2004

This census was carried out by the members of the Ethiopian Teenagers' Forum and UNICEF-Ethiopia. The survey was carried out, child by child, in 20 elementary schools, which are located in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. In this activity, more than 550 children graded from 2-7 participated.

Most of the students drew a map, showing the surroundings of their school and village. On their drawings, they showed the places, which attract children and distract them from their education. For instance, bars, “chat houses”, places were children gamble, and the location of their friends who are out of school. The children also indicated the kindergartens, their school, other schools and the main roads around their village.

In the census, more than 800 questionnaires were distributed to elementary schools. In each school, 45 questionnaires were distributed and approximately 28 were returned.

Out of 550 questionnaires, we discovered that 50 of the questionnaires consisted of maps only. So, the following data is derived from the census of the 500 children.

Depending on the data, the number of the children who are out of school is 500. And the number of boys is a bit larger than the number girls. The number of boys is 252 and the number of girls is 248.

Total questionnaires distributed: 800

Total students participated on the census: 550

No students that identify male: 252 or 50.4%

No of students that identify female: 248 or 48.6%

children who need to be in school*

Students who do not specify: 50

* All the data are collected by children them selves.

And also on the census, children specified the reasons why those children are out of school (the 500 children who are out of education). They marked that most of those children are out of school because their parents can't afford the payment of school bills (68.8 percent) and because the children have no sufficient educational materials like school uniforms, textbooks and stationery, like pens, pencils and other kinds. (29.2 percent)

The eleven major reasons why children are out of school are, as the census indicates, from 500 responses:

1. He/she is an orphan: 75 or 15%
2. Lack school materials like uniforms, books, textbooks and stationery: 146 or 29.2%
3. He/she (or his/her parents) can't afford school fees: 344 or 68.8%
4. He/she has to take care of younger sisters or brothers at home: 47 or 6.4%
5. He/she has to do the housework: 88 or 17.6%
6. They do not have sufficient food in their house: 73 or 14.6%
7. The school is too far from their village: 65 or 13%
8. The other students treat them badly or discriminate them: 71 or 14.2%
9. There is no one who can take them to school: 37 or 7.4%
10. There are no sufficient desks, chairs, books and educational materials available at school: 35 or 7%
11. They have to walk long distances to fetch water before they go to school: 42 or 8.4%

Some of the students specified that one child may be out of school by two or more reasons The least specified reasons mentioned by the children themselves are, for instance, the children are absent from school because they are preparing for marriage, and 13 people were identified. And the other is because of pregnancy, where only 9 children were identified.

The children also wrote the names of their servants who were in need of going to school. We had came across a child who wrote that she is not going to school because she feels that she is too old to attend, and she was only aged 28.