Rapid economic, social and technological change since the turn of the century has transformed many childrenâs lives, creating new opportunities but also new constraints and new risks for some. This trend is set to continue. The report of the High-Level Panel on the post-2015 development agenda anticipates further changes by 2030, including ongoing economic growth, demographic change with populations ageing and growth in the worldâs labour force, migration, and the continued expansion of technology. A new paper from Young Lives examines how where children live, and how their communities are changing, are important factors in shaping both the opportunities open to them and the risks they may face.
Globally, there has been much to celebrate. Poverty reduction and improved access to services and schooling have reduced much disadvantage faced by children and have brought significant improvements in childrenâs survival, heUnder-5 child mortality has halved since 1990. In sub-Saharan Africa there was little change in net primary school enrolment between 1980 and 1996, but in the period 1999 to 2010 net enrolment increased by 20 percentage points. This is also reflected in Young Lives findings. In Ethiopia, only 66 per cent of 8-year-olds were enrolled in school in 2002, rising to 77 per cent in 2009. This increase was more dramatic in rural areas, where only half of 8-year-olds were enrolled in school in 2002, rising to over two-thirds in 2009. In Andhra Pradesh, India, the poorest children had, on average, already completed more grades at school by age 8 than their parents in their whole school careers.
However, this progress is also associated with new or different potential risks for disadvantaged children, which threaten to throw a spanner in the works of any 'social elevatorâ and perpetuate inequality of opportunity. Our findings show that there are three core areas in which the poorest children are being left behind against the backdrop of generally rising living standards.
First, expanding education systems and high aspirations for schooling, which are shared by children and their caregivers, need to be capitalised upon by improvements in school quality, effectiveness and relevance. Not all children have benefited from increased enrolment, given the clear variations in quality. Gaps in childrenâs learning outcomes on vocabulary, reading and maths tests at the age of 8 are linked with levels of parental education, urban/rural location (particularly in Ethiopia), and household weVietnamese school system is more successful at supporting disadvantaged students. The more equitable nature of the Vietnamese school system offers important pointers for policymakers in how to deliver quality education as it ensures that all students master a basic set of competencies as well as delivers minimum standards in terms of infrastructure and teaching, especially in disadvantaged areas.
Second, children living in the poorest communities are likely to experience multiple disadvantages, due to remote location in rural areas, weak infrastructure and services, poor-quality education, and less access to modern technology. Disadvantage becomes concentrated, with children living in these areas having poorer indicators of well-being in multiple domains, such as stunted growth as well as low learning outcomes. Tackling uneven development processes necessitates area-based policies, such as social protection schemes which are targeted at geographical areas rather than individual households. However, such an approach can create tensions between communities and it is important not to neglect poor children living in other communities, especially in urban areas.
Third, processes of social changes in attitudes and aspirations are bringing new opportunities for children, such as attending school for longer, as well as changing expectations for future roles and responsibility regarding fertility and marriage. At the same time there are new tensions and social risks, especially for girls and young women. For example, in some regions of Ethiopia, girls and caregivers express fears that delaying marriage and forgoing traditional practices can put girls at risk. Policies addressing social norms need to take account of the broader structures, such as poverty and gender, that shape childrenâs and familiesâ experiences. Ensuring that young people can access good-quality schooling, he
The expansion of national policies and interventions offers a strong foundation for building an enabling environment for childrenâs development. Improved access to clean water and sanitation, he
Rapid economic, social and technological change since the turn of the century has transformed many childrenâs lives, creating new opportunities but also new constraints and new risks for some. This trend is set to continue. The report of the High-Level Panel on the post-2015 development agenda anticipates further changes by 2030, including ongoing economic growth, demographic change with populations ageing and growth in the worldâs labour force, migration, and the continued expansion of technology. A new paper from Young Lives examines how where children live, and how their communities are changing, are important factors in shaping both the opportunities open to them and the risks they may face.
Globally, there has been much to celebrate. Poverty reduction and improved access to services and schooling have reduced much disadvantage faced by children and have brought significant improvements in childrenâs survival, heUnder-5 child mortality has halved since 1990. In sub-Saharan Africa there was little change in net primary school enrolment between 1980 and 1996, but in the period 1999 to 2010 net enrolment increased by 20 percentage points. This is also reflected in Young Lives findings. In Ethiopia, only 66 per cent of 8-year-olds were enrolled in school in 2002, rising to 77 per cent in 2009. This increase was more dramatic in rural areas, where only half of 8-year-olds were enrolled in school in 2002, rising to over two-thirds in 2009. In Andhra Pradesh, India, the poorest children had, on average, already completed more grades at school by age 8 than their parents in their whole school careers.
However, this progress is also associated with new or different potential risks for disadvantaged children, which threaten to throw a spanner in the works of any 'social elevatorâ and perpetuate inequality of opportunity. Our findings show that there are three core areas in which the poorest children are being left behind against the backdrop of generally rising living standards.
First, expanding education systems and high aspirations for schooling, which are shared by children and their caregivers, need to be capitalised upon by improvements in school quality, effectiveness and relevance. Not all children have benefited from increased enrolment, given the clear variations in quality. Gaps in childrenâs learning outcomes on vocabulary, reading and maths tests at the age of 8 are linked with levels of parental education, urban/rural location (particularly in Ethiopia), and household weVietnamese school system is more successful at supporting disadvantaged students. The more equitable nature of the Vietnamese school system offers important pointers for policymakers in how to deliver quality education as it ensures that all students master a basic set of competencies as well as delivers minimum standards in terms of infrastructure and teaching, especially in disadvantaged areas.
Second, children living in the poorest communities are likely to experience multiple disadvantages, due to remote location in rural areas, weak infrastructure and services, poor-quality education, and less access to modern technology. Disadvantage becomes concentrated, with children living in these areas having poorer indicators of well-being in multiple domains, such as stunted growth as well as low learning outcomes. Tackling uneven development processes necessitates area-based policies, such as social protection schemes which are targeted at geographical areas rather than individual households. However, such an approach can create tensions between communities and it is important not to neglect poor children living in other communities, especially in urban areas.
Third, processes of social changes in attitudes and aspirations are bringing new opportunities for children, such as attending school for longer, as well as changing expectations for future roles and responsibility regarding fertility and marriage. At the same time there are new tensions and social risks, especially for girls and young women. For example, in some regions of Ethiopia, girls and caregivers express fears that delaying marriage and forgoing traditional practices can put girls at risk. Policies addressing social norms need to take account of the broader structures, such as poverty and gender, that shape childrenâs and familiesâ experiences. Ensuring that young people can access good-quality schooling, he
The expansion of national policies and interventions offers a strong foundation for building an enabling environment for childrenâs development. Improved access to clean water and sanitation, he