Education of Disadvantaged Children in OIC:
The Key to Escape from Poverty
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of boys vs 15.2% of girls, age 5-17). A glimpse into the nature of child labour and its link to the
number of out of school children is illustrated by the Jangandoo 2016 household survey that
covers children aged 9-16 years. The study finds domestic labour is the number one occupation
of children that never attended schools and affects 47.7% of never enrolled children. This is
followed by work in the agricultural sector (engaging 26.2% of children who never enrolled), no
occupation (22.7%), services/commerce (2.9%) and industry/construction (0.4%)228. Therefore,
outside the home, the largest employer of children is the largely informal agricultural sector. Child
labour affects even children who are attending school as many are involved in domestic labour
and work outside the house.
The opportunity cost of sending children to school is a key concern for parents in poorer
households. The dissonance between the formal school’s curriculum, quality of schooling and
perceived relevance of skills acquired for future employability by both parents and children leads
to many families/children choosing to work or attend informal schools.
228 Jangadoo (household survey) 2016, LARTES-IFAN, table 18
229
Box 4 Child labour: Street beggars and Daaras
The problem. According to UNICEF229, there are over 50,000 beggar talibés children
exploited by Koranic schools in the 14 regions of Senegal in 2015. Dakar has the highest
concentration with an estimated 30,000 children in the streets. ‘Talibes’ are children aged 5
to 15 years sent by their parents (from inside the country or from neighbouring countries) to
the Daraas (Koranic school). Unfortunately, a large number of the talibés live in precarious
living conditions with limited access to water, school, health, electricity and even food. They
usually come from vulnerable backgrounds (orphaned or poor families who cannot provide
for them and send them to live in daaras sometimes as young as 3 years old). In order to
support themselves (and their Koranic teachers), children are often sent to beg on the streets
for several hours a week, exposing them to risks of violence, abuse, traffic accidents and
disease. It is important to point out that not all begging children in Senegal are talibés and not
all Koranic masters exploit the children placed under their responsibility. However, with over
50,000 children affected, the phenomenon of beggar talibés is an alarming problem of
Senegalese society with Daaras at its epicentre.
The history. Originally, Daraas were Koranic schools set up by religious leaders to provide
traditional education for children to preserve local customs. These schools were opposed to
colonial education, and their aim was none other than to preserve Senegalese culture.
Unfortunately, the original purpose of the former religious leaders was diverted; some
marabouts (koranic teachers) exploit the children entrusted to them in order to obtain
income and support their establishments. This exploitation often leaves room for many
abuses by religious teachers over their pupils.