CRC/C/COD/CO/3-5 Standard of living 38. In view of the fact that less than half of the population and an even larger number of children do not have access to potable water and only one fifth of the population have access to sanitation and hygiene facilities, the Committee draws the attention of the State party to target 1.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals on implementing nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, and reiterates its recommendation that the State party allocate appropriate resources to eradicate child poverty, as defined by the General Assembly in 2007, ensuring access by children to clean, potable water, adequate sanitation facilities, a healthy environment and food security (see CRC/C/COD/CO/2, para. 64). The Committee urges the State party to ensure a strong focus on child rights in its poverty reduction strategy and the incorporation of development goals and objectives that are relevant to children. The poverty reduction strategy should take into account the root causes of poverty, including the inequitable distribution of available resources. G. Education, leisure and cultural activities (arts. 28-31) Education and aims of education 39. The Committee notes the initiatives taken by the Government to improve access by children to schools, including efforts to reduce disparities between girls and boys as regards enrolment in primary school, to build 1,000 schools throughout its territory and, in 2013, to prohibit the occupation of schools by the military. However, it regrets that the efforts are not sufficient and that a large number of school-age children in the country remain out of school. In particular, the Committee expresses its serious concern that: (a) Only half of children aged between 6 and 11 years attend primary school, owing to the fact that education is not genuinely free; (b) Large numbers of children abandon school early due to excessive costs, early marriage and fear of violence, especially in conflict-affected areas of the country; (c) Access to schools in various provinces remains unequal, on the basis of differences between urban and rural areas and the socioeconomic and educational background of parents; (d) The quality of education remains poor owing to insufficiently qualified teachers, who are also paid irregularly and lack pedagogical materials; (e) The infrastructure and equipment of schools are insufficient and inadequate, that most schools have no access to potable water and sanitary facilities and that no transport services are provided to and from most schools; (f) Armed groups continue to attack schools, students and teachers in conflictaffected areas, putting children at risk of abduction and recruitment, and use schools for military purposes; (g) Only a small number of children attend preschool. 40. In the light of general comment No. 1 (2001) on the aims of education and taking note of Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Ensure access to primary education, free of charge, including by removing any additional indirect costs, for all children without discrimination; (b) Take all measures necessary to ensure that children complete their compulsory schooling, taking concrete action to address the causes behind non12