06. October 2006
World Bank Development Report 2007
In countries like Ghana and Zambia, nearly half of all young women can’t read a simple sentence even after six years of schooling.
It’s a finding which illustrates one of the key challenges facing governments in the developing world today – delivering quality education to young people. A new World Bank report says governments in developing countries should invest more in their young people, or else run the risk of dealing with social tensions and dropping behind in the global economy. The World Development Report 2007: Development and the next Generation points out there are now more than 1.3 billion young people in the developing world – the largest number ever in history.
The report says the sheer number of young people can stretch the capacity of governments to deliver services and jobs, “which poses risks for their countries and the world at large.” “The young generation today is extremely big and probably the biggest it will ever be in many countries,” says Francois Bourguignon, the World Bank’s Chief Economist.
“And this offers a fantastic opportunity to countries because they can invest in this young generation, which will be responsible for future development.” However Bourguignon says: ” if governments are not able to satisfy – to meet – the expectations of the young people, then most likely there will be social tensions in many countries.The World Development Report 2006: Development and the next Generation points out that the lack of quality education is not the only barrier facing young people today:
• Globally nearly half of all unemployment is among young people
• Unemployment rates for youth are two to three times than those of adults
• 500,000 young people under the age of 18 are recruited by military and paramilitary military groups
• Some 300,000 young people under the age of 18 have been involved in armed conflict in more than 30 countries worldwide
• 13 million adolescent girls give birth each year
• Young people account for nearly half of all new HIV infections
Full text of the World Bank Development Report can be downloaded here or at the World Bank website www.worldbank.org
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