are found to be the most lacking, and could use the greatest aid. Teachers are in need of help as well, as too much pressure has been put on them as of late. Rather than requiring outside help, more of the countries’ resources should be spent on investment in education.

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Gabon’s Billion Dollar Plan for Education

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GabonIn an effort to raise the standard of living for the Gabonese, the presidential adviser on education, Gabriel Ntougou, has increased the annual education budget from $300 million to $1.26 billion.

The additional $880 million over the next five years is expected to be an investment in human capital that is to be seen tenfold in the improved well-being of the Gabonese people.

The huge program involves building infrastructure, especially facilities for universities. New conference rooms, libraries, laboratories, student housing, and sport facilities are all in the plan.

Ntougou has also established a new agency who is charged with administering scholarships and practical training for students. The allocation of public funds, Ntougou says, is priority. Great responsibility lies within the government to responsibly manage public funds for the benefit of students.

The government has allocated $3.1 million to the Ministry of Education to purchase 10,000 computers for students. The introduction of new technologies will help students in gaining new employment opportunities, Ntougou said.

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India Focuses on Financial Literacy

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praying to the money godThe Indian government has drafted a national policy on financial education. In an announcement by the Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Chairman U K Sinha called for more research before the policy is finalized. Sinha also noted that the Ministry of Human Resource Development is working alongside various regulators to incorporate financial education in school curricula for secondary students.

Motivation for the curriculum’s creation can be seen in Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s written statement to the conference. Mukherjee noted that the current global financial crisis highlighted the risks posed by complex financial products sold without passing the suitability and appropriateness test. He said that the Government of India has been following a more inclusive approach to the growth process so as to better tap the domestic sources of savings and to provide a better tomorrow to the citizens of the country. “Recently SEBI has taken a lot of initiatives to spread investor education”, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee said.

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