VOA慢速英语2013 Education Report - UNICEF has reported good news about education in Somalia

 

Education Report - UNICEF has reported good news about education in Somalia

From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund has reported good news about education in two regions of Somalia. The two - Puntland and Somaliland are now relateively peaceful and secure, at least compared with central and southern Somalia. 

UNICEF and educational planners for the two areas found that in Puntland, the number of students in primary education went from 26 percent to 43 percent over the last five years. A smaller increase was reported in Somaliland. 

The agency says more girls should be in school, that need exists in all of Somalia, not just Puntland and Somaliland. 

Leaving school is a big problem. For example, only 37 percent of Somali girls who had completed first grade, took the form four exam in the 2011 to 2012 school year. And girls represent only 28 percent of students in Somali secondary schools. The Communications’s chief for UNICEF in Somalia, says communities are benefiting from an increasing number of schools being built. And the officials Susannah Price says the agency is developing projects in varies fields of education. 

"UNICEF, for example, have worked very hard on training enough teachers, working on non-formal education as well as alternative kind of education - for example for the pastoralist children." 

Pastoralist children are the children of families that moved with their herds¹ of livestock². Suzana Price says the agency also has worked with committees in the community to support them, and help with building classrooms and schools. 

Miss Price says education is absolutely key for the future of the Somalia, but there are problems in getting parents to send girls to school. The spokeswoman says UNICEF encourages equality between males and females in education. She says UNICEF is trying to improve the availablity of schooling³ for girls. 

"We’ve been focusing on changing attitudes on girls’ education, to talk to parents to explain why education of girls is as important as to the education of their brothers, why you shouldn’t keep girls at home to do the house work. "

Miss Price says the agency has helped with scholorships for girls, so they can start school, and go on to higher education. UNICEF also gets girls who have succeeded in education to talk to others, to persuade them to go to school. The agency says more universal education could help Puntland and Somaliland improve other areas of developent, such as health care. UNICEF says there has been no major improvement in health and nutrition in the past five years. It also says the number of children receiving vaccinations⁴ to prevent diseases remains⁵ low.

And that’s the Education Report from VOA Learning English, I’m Christopher Cruise. 

1 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

2 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

3 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

4 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。