Schoolchildren in poor countries perform worse on standardised tests than those in rich ones. They also have ten times more lead in their blood
countries perform worse on standardised tests than those in rich ones. They also have ten times more lead in their blood. In a new working paper researchers at the Centre for Global Development , an American think-tank, argue that lead poisoning alone accounts for a fifth of the learning gap between rich and poor countries. In the poorest places, more than 90% of ten-year-olds cannot read and understand a simple text, compared with just 8% of children of the same age in rich countries.
Leaded petrol, which has been banned by every government in the world, is no longer a problem. But lead still lurks elsewhere in poor countries. It is in car batteries, which are prised open in backyard recycling workshops; in the paint on walls and the glaze on cooking pots; in self-made eyeliner and adulterated spices. It contaminates water and lingers in the soil. Infants absorb about four to five times as much of the lead they ingest as adults do.
Reducing lead poisoning is not a silver bullet for education, but it could be faster and cheaper to address than staffing problems and overall teaching quality. Governments could impose stricter regulations on battery recycling and paint manufacturing and clean up contaminated soils. Some of these measures could boost learning by an amount comparable to the most successful educational interventions, such as programmes to improve teaching methods.
Belgique Dernières Nouvelles, Belgique Actualités
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