poverty, yet they receive lower allocations for sectors that are key to children’s wellbeing, such as health and education, compared with provinces with lower levels of childhood poverty, such as Maputo city and Maputo province. 34 Access to Education 444. The CRM heard that increased numbers of children are attending primary school due to school fees for that level having been abolished. According to UNICEF, the number of primary school children in Mozambique has increased steadily from 1.7 million in 1997 to over 3.8 million in 2006, although some children are still missing out on education. Currently, an estimated 650 000 or more children remain out of school, and two-thirds of all primary school children leave school before completing Grade 5. About 70 per cent of the schools do not have adequate sanitation and the majority of schools do not offer comprehensive life skills-based education that promotes healthy behaviour. The government, with the assistance of UNICEF, has introduced child-friendly school programmes to address the challenge of inadequate sanitation and low-skilled teachers. Topics covered include a minimum quality package, such as for training teachers; good health, water and sanitation; child protection and social mobilisation. 445. The government has also established night schools to meet the demand of the increasing number of children who wish to attend school. This system enables children who cannot attend school during the day to do so at night. Although it is a good initiative for eradicating illiteracy, it faces several challenges due to insecurity at night. Having to walk long distances on unlit roads, with little or no police patrol, also deters children from attending these night schools. 446. Despite the government’s efforts to overcome illiteracy, an estimated 1 million children still do not attend school, most of them from poor rural families. This can be attributed to a number of factors, ranging from cultural practices to parents’ inability to meet school requirements, such as uniforms and stationery. That aside, the quality of education is poor, due to the large number of unqualified teachers, as well as inadequate school infrastructure and teaching materials. Violence, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse 447. The CRM was informed that there is sexual abuse of children in schools and villages. When young girls are raped, and such cases are reported to the authorities, the accused are often asked for a small sum of money in the form of lobolo or “bride wealth” to be paid to the parents of the raped child. The accused is often let off the hook after having paid the lobolo. Male school teachers have also raped young girls, promising them promotion to the next 34 Pakkala, L. 2007. The role of elected representatives in ensuring adequate and equitable resource alloca- tion and expenditure for children. Maputo: UNICEF. 153