* This is Part 1 of a series
For marginalised children around the world, access to quality education is the difference between a lifetime of exclusion or being an active member of society. Quality education opens up access to jobs and living wages, and ensures sustainable livelihoods.
Around the world we see the marginalisation of children based on gender, ethnicity, disability, location, or lack of parental care. Children from the poorest countries are three times more likely to be out of school, and girls most particularly.
Most countries include strategies in their education planning for marginalised groups, but there is far less attention paid to achieving targets and objectives.
Education strategies to combat marginalisation often tend to focus on girls, special needs, those living in rural areas, and the poor.
A child who is raised by their family is 40 times more likely to access higher education than if they grow up in alternative care, which often means they end up trapped in a cycle of poverty.
Young people consistently identify continued education as one of their main difficulties, which means that governments must address financial barriers faced by young people around the world.
Various countries have developed strategies relating to secondary education for marginalised groups, and it is worth noting what different countries have focused on, for the most part with great success.
India and Nepal have focused on improving education and reversing the marginalisation of children from specific castes. South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Gambia have developed strategies to improve education for children living with HIV/Aids.
Kenya and Tajikistan have focused on education for orphans, and Kenya and Uganda have also targeted those living in urban areas for special assistance.
Nigeria has strategies in place to assist marginalised children from religious groups, and Georgia and India have targeted those belonging to certain ethnic groups. In Ecuador the government has developed strategies to assist children speaking specific languages.
Cambodia has focused on children who are out of school and those living in rural areas. Rwanda has specifically targeted girls in terms of education, and Mauritius has focused on children with special needs.
Countries in Latin America have put a great deal of emphasis on improving education for children from marginalised ethnic groups.
The targeted strategies of these governments aimed at improving education for marginalised children has made a significant impact on their ability to access and benefit from improved quality of education.
A number of governments have had great success partnering with the SOS Children’s Villages, which are committed to equitable education that targets vulnerable and marginalised children.
One particularly successful initiative has been the SOS Children’s Village Vocational Training Centre in Lusaka, Zambia, which has focused on working with marginalised young people - teaching them skills that prepare them for the job market.
Together with Junior Achievement Zambia, the SOS Training Centre started the Immersion Training Strategy to train young entrepreneurs.
Young people between the ages of 15 and 25 years who are not in school are assisted to start businesses, and supported through access to micro credits.
What has made the programme different and successful is that it has built a network of alumni, volunteers, government agencies, NGOs and microfinance institutions.
Many of the graduates have actually started businesses, making a positive impact on those who did not previously have opportunities.
In South Africa, we have done well in ensuring that our children have access to education, but we struggle to keep children in school, particularly at the secondary level.
This is a challenge elsewhere in our region, where in countries like Swaziland, many children drop out of high school, particularly girls, who have to stay home and take care of their sick relatives.
The government needs to develop strategies that focus on pupil retention, especially for girls. In South Africa, access to financing to continue education also remains a pressing issue that prevents many from continuing with tertiary education.
* Ebrahim is the group foreign editor for Independent Media