UNITED NATIONS, Jan 20 (APP): A new report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) shows that a third of adolescent girls from the poorest households from around the world have never been to school, and spending on education is heavily skewed towards wealthier households. The study, entitled, “Addressing the learning crisis: an urgent need to better finance education for the poorest children”, was published Monday to coincide with a meeting of education ministers, gathered at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. UNICEF urged world leaders to address, what it called ‘shameful disparities’ in public education spending. Excluding the poorest children from education, says the report, perpetuates poverty and is a key driver of the global learning crisis. Obstacles they face include discrimination due to gender, disability, ethnic origin, and poor infrastructure. Those who do make it to school may then find themselves faced with large class sizes, poorly trained teachers, a lack of education materials and poor school infrastructure. This, says UNICEF, has an adverse impact on attendance, enrollment and learning. “Countries everywhere are failing the world’s poorest children and, in doing so, failing themselves,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “As long as public … Continue reading One in three girls from poor households has never attended school: UNICEF