Boys at greater risk of failing to complete edu: UNESCO

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Boys are more likely than girls to repeat primary grades in 130out of the 142 countries with data indicating their poorer progression through school, according to a new Global Education Report by the United Nations report Scientific and cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The report titled Leave no child behind: Global Report on boys disengagement from education pointed out that no less than 132 million boys of primary and secondary school age are out of the school. It said boys are more likely than girls to experience physical bullying and are often targeted because of their real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identify or expression (SOGIE). Boys are more likely than girls to repeat primary grades in 130 out of 142 countries with data indicating their poorer progression through school. In 57 countries, with data on learning poverty, 10 years old boys fare worse than girls in mastering reading skills and adolescent boys continue to fall behind girls at the secondary level.

While girls are more likely than boys to never attend school boys in many countries are at higher risk of failing to advance and complete their education. As it stands 132millions boys are currently out of school the report stated. Shedding light on the factors driving boy’s disengagement from education the UN report attributed the trend to harsh discipline corporal punishment gendered norms poverty and the needed to work among the major reasons.