A/HRC/45/34/Add.1 illnesses that their traditional methods cannot treat effectively. Indigenous persons told the Special Rapporteur that leprosy, tuberculosis, malaria and yaws were common illnesses within their communities. Malnutrition affected indigenous children: 40 per cent of indigenous children under 5 years of age suffered from chronic malnutrition, compared with 26 per cent for the whole population.17 Indigenous peoples’ use of and transmittal of knowledge about traditional medicinal plants should be supported and encouraged. In this respect, it should be noted that traditional indigenous medicine is part of the national health system, including the national strategy for the promotion of traditional medicine based on the identification of nearly 5,000 plants and the promotion of their use in preparing medical compounds. It is essential that indigenous experts be among the drivers of this strategy. 43. The Special Rapporteur regrets the lack of national statistics regarding the experience of indigenous men, women and children within the health system. Health-care centres can play a vital role in redressing the situation of discrimination by collecting data disaggregated by sex, age and ethnicity in a way that respects privacy. 2. Access to education 44. Since the early 2000s, a project has provided informal schools for indigenous peoples in Likouala and Sangha Departments. The project was initially created and run by civil society organizations to respond to the daunting levels of illiteracy and poor school attendance in areas densely inhabited by indigenous populations. The so-called “observe, reflect and act” schools deliver a three-year programme to prepare young indigenous children to enter the mainstream school system. UNICEF, WFP, the European Union, CIB and the Government have since supported over 45 schools and more than 7,000 pupils in the two Departments. 45. While the “observe, reflect and act” system has led to an increase in the number of indigenous children attending school, indigenous adolescents still represent only 0.05 per cent of the junior high school population and 0.008 per cent of all high school students, with indigenous girls remaining particularly excluded from education. 18 46. The previous Special Rapporteur had encouraged the Government to adopt measures to encourage indigenous children to stay in school after the three-year “observe, reflect and act” school programme, including through the incorporation of indigenous people’s teaching methods, the development of cross-cultural curricula, the use of bilingual instruction and the scheduling of classes around the indigenous calendar and other cultural patterns. 47. Article 19 of Law No. 5-2011 requires the State to develop and implement education programmes and appropriate structures that correspond to the needs and way of life of indigenous peoples. Education is to be free and mandatory for all children aged 6 to 16 years. The decree implementing Law No. 5-2011 with regard to education provides for special measures to be applied to indigenous children, including their automatic eligibility for scholarship to higher education, the annual distribution of school kits and uniforms and the opening of school restaurants for indigenous children. 48. The national action plans for 2009–2013 and 2014–2017 delivered some results, including the construction and equipment of classrooms, the provision of teaching materials, the opening and provision of school canteens, the sensitization and mobilization of indigenous parents and communities and the promotion of innovative pedagogical approaches aimed at attracting and retaining indigenous students. Nevertheless, the current reality on the ground remains starkly inadequate. 49. Illiteracy remains widespread among indigenous populations, including in Sangha. UNFPA reported to the Special Rapporteur that 65 per cent of indigenous children between the ages of 12 and 15 years were not in school, compared to 39 per cent in the national population as a whole. 19 During the visit, the Special Rapporteur was told that lack of 17 18 19 10 Congo, Ministry of Forest Economics, Cadre de Planification en Faveur des Peuples Autochtones : Rapport Final (November 2018), p. 24 (in French). UNICEF, Analyse de la Situation des Enfants et des Adolescents en République du Congo, (September 2019) p. 124 (in French). Information shared by UNFPA.