BUB Backdrops - Children of the World

Children of the World
	Fun in the Streets These Baku youngsters are enjoying a local version of jump rope. It is a favorite game among the children of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
	Bangladesh School Yard Wearing required uniforms, young girls gather on the grounds of their private school in Bangladesh to talk before classes begin. The country’s educational system was established by the British during colonial times, and boys and girls still attend separate schools. Education is only compulsory for 5 years, but all children under the age of ten are offered free schooling. Only half the school-age children in Bangladesh actually attend classes, and very few go on to college.
	School’s Out in Belfast A group of primary school children race across a street in Falls Road, Belfast. Early education is an important objective in Northern Ireland. In addition to primary school education, the government provides nursery school education for children under five years old. All Northern Irish children are entitled to free schooling; however, a number of popular private schools attract local students, as well as pupils from overseas.
	Schoolchildren in Guangzhou, China Guangzhou is one of China’s most progressive cities in terms of educating its children. It provides large numbers of kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools. Generally, children attend kindergarten from age three to six or seven. All schools are run by the state.
	Bedouin Children of the Sinai, Egypt On Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, a small number of Bedouins still live the traditional way, roaming the desert on camels and sleeping in tents. Bedouin social organization is based on the structure of families, clans, and tribes. Political and economic developments have encouraged Bedouins to lead a more settled life, and the majority of Bedouins in Egypt are now farmers.
	Georgian Children Georgia has one of the lowest population growth rates in the world. In 1997 the growth rate was -1.09 percent, which indicates that the population was shrinking rather than growing.
	Learning the Basics in a German School These first-grade students in Cologne attend Grundschule, the initial stage of a comprehensive school system that is free and compulsory for all German children between the ages of 6 and 18. Kindergartens—a term of German origin that is now used worldwide—offer preschool activities and instruction to children 3 years and older.
	Lebanese Boys Playing Checkers Boys enjoy a friendly game of checkers on a sidewalk in Lebanon. Many Lebanese wear western-style clothing and enjoy western and Arabic literature, music, and art. It is also common to find trilingual Lebanese who speak Arabic, French, and English.