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Burkina Faso - the country where it's too dangerous to go to school
Source: BBC
Burkina Faso - the country where it’s too dangerous to go to school
By Louise Dewast
BBC News, Burkina Faso
11 March 2019
-snip-
In the three areas affected by an upsurge in violence in Burkina Faso, 1,111 out of 2,869 schools have closed in recent months. These regions - the North, the Sahel and the East - are in the north of the country that borders Mali and Niger where jihadist militants have operated for several years. In the province of Soum, in Sahel Region, 352 schools are now closed.
More than 150,000 children are affected by these closures - a staggering number in a country where education is already an issue. In 2016, only 57.9% of children finished primary school.
Mr Sawadogo says the security forces have failed to protect the community, but he remains hopeful that his school will be able to reopen soon.
Parents scared
A visit to various schools in different areas paints a complex picture: the reasons why they close or why they are empty vary.
Some schools, especially in the Sahel province, are directly targeted by Islamist militants, who are against Western education. Others, like the one in Foubé, are closed by teachers worried that they will be targets.
-snip-
By Louise Dewast
BBC News, Burkina Faso
11 March 2019
-snip-
In the three areas affected by an upsurge in violence in Burkina Faso, 1,111 out of 2,869 schools have closed in recent months. These regions - the North, the Sahel and the East - are in the north of the country that borders Mali and Niger where jihadist militants have operated for several years. In the province of Soum, in Sahel Region, 352 schools are now closed.
More than 150,000 children are affected by these closures - a staggering number in a country where education is already an issue. In 2016, only 57.9% of children finished primary school.
Mr Sawadogo says the security forces have failed to protect the community, but he remains hopeful that his school will be able to reopen soon.
Parents scared
A visit to various schools in different areas paints a complex picture: the reasons why they close or why they are empty vary.
Some schools, especially in the Sahel province, are directly targeted by Islamist militants, who are against Western education. Others, like the one in Foubé, are closed by teachers worried that they will be targets.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47495038