Out-of-School Children: Indicators from 8 Arab Countries

The issue of school dropout rates among children is considered one of the key indicators of the quality of the educational process on the one hand, and the enforcement of education laws on the other. As a result, this issue is subject to local scrutiny by governments concerned with the problem, as well as international oversight that monitors and draws attention to the challenges. International bodies assess the quality of countries' education systems based on indicators issued by government agencies, and they also propose solutions to address these problems.

In this paper, we examine a set of indicators based on data published by the Arab Development Platform, which comes from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This data was collected from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Sudan, Tunisia, Mauritania, and Yemen between 2013 and 2018.

The highest rates of primary school dropouts were recorded in Mauritania, while the lowest rates were recorded in Jordan and Algeria.

Primary School Children Dropout Rates in 8 Arab Countries (% of Total Students)

The contrast is stark at the primary and lower secondary levels, where rates jump in all countries surveyed. Mauritania, Yemen, Sudan and Iraq lead the way, while Algeria has the lowest percentage.

Secondary School Children Dropout Rates in 8 Arab Countries (% of Total Students)

At the upper secondary level, dropout rates jump in several countries, with Mauritania, Yemen and Iraq having the highest dropout rates. Meanwhile, Jordan, Tunisia, and Algeria occupy the lower ranks, although their rates exceed 20% of the total student population.

Upper Secondary School Children Dropout Rates in 8 Arab Countries (% of Total Students)

Females Out of School

The dropout rates of males and females tend to converge in the countries surveyed, especially at the primary level. However, there is a slight tendency for females to have slightly higher dropout rates in some countries. However, the real difference begins to emerge at the preparatory level, where females are more likely to drop out. This can be clearly seen in the data from Egypt and is also very evident in Yemen.

Female and Male Lower Secondary School Dropout Rates in Egypt: 2005/2009/2014

Female and Male Lower Secondary School Dropout Rates in Yemen: 2006/2013

The largest gap between male and female dropout rates occurs at the secondary (pre-college) level, with the highest gap among the countries surveyed in Yemen. Here, the female dropout rate is almost twice that of males.

Female and Male Upper Secondary School Dropout Rates in Yemen: 2006/2013

There is no doubt that in the majority of countries in the Arab world, female dropout rates tend to be higher than male dropout rates. However, this is not always an absolute rule, as in some countries the differences vary according to the level of education. The exception is Jordan, where male secondary school dropouts outnumber female dropouts at the same level. It is worth noting that the data for this observation are from the years 2007 and 2018.

Female and Male Upper Secondary School Dropout Rates in Jordan: 2007/2018

Children in the Labor Market

Dropping out of school is closely linked to child labor, their integration into communities and labor markets, often in ways that are mostly illegal. It's also linked to the relegation of girls to domestic work or early marriage, making them homemakers.

One of the indicators associated with this issue is the rate of integration of children between the ages of 5 and 17 into economic activities, and this indicator is based on data from the International Labor Organization.

Among the countries studied, data are available for six Arab countries, recorded between 2013 and 2018. Sudan ranks first in terms of children entering the labor market, with a percentage of 15.3% of children in this age group.

Arab Region | Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, age group 5-17 (Arab countries, 2013–2018)