A/HRC/38/32/Add.1 UNESCO, Japan, Morocco, Canada and China, to implement pilot projects that involve the private sector and local communities, in order to increase the relevance and effectiveness of vocational training. The idea is to roll out similar projects more widely, building on the lessons learned during this first stage. D. Adaptability 60. Although some progress has been made, equal access to education for girls has not yet been achieved. Parents continue to prioritize boys’ education over girls’ education, especially in rural areas. Furthermore, the sanitary facilities in many schools are not appropriate for girls and there is a high rate of adolescent pregnancy. The steps taken by the Ivorian Government have helped to significantly reduce this rate in some places but further efforts must be made to improve monitoring, prevention and response measures. It should also be noted that the 2016–2020 National Development Plan includes policies that are intended to reduce the number of adolescent pregnancies. 61. The Special Rapporteur commends the Government for adopting a strategic plan to promote girls’ education, which sets out measures to tackle pregnancy in schools, including a campaign entitled “Zero Pregnancies at School” and community mobilization. 62. According to the Ivorian press, however, there were around 4,471 pregnancies in general secondary schools in Côte d’Ivoire in 2016/17, compared with 4,054 in 2015/16. 4 63. In 2007, the Government set up monitoring committees to increase the number of girls who enrol and remain in school and mobilized communities to take action, for example through clubs for mothers of girl pupils. These clubs are involved in major projects, such as the establishment of permanent school canteens, and are increasingly focused on turning school management committees into an essential tool. Activities carried out by these clubs include helping parents to apply for birth certificates, raising girls’ and boys’ awareness of forced marriage and adolescent pregnancy, helping girls to gain access to transitional classes and helping parents to enrol their children in school. VI. Key issues concerning the education system 64. The main challenges in the field of education relate to access to education, quality of education and governance of the education system. 65. Considerable efforts are being made to raise the quality of education, through the reinstatement of lessons on Wednesday mornings; vocational training for teachers; the development of an education and literacy strategy aimed at adolescents and adults, especially women; and the provision of quality teaching materials. A. Inclusive education 66. According to data from 2008, poverty affects 48.9 per cent of the Ivorian population and is concentrated in rural areas. Bearing in mind that education-related costs account for 30 to 37 per cent of household spending and that secondary and higher education costs are rising each year, how can poor families afford to cover the basic cost of education? 67. The Special Rapporteur recommends continuing to provide free textbooks and school supplies to vulnerable sectors of the population in rural areas in order to turn Côte d’Ivoire into an inclusive, emerging country. 68. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the considerable efforts made to involve local communities in education through the school management committees, which serve as permanent bodies for education planning and management, as well as the measures taken to provide free teaching materials. School management committees are able to identify 4 GE.18-06824 See http://news.abidjan.net/h/613225.html. 11