When we think of education in New Zealand, we think of going to school, college or university.  We usually think of education as being for young people who sit inside a classroom and are taught subjects like English, maths or science.

UNICEF believes in the importance of education for all people.  Education doesn't have to only be about learning from a textbook.  There are many kinds of education that can change a person's life.

View this photo-essay on Education Around The World

Following are some case studies of extra-ordinary education:

 

Learning after years of conflict
Ganta, Liberia, September 2009
Louis Vigneault, UNICEF

Salomie Kieah was one of many six year old children starting school in Liberia in September 2009. After a final adjustment to fit her new uniform and a stop at the stationary shop to buy supplies, she was ready for her first day in primary school.

Salomie was born in 2003, a few weeks after her country restored peace following 14 years of conflict that killed, wounded and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. She is part of the first class of first-graders to be born in peace here in many years.

Salomie's Aunt, 18, had to flee with her family during the war and missed three years of school. She is currently trying to catch up with her education. It's the same story for many Liberian young people. Only one in three schoolchildren is studying at the grade level intended for people of their age. Most of Salomie's classmates will be older than her because children must be able to read and write when they start first grade. Very few parents can afford to send their children to preparatory school and so it takes them a long time to learn the basic reading and writing that they need to be able to start school. Salomie is lucky; her mother lives in the United States and works to send home money so that she can go to a private school. It costs $50 a year - more than most Liberian families can afford.

Liberia is now enforcing free and compulsory primary education. Not enough schools have been built yet for all children to be able to attend. UNICEF and its partners are building a new school in Ganta and many more are needed to ensure that all of the children in Salomie's generation have the chance to be educated.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf called for more international support and investment in primary education;
"Young children today feel they can have a future, that they can be safe. This is the first time that six-year-olds will go to school not knowing war, not having to run, not having to hide. Those children can see life in Liberia as normal. We must continue on this path, so they can become adults in a normal environment."

Struggling to get children back into school
Gaza Strip, Occupied Palestinian Territory, July 2009
UNICEF International

Nael Hasan al-Lada, 12, works long hours in an auto body shop with heavy machinery to support his entire family of seven brothers and sisters. Poverty in the Gaza Strip is forcing more young people into work to help to support their families. This has a devastating affect on their educations. In 2008, only about 20% of the 16,000 sixth graders in Gaza passed standardised tests in Arabic, English, Mathematics and Science. It is clear that they need to be in school and not out in the work force like Nael, or they will become further and further behind their peers in other parts of the country.

UNICEF is trying to combat this trend by encouraging child-friendly learning and quality education in Gaza. Supplies such as tents, School-in-a-Box kits, recreational kits and stationary items have been provided to make sure that there are enough facilities to educate the children in the area. The problem now is to tackle the issue presented by children like Nael, whose families are too poor to live without their children's incomes.

"I am good in school," said Nael, who likes his religion class and wishes he could study at al-Azhar University in Cairo. He isn't afraid of the heavy machines at the auto body shop, but is not anxious to enter the world of work.
"I wish that I had money so that I could stay in school," he said.

Schools for pregnant women
Koinadugu, Sierra Leone, October 2009
Umaru Fofana, UNICEF

In Sierra Leone, UNICEF supports a community-based approach to reducing infant and young child mortality. Expecting mothers receive health and hygiene education, including information about the importance of handwashing with soap, exclusive breastfeeding, nutrition and malaria prevention. Parents learn how to treat infections in newborns and how to respond if a newborn stops breathing.

Many women attend these schools and then pass the information on to their friends.  It makes women less afraid when they give birth and they can cope with looking after a baby better.  UNICEF hopes that this will improve maternal and newborn health and save the lives of mothers and their children - giving them a chance for a healthier future.

Workplace Literacy
Workplace literacy teaches people basic skills they need for work.  This includes filling in important forms, like when you want to open a bank account or get a passport, and reading signs and notices, which can help people stay safe.