Target 4 A: Education facilities and learning environments

Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

Chapter 15 PDF

CREDIT: Edouard Dropsy/HRW. A fighter from the Central African Republic Patriotic Movement, a Seleka group, who are based next to two schools.

Key Messages

Globally, 69% of schools have drinking water, 66% sanitation and 53% hygiene on at least a basic service level. A review of 71 national education management information systems showed that only 6% of their questionnaires included soap availability, the key factor of a basic hygiene service level.
The number of countries legally banning corporal punishment in schools increased to 131, up from 122 at the end of 2014.
A review harmonizing data from six international surveys covering 145 countries estimated that almost 39% of boys and 36% of girls aged 11 to 15 reported being victims of bullying. Too little is known about numbers of boarding students, living conditions in boarding schools or the effects of boarding on student well-being and school success. In Uganda, about 15% of primary and lower secondary school students and 40% in upper secondary school board.
There were over 12,700 attacks on education in 2013–2017, harming over 21,000 students and education personnel and affecting 28 countries. The measure does not include school shootings by lone gunmen or attacks by criminal gangs, which are a scourge in some education systems.
The scalability, speed, mobility and portability of technology make it a suitable option for educating displaced people. But initiatives tend to provide content that is incompatible with national curricula in host countries. International organizations that support such partnerships need to ensure that they serve inclusion of refugees in national education systems.

Globally, 69% of schools have drinking water, 66% have sanitation and 53% have hygiene at a basic service level or better (Figure 14). In Jordan, 93% of schools have basic drinking water, but 33% have basic sanitation. In Lebanon, almost 93% have basic sanitation, but 60% have basic drinking water. Primary schools tend to have lower service quality than secondary schools.

Figure 14: Fewer than 7 out of 10 schools have drinking water at a basic service level

Few aspects of safety and inclusion in learning environments are fully monitored globally. Concepts such as bullying lack standard global definitions, and surveys vary widely. One study estimated that almost 40% of boys and 35% of girls aged 11 to 15 reported being victims of bullying. The number of countries legally banning corporal punishment in schools has increased to 131, up from 122 at the end of 2014.

Between 2013 and 2017, there were over 12,700 attacks on education, harming over 21,000 students and educators, according to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack. Reported incidents included physical attacks or threats of attacks on schools, students and education personnel; military use of education buildings; child recruitment or sexual violence at or in transit to school or university by armed parties; and attacks on higher education. Twenty-eight countries suffered at least 20 attacks; Nigeria, the Philippines and Yemen were among countries suffering more than 1,000.

The coalition’s data do not capture certain attacks, including those by criminal gangs and school shootings by lone gunmen. In the United States, at least 187,000 students in 193 schools have experienced a shooting at school since 1999.

Between 2013 and 2017, there were over 12,700 attacks on education

Previous Year’s Target 4.a