key to enhance quality of education for vulnerable children

The challenge in education is not simply to get children into school, but also to improve the overall quality of schooling. Courtesy: UNICEF 

The Child-Friendly School (CFS) model is a dynamic approach that can initiate change not only within schools and education systems but also within homes, communities, and societal mindsets

Some students frequently miss school and may eventually drop out due to household poverty, minority or ethnic status, orphanhood, gender, remote rural location, the need to work, and health issues caused by unsafe or unhealthy environments

The challenge in education is not simply to get children into school, but also to improve the overall quality of schooling and to address issues of participation

The challenge in education is not simply to get children into school, but also to improve the overall quality of schooling and to address issues of participation. If both quality and access are tackled, children who are enrolled in primary schools are likely to continue, complete the full cycle, achieve expected learning outcomes, and successfully transition to secondary school. 

In any given day 1,521, 394 children of the age between 5-10 years learn in primary grades in 9,106 schools in Sri Lanka in which 3,860 schools have only grades 1-5. (school census 2023). Despite disparities in access, these schools are dedicated to serving primary school-age children across the country and compulsory education legislature has assured enrollment in realising the right to education. 

However, the school attendance has dropped significantly in the present context, with observations in some of the Type 2 and Type 3 schools indicating an absenteeism rate of around 50%.

 According to a recent reporting by a researcher, in one Type 2 school within the Colombo municipal area, only 3 out of 6 first-grade students have attended the school on that particular day. This might raise a serious concern because, not only they miss learning but they also may face many harmful consequences including protection issues by being away from the school as a regular practice.

Missing school

Some students frequently miss school and may eventually drop out due to several well-known factors. These include household poverty, minority or ethnic status, orphanhood, gender, remote rural location, the need to work, and health issues caused by unsafe or unhealthy environments. Additional factors that may keep children out of school can also originate within the school itself. For instance, students can feel marginalised when teachers do not engage them effectively in the learning process. Inadequate infrastructure can also be a barrier. Poor building designs may inadvertently limit access for children with disabilities, while the absence of proper and separate sanitary facilities can discourage girls from attending. Furthermore, a school’s management style, the environment, and culture can affect whether students feel welcomed. When bullying is tolerated or certain groups are consistently demeaned or stigmatised, some children may feel discouraged from fully participating in their education. It is obvious that the role and the responsibility the school has to demonstrate are highly critical in establishing a child-welcoming school.

Child-Friendly Schools 

This article outlines UNICEF’s Child-Friendly Schools (CFS) initiative, designed to improve the quality of education, especially for vulnerable children, aimed at improving the quality of education through a rights-based, holistic approach. A CFS is not just a child-welcoming school but also a child-seeking school. It works to attract and retain children from different backgrounds, respects diversity, and ensures non-discrimination. CFS focuses on children’s health, nutrition, well-being, and rights, creating inclusive school environments that promote schools acting as protective spaces free from violence and abuse.

The key elements CFS include:

• Inclusive, Healthy, and Protective Environment: Schools provide safe, hygienic, and gender-sensitive settings that protect children from abuse and meet diverse needs based on gender, ethnicity, and ability level.
• Quality Learning Outcomes: CFS emphasises critical thinking, student participation, and individualised instruction tailored to developmental levels and learning styles, encouraging cooperation and democratic engagement.
• Community and Family Involvement: CFS initiatives encourage partnerships with families and communities, ensuring a supportive network for children.

The CFS model offers a strong platform for collaboration among stakeholders, including national and provincial government authorities, non-governmental organisations, developmental partners, and civil society. Through coordinated programming, these groups can work together to maximise resource allocation and minimise duplication aiming for a thorough development of the school. For instance, the health sector could launch child health and nutrition programmes directly in CFS, achieving the objectives of both the health and education sectors. The CFS framework provides both a goal and a tool for localised self-assessment, planning, and management conducted by the school community including the principal, teachers, parents, students, local-level multi-sector partners, and well-wishers. This participatory approach begins with a School Self-Assessment (SSA) process, leading to a school-based management (SBM), which empowers schools to plan and manage improvement efforts effectively. 

Education reforms in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries tend to share some common characteristics of this kind, including increased school autonomy, greater responsiveness to local needs, and the overall objective of improving students’ academic performance (OECD, 2004). 

Empowering principals and teachers 

An increasing number of developing countries are introducing SBM reforms aimed at empowering principals and teachers or at strengthening their professional motivation, thereby enhancing their sense of ownership of the school.

School Self-Assessment (SSA) helps identify unique challenges faced by the school, establishes baseline measurements, and creates a framework to monitor progress. This process highlights issues that need immediate attention. Some problems may arise from negligence or oversight, and often, the school community can work together to find solutions. The Child-Friendly School (CFS) model is a dynamic approach that can initiate change not only within schools and education systems but also within homes, communities, and societal mindsets.

A child-friendly school, as defined in Sri Lanka, incorporates six core dimensions:

1. Rights-Based and Inclusive: All children, regardless of the background, are welcomed and supported.
2. Gender-Responsive: Schools are sensitive to gender-specific needs, including facilities and learning approaches.
3. Focused on Quality Learning Outcomes: Teaching is tailored to each child’s developmental needs, promoting critical thinking and engagement.
4. Healthy, Safe, and Protective: Schools ensure hygiene, safety, and a nurturing environment.
5. Community and Family Engagement: Schools actively involve parents and community members.
6. Child-Friendly Systems and Policies: Schools adopt practices that align with child rights and inclusive education.

Originally a UNICEF-supported pilot in 2002, CFS has grown significantly in Sri Lanka, focusing on decentralising education management through SBM, which empowered communities and parents to make schools more creative. UNICEF also worked to consolidate the CFS experience in Sri Lanka via agreement on a common definition, a set of criteria and indicators, and a practical guidance manual on how to implement CFS. Other elements included technical support and capacity-building under a multi-sectoral approach to ensure coordinated support for the development of primary schools. 

Although the CFS model has shown positive outcomes, its wider adoption has faced challenges due to inconsistent integration in national policies, limited planning tools, and a focus on physical aspects over fundamental CFS principles. To establish a truly  child-friendly atmosphere in all primary schools, it is vital to overcome these challenges. Emphasising socio-emotional support systems is essential to creating a nurturing and inclusive environment that aids every child’s growth. It’s crucial that all primary schools provide well-equipped classrooms, maintained sanitation facilities, safe drinking water, and quality teaching and learning within a realistic timeframe. By conducting School Self-Assessments (SSA) for each CFS dimension, schools can assess their current status, set improvement targets, and foster a generation of students who thrive in supportive, well-resourced environments that uphold their well-being, rights, and educational success. Schools that implement CFS creatively and effectively should receive genuine recognition from the system.

(The writer is a former education specialist at the UNICEF Sri Lanka and pioneer in promoting this concept of child-friendly schools in the country as part of UNICEF support to education. Currently she is the Chairperson of the National Education Commission).