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Getting disabled children into school in developing countries

What donor governments must do to achieve Universal Primary Education

While progress has been made in many countries towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education and the goal of Education For All by 2015, 80 million children still remain out of school. Of these, over one-third are estimated to be disabled children. In Africa, less than 10% of disabled children are in school. Other surveys suggest that only 2% of disabled children receive an education and that disability has a greater impact on access to education than gender, household economic status or rural/urban divide.

This is a fundamental human rights issue. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child clearly expresses the right of each child to education (Article 28), and the responsibility of governments to ensure that disabled children receive quality education (Article 23). This is reinforced by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, opened for signature and ratification on 30th March 2007, which places an obligation on governments to ensure an inclusive system, and highlights the role of international co-operation in helping governments meet their responsibilities (Article 32).

Adults and children in Malawi attend a project where a school is being built.

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Sightsavers and disability rights
Three partners sit at a table with table name badges in front of them.

Cameroon approves landmark inclusive education policy

With Sightsavers' support, the government of Cameroon has adopted a national policy to deliver quality and equitable inclusive education for people with disabilities.

November 2024
Twelve-year-old Arthur smiles as he stands next to his teacher, Mr Thompson. They stand in front of a chalk board in a classroom.
Sightsavers blog

Child eye health is key to wellbeing and accessing education

In line with World Sight Day’s focus on child eye health, our experts reveal why eye screenings in schools are boosting students’ academic performance.

Sightsavers, September 2024
Two school students in Zambia huddle together at a desk. One is writing, the other is looking at the work.

Sightsavers at the CIES education conference 2024

We're attending the conference in Miami on 6-14 March to share Sightsavers’ expertise, engage with the education community and explore how we can help to transform inclusive education.

March 2024