VOA慢速英语:The Education of Somalia

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund has reported good news about education in two regions of Somalia. The two - Puntland and Somaliland are now relatively peaceful and secure, at least compared with central and southern Somalia.
联合国儿童基金会报道了索马里两个地区教育方面的好消息，邦特兰和索马里兰都相对和平和安定，至少和索马里中部和南部相比来说是这样。

UNICEF and educational planners for the two areas found that in Puntland, the number of students in primary education went from 26 percent to 43 percent over the last five years. A smaller increase was reported in Somaliland.
联合国儿童基金会和两个地区的教育规划者发现，过去5年间邦特兰的小学生比率从26%上升到43%，据报道马里兰也有微弱上升。

The agency says more girls should be in school, that need exists in all of Somalia, not just Puntland and Somaliland.
该机构称整个索马里应该有更多女孩子上学，而不仅仅是邦特兰和索马里兰。

Leaving school is a big problem. For example, only 37 percent of Somali girls who had completed first grade, took the form four exam in the 2011 to 2012 school year. And girls represent only 28 percent of students in Somali secondary schools. The Communications’s chief for UNICEF in Somalia, says communities are benefiting from an increasing number of schools being built. And the officials Susannah Price says the agency is developing projects in varies fields of education.
辍学是个大问题，比如，只有37%的索马里女孩子上完小学，参加2011年到2012学年的考试。而索马里中学里女孩只占28%，联合国儿童基金会驻索马里公关负责人称，修建越来越多的学校令社会受益。官员Susannah Price说该机构在教育的多个领域都开发了项目。

"UNICEF, for example, have worked very hard on training enough teachers, working on non-formal education as well as alternative kind of education - for example for the pastoralist children."
“比如，联合国儿童基金会在培训充足的教师人员方面下了很大努力，这些教师从事非正规的教育，还提供另类教育，比如教育牧区孩子。”

Pastoralist children are the children of families that moved with their herds of livestock. Suzana Price says the agency also has worked with committees in the community to support them, and help with building classrooms and schools.
牧区孩子是那些随牲畜迁移家庭的孩子，Suzana Price该基金会还和社区委员会合作为他们提供支持，以及帮助修建教室和学校。

Miss Price says education is absolutely key for the future of the Somalia, but there are problems in getting parents to send girls to school. The spokeswoman says UNICEF encourages equality between males and females in education. She says UNICEF is trying to improve the availability of schooling for girls.
Price说教育绝对是掌握索马里未来的钥匙，但要让父母送孩子入学还存在问题。这位女发言人说联合国儿童基金会鼓励男女教育平等。她说，联合国儿童基金会鼓励男女教育平等，也在努力提高女孩上学的可能性。

"We’ve been focusing on changing attitudes on girls’ education, to talk to parents to explain why education of girls is as important as to the education of their brothers, why you shouldn’t keep girls at home to do the house work. "
“我们关注于改变人们对女孩教育的看法，跟父母解释为何教育对女孩和对她的兄弟来说一样重要，为什么不应该让女孩留在家里干家务。”

Miss Price says the agency has helped with scholarships for girls, so they can start school, and go on to higher education. UNICEF also gets girls who have succeeded in education to talk to others, to persuade them to go to school. The agency says more universal education could help Puntland and Somaliland improve other areas of developent, such as health care. UNICEF says there has been no major improvement in health and nutrition in the past five years. It also says the number of children receiving vaccinations to prevent diseases remains low.
Price女士说该机构还为女孩提供奖学金，这样她们就能入学，接受高等教育。联合国儿童基金会还让那些学有所成的女孩们跟其他女孩交谈，劝说她们去上学。该机构称教育普及能帮助邦特兰和索马里兰改善其他领域的发展，诸如医疗保障方面。联合国儿童基金会说过去5年间的卫生和营养方面无甚改善。还说接受预防疾病疫苗儿童的数量还很小。