The progressive provision of secondary education

Secondary school

Relatively few children attend secondary school

Secondary education is essential for individual children to achieve their full potential, and for nations to advance social and economic development. Yet only 60 per cent of children of the appropriate age attend secondary school.

SECONDARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE IS TOO LOW IN MANY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: Only 13 developing countries and territories have secondary school participation ratios of 90 per cent or more
Secondary school net enrolment/attendance ratio (2000–2006)

In sub-Saharan Africa, that number drops to only a quarter. In this region, substantially more secondary-school-age children attend primary school than attend secondary school; only one out of four children of secondary school age actually attends secondary school. Throughout the world, one out of six children of secondary school age is still in primary school.  The poorer a child’s household, the less likely the child is to attend secondary school.

ONLY 60 PER CENT OF CHILDREN OF SECONDARY SCHOOL AGE ATTEND SECONDARY SCHOOL: In sub-Saharan Africa, less than 30 per cent attend
Secondary school net enrolment/attendance ratio, by region (2000–2006)

LOWEST LEVELS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ARE IN POOREST HOUSEHOLDS AND RURAL AREAS
Secondary school net attendance ratio, by background characteristics (2000–2006)

Source for figures: UNICEF global databases, 2007; and UNESCO Institute for Statistics,Global Education Digest 2007. Disparity analysis is based on household survey data (DHS and MICS) collected in 94 developing countries during 2000–2006.