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Article 7, paragraph 2, of the Convention. Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Prevent the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. The Committee had previously noted that, pursuant to section 35 of the Law on Education, the State ensures free and compulsory complete general secondary education. However, it had noted that the Committee on the Rights of the Child in its concluding observations (CRC/C/15/Add.191 of 9 October 2002, paragraph 60) was concerned at the increase in drop-out rates in secondary and vocational education, and at regional disparities in the number of educational establishments with rural areas being at a particular disadvantage. It had also noted that, according to the Government in 2004, units in charge of minors’ affairs and other competent authorities found that 16 per cent of 50,500 children from economically and socially disadvantaged families did not attend school and 27 per cent were vagabonds. The Committee had further noted the Government’s information that a number of informal education methodologies, such as
“peer-to-peer”, and educational programmes, such as “Step-by-Step”, “Critical thinking” and “Economic education for children”, were introduced to improve the education of children. The Committee had finally noted with interest the Government’s information that out of the 7,050 children who were identified in 2006 as not attending any school, including children placed in orphanage centres for social and psychological rehabilitation, 3,233 children (46 per cent) were reintroduced to school. The Committee had requested the Government to pursue its efforts to increase school attendance rates and reduce school drop-out rates.

The Committee notes the detailed information, including statistical data provided by the Government in its report under Convention No. 138 on the number of educational establishments and number of children studying in such establishments. According to this data, by the end of 2008 there were more than twenty thousand general education establishments in Ukraine, where more than 4.4 million children were studying, with (13,600) establishments (68 per cent) in rural areas, where (34.3 per cent) 1.52 million children from rural areas were studying. Moreover, there were 317 general education boarding schools, including 53 schools for orphaned children and children left without parental guardianship; and 14 schools for social rehabilitation.