Recent developments in national and international economic systems have also affected the world's poor dramatically. As developing countries attempt to reduce their international debt, they reduce the amount of money they spend on basic social services, such as education. This hits the poor especially hard and, in some countries, has been linked to the explosion in child labour. The absence of relevant education In many developing countries the education system is underfunded and in decline. But the problems facing the school system are more than just a lack of resources.
Many organisations claim that school curricula are outdated and fail to meet the needs of children.
As a result, keeping children in schools can often prove to be more difficult than getting them to enrol in the first place. In many cultures, entrenched social patterns play a significant role in forcing children into labour. The harder and more hazardous jobs are likely to be given to the poor, the disadvantaged, the lower classes or castes or to ethnic minorities or Indigenous children. Currently 140 million children aged between 6 and 11 do not attend school and potentially a similar number of children drop out early. Primary education must be universal and compulsory with programs that attract and retain children.