Jessica Maw, October 9th 2008, 11.00pm
Ethiopia's schools have opened for the new academic year, but severe food insecurity in some regions has kept thousands of children out of class. Parents of children, who have had to keep them out of school this year, say that it is because there is little or nothing to eat at home.
An example of this is at the only primary school for grades one through four in Shemna Hurufa village in the Sidama zone. The school had planned to register 800 children but only 710 registered. Another school had registered 860 in September of last year but by the end of the year 200 of those had dropped out.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) has stated that these shortages are due to successive seasons of below-average rains, flooding in riverine areas, livestock disease, an army worm infestation, conflict, inadequate humanitarian assistance, and extremely high and rising food prices.
Education has been disrupted in areas that have been affected by the drought which has resulted in decreased school attendance, increased drop-out rates and teachers migrating from their assigned schools.
The increase in food prices has resulted in an increase in malnutrition. The prices have continued to rise, reducing food access for the urban poor, poor rural farmers, and pastoral and agro-pastoral populations.
The concern over more children not attending school is a concern for many reasons. Firstly this problem is resulting in more children not having access to education. Secondly the shortage of food and increase in prices of food is affecting the health of these children. Both these problems are affecting the future of these children.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=80812
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