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Why girls’ education should remain a priority

Raja bentaouet kattan, laura rawlings, courtney melissa merchant.

A decade after the World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development we have seen encouraging improvement in education outcomes for girls. Primary school completion rates are almost equal between boys and girls, and there has been significant progress in secondary education enrollment rates.

Girls’ education matters, but our focus must evolve to meet new challenges.

First, girls in high poverty and settings of fragility, conflict and violence (FCV) still face challenges in attendance and enrollment. Learning remains a critical issue for both boys and girls alike.   

Second, ensuring that girls access quality education is a central part of building and protecting human capital for themselves today, for their future economic prospects and for successive generations. Human capital promotion and protection are a key outcome of the proposed World Bank Group Gender Strategy 2024-30 .  In Achieving Gender Equality in Education: Examining Progress and Constraints , an underpinning for the new gender strategy, we take a close look at the latest research and findings on gender equality outcomes in education, as well as issues, evidence on promising solutions, operational good practices, and areas for future engagement.  

We need multipronged approaches based on what works to close gaps in girls’ education

The benefits of girls’ education are clear, including across health, social and economic outcomes.    And the evidence is decisive on many areas of what works to overcome barriers that girls face—for example, tackling obstacles of distance and cost through interventions including scholarships, stipends, and cash transfers.

At the same time, there are fewer studies in many areas such as the utility of social campaigns for boosting girls’ education enrollment; how gender-sensitive curricula, textbooks, and teaching can reduce bias and further girls’ achievement; and the impacts of school-based interventions for girls, such as separate toilets, school safety, and gender-based violence (GBV) reduction mechanisms. Studies are beginning to emerge in these areas, and more are needed.

This research informs policy approaches that target multiple barriers faced by girls, providing a strong base to continue to test, learn, adapt and expand on these approaches.

Schools are social incubators, playing a pivotal role in empowering girls and shaping norms

Research shows the clear impact of social norms on gender outcomes , including schooling and education outcomes.  Importantly, we know that schools have the power to shape these norms and give both girls and boys the ability to positively transform their roles, behaviors and futures. We consider schools as “incubators” where students develop a view of their own potential and rights, and as critical to empowering all students. 

One way we can bolster this link is through empowerment programs targeting adolescent girls. Evidence from Africa and South Asia has demonstrated the impressive impact of adolescent girls’ empowerment programs, for example from the World Bank’s Adolescent Girls Initiative .  The World Bank is now supporting a “new generation” of projects in Angola, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Mozambique that build on lessons from previous efforts, including the Adolescent Girls Initiative and the Sahel Women's Empowerment and Demographics Project. These approaches target sexual and reproductive health and rights, GBV, and women’s economic participation. For example, the Sudan Basic Education Support Project includes activities to train schools and their surrounding communities on GBV reduction.

We must bridge the broken link to employment

There are clear disparities in  women and men’s labor market outcomes, and education has a pivotal role in this tackling this. We see an education-employment paradox, in which high learning outcomes are not translating to labor market outcomes for girls. On the flip side, boys often face the challenge of underperformance in schools , but have higher labor market outcomes.

As more and more girls are accessing education, we need to look at how we can help them translate education into successful outcomes.   A striking 1 in 4 girls aged 15–19 globally are not in education, employment or training (NEET), compared to 1 in 10 boys.   That is a quarter of girls who are not able to engage fully in developing higher order skills or realizing the returns to their education in the workforce. In Latin America, a recent World Bank study finds the share of girls who are NEETs is significantly higher than among young men, and can be as high as 46%. They find that the challenges girls face are often different than for boys and are often strongly impacted by gender norms.

Access to reproductive health services among adolescents, encouraging girls’ agency and aspirations including for employment in higher paying occupations, and using proven approaches such as mentoring to address occupational segregation are all needed.

How can education programs contribute to address this problem? The Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET Project in Bangladesh , for example, is working with girls and their family members to increase access to education and skills training and promote the employability of the NEET youth, especially girls and women. The project also promotes equal access and opportunities for other subgroups, including persons with disability, transgender, and ethnic minorities.

Girls’ education is essential for sustainable, resilient, and inclusive development

This year, the World Bank has created a new vision for an evolving mission, one that emphasizes addressing global challenges on a livable planet .  This cannot be achieved without gender equality in education. 

Girls’ education is highly vulnerable to disruption from fragility and crises including conflict and climate change effects. Notably, girls in FCV situations are some of the most marginalized.  At the same time, educating girls strengthens countries’ resilience to shocks . Girls and women also have a pivotal role in addressing climate change, whether at the household level, in the community or in the labor market. One way to support this is through STEM investments, which empower girls to shape their societies and environments as scientists, innovators and active citizens . In Tanzania, for example, the Higher Education for Economic Transformation Project is making a strong, multi-pronged push to promote more girls and young women in STEM subjects.

Where do we go from here?

It is increasingly pressing to support girls’ abilities to thrive in an ever-changing world and to be able to tackle global challenges. These ideas and more are detailed in our policy note.  You can download it here , and share your feedback on the WBG gender strategy to help us shape the path ahead. 

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Why Girls' Education

Today nearly 120 million girls are out of school..

Malala Fund works to secure 12 years of free, safe, quality education for all girls so they can learn and lead without fear. We focus on secondary school, typically grades 7–12, when gender discrimination increasingly affects adolescent girls’ futures. Completing secondary school opens up opportunities for girls to make their own life choices, allowing them to reach their fullest potential.

As they get older, more girls drop out of school. Girls in low-income countries drop out at particularly high rates, as shown below.

Data source: UNESCO (2023)  Visualizing Indicators of Education for the World (VIEW)

What keeps nearly 120 million girls out of school?

Gender bias.

At home, in the classroom and in wider society, deep-rooted beliefs about gender shape practices and policies that limit girls’ opportunities to learn.

Early marriage

Every year 12 million girls are married before they turn 18. Girls who are married typically stop going to school.

Families who can’t afford school fees are more likely to send boys than girls to school. 

Gender-based violence

Approximately 60 million girls annually are sexually assaulted on their way to or at school, significantly impacting their learning and attendance.

Education quality

Poor education quality prevents students from learning what they need to thrive in today’s world and reinforces gender discrimination in school and society.

Girls living in areas with conflict are 90% more likely to be out of secondary school than girls in areas without conflict.

Governments in lower-income countries lack the funds to provide good quality secondary schools and teachers where girls need them.

Climate change

By 2025 climate change will be a contributing factor in preventing at least 12.5 million girls from completing their education each year.

Why invest in girls’ education?

Every child has a right to education. All girls — regardless of income level, social status, race or cultural background — have a right to learn on equal terms with boys including access to quality teachers, curriculums and learning materials.

Quality education challenges gender beliefs and discrimination and increases girls’ ability to choose their own futures. When they can fully participate in society, politics and the economy, educated girls and women reshape gender roles and advocate for their own rights.

Educated women provide vital skills and knowledge to the workforce, driving economic growth and innovation. Women with secondary education earn almost twice as much as women with no education. When women earn more, they uplift their families and contribute to national economies.

Education equips girls with the know-how to help communities adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. In countries that invest in girls’ education, significantly less people die from droughts and floods than in countries with lower levels of girls’ education.

When girls are educated, communities are healthier and experience less maternal and child deaths. Women with secondary education make better health care decisions for themselves and their families. They are more likely to identify needed improvements to public services in their communities. 

The fight for girls’ education won’t be won by girls alone. Play your part.

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Empowering girls and communities through quality education

Meet these adolescent girls and young women achieving their dreams through education, and the parents and community members supporting their education and empowerment in Mali, Nepal, and the United Republic of Tanzania.

These individuals have been part of the Joint Programme on Empowering Adolescent Girls and Young Women through Education . Grounded in the collective commitment of UNESCO, UN Women and UNFPA, the Joint Programme applies a coordinated and multi-sectoral approach to empower girls and young women through quality education.

First stop, Mali

In Mali, over 5,600 out-of-school girls and young women were empowered through literacy and vocational training, and learned about sexual and reproductive health. Some 200,000 community members were also sensitised on girls’ retention, re-entry and access to education and 3,560 teachers, school administrators, parents and community leaders benefitted from trainings to foster inclusive and safe learning environments for girls in schools. School-age girls and boys who were displaced due to inter-communal conflict have also been re-integrated into the formal school system.

Adama, a bright learner from Mopti

“I like learning”, says Adama. “My first language is Fulfulde but I also can speak Bambara. I learned this language with my classmates at school.”

Adama, aged 11, was forced to leave her hometown with her family to flee from inter-communal conflict between the Peul and Dogon ethnic groups in Mopti, central region of Mali. She and her family are living in a refugee camp on the outskirts of Bamako.

“An educated person is more important than an illiterate one”, says Aminata, Adama’s mother. “I want her to study and get a good job after she finishes school.”

Adama had the chance to return to school through the joint efforts of UNESCO, UNFPA and UN Women to re-integrate internally displaced children into the formal school system in Bamako. At school, Adama learned to read and write in French, speak Bambara, the local language used in Bamako, and even made new friends.

When schools closed to contain the spread of COVID-19, Adama could not continue learning because she didn’t have access to the internet and had to focus on household chores. The Joint Programme enabled students like Adama to continue learning with refresher courses that were disseminated on the national television channel.

Adama has since returned to school. However, schools and access to education remain threatened by the ongoing conflict. Adama urges political leaders to do all they can to end the civil war so that she and her family can return to their hometown, and to ensure that girls like herself are able to continue their education.  

Next stop, Nepal

In Nepal, the Joint Programme worked across 5 districts and with 14 municipalities. Over 6,300 girls and young women came together in community learning centres or local resource hubs that foster education and livelihood for marginalised groups. Out of these girls, 1,874 participated in functional literacy classes integrating comprehensive sexuality education and mother tongue-based multilingual education to ensure an inclusive and equitable education. Nearly 4,470 girls and young women also participated in vocational skills courses, out of which 1,458 started generating an income.

Chanda, a champion for girls from Rautahat

“Pregnancy at a young age has huge costs on girls’ reproductive and psychological health. And they are subjected to gender-based violence”, says Chanda. “We must empower girls to speak out for their own rights and well-being. That’s why I will continue to work in education.”

Chanda, aged 23, had dropped out of school when she engaged with the Joint Programme and received vocational training. She was inspired to pursue a career in education while working as a facilitator for the UNESCO-led functional literacy classes.

Chanda works with girls who dropped out of school, girls who have never been to school, and girls who married young. “Child brides are denied further education, lack literacy, and are unable to manage their finances, making them completely dependent on others”, says Chanda. She believes that efforts to uplift girls and women must complement efforts to reduce early marriage.

Chanda has been able to follow girls’ progress after their participation in the classes. She noticed incredible improvement in their confidence stemming from their participation and learning. However, the lockdowns throughout the pandemic resulted in many girls returning to farm work and parents taking advantage of lower dowries to marry their daughters. There is still much progress to be made to change the attitudes of parents and guardians towards their daughters. 

Despite these challenges, Chanda is committed to working with adolescent girls to inspire them and change social attitudes towards girls’ education.

Dhauli, an entrepreneur and role-model from Bajura

“I couldn’t even recite the alphabet before I took the classes. Now I have the confidence to speak at workshops”, says Dhauli. “Education is important – without the trainings I received, I couldn’t have started my own enterprises.”

Dhauli was married at age 12 when her mother died, so she never had the opportunity to go to school. She attended the Joint Programme’s functional literacy classes, through which she developed entrepreneurship skills.

Since joining the classes, Dhauli started a grocery shop and runs a farm. She has already taken out NPR 400,000 (US$ 3,300) in bank loans to invest in her shop and the investment has paid off. She currently earns up to 4,500 NPR (US$ 37) each day. She has also been able to expand her family farm by purchasing buffalos and pigs.

Dhauli is the first person in her family to be financially literate. She is inspiring her peers through entrepreneurship skills and extending her knowledge to her husband and children. For Dhauli, the freedom of running her own business is also tied to securing a future for her daughters.

“I didn’t get to study but with my earnings, I can make sure that my daughters will get an education”, she says. “This must improve our future. I may have been an illiterate woman, but my daughters will not be.”

Komal, an advocate for girls’ education from Rajpur Farhadawa

“I used to think that I was a poor student, but now I know that I am a good student and can do well”, says Komal. The functional literacy classes have improved my life. I am confident that I will do well in the future.”

Komal, aged 15, dropped out of school by the time she was in grade 6 because of frequent teacher absences and low engagement. However, two years later, she took part in the classes and was inspired to go back to school as she discovered the value of her education.

Komal learned how to advocate for her own education, how to recognize and report gender-based violence, and how to pay attention to her own reproductive health and address health concerns. She even learned about sexual exploitation and human trafficking, and how to protect herself.

Komal also participated in a radio programme organized by UNESCO where she interacted with local leaders and stakeholders from her district. She discussed health, education and issues affecting youth with them. The experience boosted her confidence and helped her overcome her fear of public speaking.

Komal was empowered through the Joint Programme and inspired to pursue a future advocating for girls’ education. “I believe that all girls should have an education”, she says. “I want to be involved in similar programmes in the future so that I can motivate other girls to study.”

Parbati, an FLC facilitator from Simalkot

“To watch them learn to read and write before my own eyes – that filled me with pride and satisfaction”, says Parbati, a facilitator for the Joint Programme’s functional literacy classes and youth advocacy coordinator from Simalkot. “I realized how important education is in showing people their potential.”

When Parbati began teaching the classes, she noticed that the women who attended the trainings lacked the literacy skills needed to sign their own names. As she taught them the Nepali alphabet and numeracy skills, she noticed they gained interest in learning even more. Parbati helped the women gain a sense of pride as they no longer had to sign official documents with a thumbprint.

Parbati also organized interactive sessions with learners in Achham, where she discussed pregnancy, family planning and menstrual hygiene. She advocates for ending harmful practices, including sexual harassment, violence against women and girls and early marriage.

Teaching literacy to women has been especially rewarding for her as a facilitator as she has witnessed the transformation of women from learners to entrepreneurs. Beyond literacy, the functional literacy classes teach women about organizing savings and investment groups. Many of the women started their own businesses.

Parbati noticed that the women of Simalkot are excelling in the classes and asking for more educational opportunities. “If they have come this far after one round of training, imagine what they can achieve with more.”

Ratan, a transformed mother from Duni

“The first day attending the class was one of the happiest days of my life”, says Ratan. “I wanted to continue my education to secure a good future for my child. I have to be a good example for my daughter.”

Ratan, then in grade 6, was forced to drop out of school because she was arranged to be married. She became a mother at age 21 and cared for her family. Ratan’s options were limited, as engaging in public activities  outside of the home is often stigmatised according to social customs in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal.

After convincing her family, Ratan attended the functional literacy classes held under the Joint Programme. “At first, she was too shy and nervous to introduce herself in the class, but now, she can speak her mind in front of a crowd”, says Saraswoti, Ratan’s facilitator.

Ratan gained confidence as her literacy skills improved and she learned about family planning, reproductive health and hygiene, and harmful cultural practices. Ratan often shares her new knowledge, especially about reproductive health and hygiene, with women in her community. She has now found a greater sense of independence in life.

Before the training, Ratan lacked the skills to access her own bank account and withdraw money sent by her husband who is a migrant worker in India. Now, Ratan is financially literate, capable of accessing her own bank account, making withdrawals and deposits and organizing her family’s finances.

Last stop, Tanzania

In Tanzania, the Joint Programme reached girls and young women in remote areas where access to learning can be more limited. To prevent violence against girls and increase the retention of girls in school, 40 primary and 20 secondary schools across 4 districts now provide counselling services through 112 youth clubs. Out-of-school girls and young mothers were provided with vocational, literacy, numeracy as well as sexual and reproductive health programmes. Over 4,000 in-school and 1,000 out-of-school girls and young women benefited from quality educational opportunities. Over 180 local government officials, 440 teachers and 60 curriculum developers from higher learning institutions were trained on gender-responsive pedagogy, life skills, sexual and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, and gender-based violence (GBV).

Fatma, a businesswoman from Mkoani

“When I dropped out of school, I could not even read full sentences. With the support from the Joint Programme, I gained the confidence to read, write and do basic mathematics. I now help other girls to learn how to read and write”, says Fatma, a businesswoman aged 25 from Mkoani.

Fatma dropped out of school like many girls and young women in Tanzania. Soon after, she was married and had three children. She felt like her dreams had ended when her education stopped at the age of 14. Life prospects are limited for girls and young mothers in Tanzania without an education, or the knowledge and skills for employment.

Fatma joined a community-based youth centre established by the Joint Programme, where she was taught basic literacy and numeracy. She also learned digital skills at the centre using a tablet and a smartphone provided by the Joint Programme to access other learning materials and build her entrepreneurship and vocational skills. She developed business management, accounting and communication skills.

Fatma is now pursuing her dreams. She opened a small grocery shop with the income she received for her work as a henna artist. She learned henna painting at the vocational training held under the Joint Programme. “I sell rice, sugar and some vegetables. It is such a big achievement being economically independent with my own income. My husband is supportive of my work.”

Fatma also provides guidance to young women in her community, sharing her own experience. “I helped my peers learn how to run a business. One of my friends also started her own business as a henna artist and a tailor.”

Ashura, an entrepreneur and role model from Kasulu

"People in the village no longer see me and other girls who dropped out as failures but see us as people leading our lives autonomously", says Ashura, an entrepreneur from Kasulu.

Ashura, a young mother now aged 22, could not continue learning after primary school due to her family's financial challenges. Girls and young mothers who drop out of school in Tanzania often take up household chores and are left behind from education. Without alternative learning opportunities and access to financial services, they are prevented from earning incomes and living autonomous lives.

When Ashura received entrepreneurship training and opportunities from the Joint Programme, she discovered how to run a small business making and selling products such as soap, batik and nutrition flour. She also learned how to apply for loans allocated to women’s groups by the District Council.

Starting out with seed money, Ashura increased her cash flow by selling sugarcane and rice. Together with a group of young women who had also benefited from the Joint Programme, Ashura formed an income-generating group to encourage women-led economic activities. Their financing model extended to the formation of a village community banking (or VICOBA).

VICOBA is particularly helpful when the existing social services are insufficient. "Each member of the group contributes 5,000-10,000 TZS (US$ 2-4) every two weeks. VICOBA money is like an insurance or a loan given to group members for any emergency needs", says Ashura.

As her life changed, Ashura noticed a change in the perception of community members vis-a-vis out-of-school girls, who were previously seen as failures and are now looked up to as role models in their community.

Rahma, a confident learner from Kasulu

“Through the Safe Space-TUSEME club, I gained the confidence to speak out to my friends, teachers and parents”, says Rahma, a grade 10 student. “I was motivated to study hard. That was why I passed the national exam with a good score.”

In Tanzania, only 69% of girls transition from primary to lower secondary education compared to 73% of boys, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2017). This is attributed to less support from the family, lack of confidence, gender-based violence (GBV) and adolescent pregnancy.

Rahma, aged 15, joined the Safe Space-TUSEME (‘Let’s speak out’ in Swahili) club established by the Joint Programme in her school. There, she learned about gender equality and GBV, where to report cases of GBV or seek guidance and counselling, and how to undertake collective action if faced with a GBV incident. Youth-led activities such as drama and poetry and advocacy with parents and teachers about the challenges faced by girls at school helped transform attitudes around girls’ education.

Encouraged through the club activities, Rahma successfully transitioned to secondary school with excellent exam results. Her relationship with her parents also changed positively: “Housework was considered only for girls. However, my parents don’t think like that anymore. They are encouraging me to study. They were delighted when I passed the national exam”, says Rahma.

Now, Rahma continues to take part in the Safe Space-TUSEME activities in her secondary school. Her club conducts campaigns to keep girls safe from adolescent pregnancy. “A night market is a common place where girls can be more vulnerable to adolescent pregnancy. With ongoing campaigns, now I see fewer friends are joining night markets”, says Rahma. She hopes other schools establish Safe Space-TUSEME clubs to support more girls to pursue their education. “I want to help other girls gain confidence.”

Warda, an ICT facilitator from Mkoani

"We can teach girls how to read and write and acquire vocational skills so that they can be financially independent. I hope that more girls gain confidence, leadership, independence, higher income and are safe from violence. I believe empowering women is empowering society", says Warda, a young woman from Mkoani.

Warda was unemployed after graduating from college. She joined an ICT lab established by the Joint Programme as a facilitator. Through this role, she acquired teaching skills for literacy, numeracy and entrepreneurship using tablets. More than 200 out-of-school girls and young mothers in Mkoani learned business management, accounting and communications skills as part of the ICT lab.

One of Warda’s students, Zuhura, did not know how to read and write but learned through a self-learning application on a tablet. Now she runs a small business selling pillows and teaching other girls how to read and write and gain other basic entrepreneurial skills. Warda also created an income-generating group together with her students called the 'Women Association for Community Development Strategies', enabling the group to raise funds and sustain business ventures.

Girls who learned about entrepreneurship through the course at the ICT lab felt empowered, but empowerment was not limited to learners. "I gained the confidence to teach adults from any background. I am delighted to see their transformation as well as mine", says Warda.

She is currently empowering more out-of-school girls while following a Master's course. Recently, she also started a part-time job in the Mkoani district office. She dreams of expanding this initiative to other districts in Pemba, Unguja Island and even the Tanzania mainland.

Angel, a science wiz from Sengerema

"I told myself, 'Angel, you will not fail'. I became number one in physics and moved to upper secondary school", says Angel, aged 17. “I believe girls can do as well as boys in sciences.”

In Tanzania, poor pedagogical practices have led to discrimination and girls' lower performance than boys, especially in mathematics and science subjects in national examinations during the past five years. It is one of the reasons hindering the transition of girls from secondary to upper secondary education.

Teachers at Angel's secondary school received a Joint Programme training on gender-responsive pedagogy to counter stereotypes and socio-cultural bias reinforcing the notion that science subjects are not only for boys and difficult for girls.

With support from her teacher, Angel's performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects improved. She achieved excellent scores in her national exams in biology among other subjects. She became the best female student within her school and was selected to focus her studies on physics, chemistry and biology.

Angel inspires other girls in her secondary school to study hard including in STEM subjects and to pass the national examination. Four of Angel's peers also successfully transitioned to upper secondary school. Angel also brought a positive influence home. Her parents are proud of her achievements at school and support her education.

Safia, a woman leader from Pemba

"Through the Joint Programme, more community members encourage the education of girls and boys, while discouraging early marriage and unintended pregnancy. It was helpful to persuade the government offices to establish a secondary school in our community", says Safia. 

Safia is a community leader in Pemba island. She is one of five women leaders in 143 shehias (or wards) in the region, "Being a woman leader can be challenging, but my community members are very supportive", says Safia.

Safia became a champion for girls’ right to education through the Joint Programme. She and other community members developed dramas to engage her community to invest in girls’ education. They raised awareness among other community members about preventing early marriage and providing needed support for girls to continue their education. Since then, the number of girls transitioning to secondary education in her shehia increased from 5 to 15 girls.

Safia also advocated for the construction of the first secondary school for girls and boys in her shehia. Students used to go to neighbouring shehias to attend a secondary school. "It is very tough for students to transition to secondary education when there isn’t a secondary school in our community. Imagine girls taking boats to reach a secondary school in different shehias. It takes around 2 hours", says Safia.

"I expect more girls to continue schooling at the secondary school in our shehia. I hope that they will become women leaders like me when they grow up", says Safia.

Almachius, a community leader from Kasulu

"Through the Joint Programme activities, adolescent girls and young women became more empowered. Parents and community members, ward and district officers witnessed their growth. In return, they started to expand their support", says Almachius, a focal point for the Joint Programme in the Kasulu District Council.

Almachius has observed many positive achievements in the district. One of them is a loan from the District Council of 9,000,000 TZS (US$ 3,900), awarded to three women-led income-generating groups created by the Joint Programme. And in Heru Ushingo, the girls' transition rate from primary to secondary education has increased from 85% in 2017 to 99% in 2020 since the Joint Programme was initiated.

Also, 7 out of 15 schools in Kasulu have built more classrooms, toilets, water facilities and changing rooms for menstruation after trainings held by the Joint Programme on water, sanitation and hygiene. "It was possible because parents and community members who participated in the trainings donated bricks and volunteered to build school facilities. The Titye secondary school is even building a science, technology, engineering and mathematics laboratory", says Almachius.

As a result of this work, early marriage and unintended pregnancy rates have decreased. "Harmful social practices and gender-based violence decreased while reporting cases increased", says Almachius. The ward and district offices and schools worked closely with the Joint Programme to reinforce reporting mechanisms.

Almachius hopes to scale up this work to other wards in Kasulu. Six additional wards in Kasulu are already replicating the Joint Programme interventions to promote girls’ empowerment through education.

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Protecting, Educating and Empowering the Girl Child

on 10/11/2021 10/11/2021

Photo courtesy of Daily Mirror

Today is International Day of the Girl Child

While the lives of young girls in most countries around the world have certainly improved over the past few decades, there are still critical concerns that are unique to girls under the age of 18 such as female infanticide, early marriage and childbirth, Female Genital Mutilation, unequal access to education and health care, stereotyping, teenage pregnancy and sexual abuse. Girls also experience discrimination in food allocation and healthcare.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report (2020) states that gender parity will only be attained in just under 100 years from now.

On December 19, 2011 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The day focuses on the need to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.

“Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders. An investment in realising the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability,” said the UN.

Although a few girls such as Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg have captured the world’s imagination with their bold and passionate championship of critical causes, young girls are still marginalized and discriminated against, especially in the developing world.

Some 650 million girls and women around the world have been married as children and over 200 million have been subjected to Female Genital Mutilation while 129 million girls are out of school. In developing countries, one out of every four young women have not completed their primary school education.

The lack of education is the most urgent issue because from it stems a host of other barriers facing the girl child. An uneducated girl may be married off early and have children at a young age, endangering her health. She is also more likely to face domestic violence. Without an education, she will be subject to low paying, menial jobs.

“Girls’ education is a strategic development priority. Better educated women tend to be more informed about nutrition and healthcare, have fewer children, marry at a later age, and their children are usually healthier, should they choose to become mothers. They are more likely to participate in the formal labor market and earn higher incomes. All these factors combined can help lift households, communities, and countries out of poverty,” said the World Bank.

But many achievements towards girls’ empowerment and equality are being eroded by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; confinement with their families and keeping away from school is increasing early marriages and genital mutilation and is disrupting global efforts to end these practices. It has also resulted in more sexual abuse, including online abuse.

“There is already a worrying rise in abuse, forced marriages, school dropouts, cyberbullying, online sexual violence and female genital mutilation and the Coronavirus pandemic is putting more and more girls at risk,” said the Global Gender Gap report .

Girls are often deprived of the fundamental right to manage their own bodies and consent to sexual intercourse. Worldwide, it is estimated that at least 15 million girls aged 15 to 19 have experienced forced sexual intercourse or other types of sexual abuses during their lives.

In Sri Lanka, the problem of sexual abuse of children is a grave one where 14.4 per cent of late adolescent girls have been subjected to some form of sexual abuse. According to police data there were 10,593 cases of rape between 2010 and 2015, of which three-quarters were statutory rape cases of girls under 16.

Ninety per cent of child sexual abuse cases in Sri Lanka are from incest. This means that perpetrators are close relatives, a neighbour, a religious leader or a teacher.

“After being sexually abused, the girl child is considered soiled and impure, she is marginalized and even ostracized by her community. She becomes the victim twice over, with no form of reprieve,” said Hazel Rajiah-Tetteh, Country Manager of  Emerge Lanka Foundation, an organization that works alongside survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Its programme for children comprises of life skills, reproductive health, personal development and entrepreneurship.

“Economic instability, mental health issues, uncertainty and many other factors play into creating an unsafe environment for a child. There is an increased risk of violence towards people and, in this case, children. Children are extremely vulnerable in households that harbor tension, stress and isolation from routine,” said Ms. Rajiah-Tetteh.

“Discussing child sexual abuse has always been difficult and seasonal due to the stigma and sensitivity attached to it.  We do however see that people speak up and about it more often now. This awareness may play a key role in cases being reported more often,” she added.

Taking into account the rise in reported numbers on child abuse, as well as the pandemic climate where the risk has increased for child safety, Emerge has launched a project to keep children safe. #ProtectEveryChild is an online awareness campaign built to educate the public on childhood sexual abuse, its impact, indicators, ways to report cases, ways to be active in child protection and create a wave of solidarity online, for individuals to take accountability, responsibility and make an active pledge to “be alert, speak up, and to always Protect Every Child”.

To mark #DayOfTheGirl , Groundviews spoke to @EmergeGlobal Country Manager Hazel Rajiah on the worrying rise in sexual abuse in #SriLanka , its associated stigmas, and the role communities need to take on to protect our children. To read our article, see: https://t.co/aC8kEMIIdY pic.twitter.com/4m2gqHsAKy — Groundviews (@groundviews) October 11, 2021

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• CHAPTER 1 Introduction
• CHAPTER 2 Types of education
• CHAPTER 3 Importance of education
• CHAPTER 4 Early Childhood Education
• CHAPTER 5 Education system in India
• CHAPTER 6 Girl Child Education in India
• CHAPTER 7 Role of the civil society in the education sector
• CHAPTER 8 About Oxfam India
• CHAPTER 9 Role of Oxfam India in girl child education
• CHAPTER 10 Why donate to Oxfam India

Importance of Girl Child Education

Empowering girls through education.

Everyone wishes to see this world become a better place and strives to do their bit to change the world. But often we find it difficult to find a cause we want to support and the organization we would like to donate to.

Here we will explore the issue of quality and affordable education, which can help you understand why it is one of the most pressing issues and how you can sponsor child education in India. It will also help you understand.

Oxfam India’s work in education and how you can support Oxfam India to educate a child.

What You Will Know About Girl Child Education in This Resource

To help you read on all specific topics, we've put together an interactive table of contents. Click each link to be jumped to different sections. (Or, you can also scroll down and start from the beginning.)

• Definition of Education
• Types of Education
• Importance of Education
• Early Childhood Education
• Education System in India
• Girl Child Education in India
• Role of the Civil Society in the Education Sector
• About Oxfam India
• Role of Oxfam India in Girl Child Education
• Donate to Oxfam India

What is education? Is there a difference between education and schooling? In this chapter we will learn what is the meaning of education and the concept of education.

What is education?

Education definition.

The term ‘Education’ originated from the Latin word ‘Educare’, which means ‘to bring up’ or ‘to nourish’. Another Latin word ‘Educatum’ gave birth to the English term ‘Education’. ‘Educatum’ means ‘the art of teaching’ or training.

Oxford dictionary defines education as, “a process of teaching, training, and learning, especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge and develop skills.” It is the action or process of being educated.

Concept of education

Most of us, when we think of education, we imagine a formal school, with students learning subjects like Mathematics, English Literature, Social Studies, Physics, Chemistry, or Biology. We imagine a school where students play sports in their free time and are regularly assessed through exams. But is education only confined to a school or university building? Can a child, or even an adult learn outside of school and improve their knowledge and skills?

Education is the process of acquisition of knowledge and experiences, and development of skills and attitudes of an individual, which help them lead a fruitful life and contribute to the development of the society. The main purpose of education is the all-round development of individuals. Education aims to not only focus on skill development, but also on personality development to help individuals become socially responsible citizens of a country.

What is value education?

Value education aims to develop certain attitudes in individuals so they are able to face different situations in life. It is often wrongly assumed that value education teaches values. Value education does not teach values but develops the ability to find one’s own values. Individuals are encouraged to develop critical thinking so they can deal with conflicts, understand their actions and their consequences, develop healthy relationships, and become dependable members of the society.  

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/education

Education goes beyond the four walls of a classroom. A child continues to learn throughout their life, even during adulthood, through different experiences. Different types of education, gives different types of learnings.

How many types of education are there

There are three main types of education. In this chapter, we will learn the different types of education, their examples, characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages.

What are the three types of education

The types of education are: Formal Education, Informal Education, and Non-formal Education.

1. What is Formal Education

Formal Education refers to the education imparted to students in an established educational institute premises by trained teachers. The teachers must have a certain level of training in the art of education and knowledge of relevant subjects.

Students are taught basic academic skills based on a certain syllabus. Regular assessments of learning outcomes are conducted through examinations. There is a set of established rules which both teachers and students follow in order to complete formal education.

Formal education begins at the elementary/primary level, continues through high school and college or university. Children often attend nursery or kindergarten before beginning their formal education.

What is primary education

Formal education begins with primary education, also called elementary education. Primary education begins in kindergarten and lasts till the sixth grade. Depending on the specific education system, primary education may even begin from class 1 till class 4 – class 7. Primary education helps children develop the ability to learn and understand the rules of formal education.

What are the examples of Formal Education

• Classroom instructions or training
• Grading and certification in school, colleges, and university
• Set subjects and syllabus

What are the characteristics of Formal Education

• Structured hierarchy
• Strict rules and discipline
• Regular fee
• Grading system
• Formal teacher-student relationship

What are the advantages of Formal Education

• Structured and organised
• Trained professionals as teachers
• Regular assessments to enable students to reach higher levels
• Recognised certification
• Better access to employment

What are the disadvantages of Formal Education

• Rigid and lacks flexibility for students to pursue their own interest
• Too much importance to grades puts extreme pressure on those with average scores
• Fails to recognize non-academic talents in students
• Set syllabus limits the scope of learning
• High expenses

2. What is Informal Education

Unlike Formal Education, Informal Education is not imparted in school, college or university. It is not deliberate, does not follow a set syllabus and timetable, and there are no regular assessments. There is no structured teacher-student relationship.

Informal Education is imparted by parents to their children, one person to another. Children learning how to ride a bicycle from their parents, one individual teaching another how to bake are examples of informal education.

Informal Education is also conducted through reading books, or online material. It is also the education obtained in one’s surroundings, in their daily lives, like in a marketplace, or by simply living in a community. Individuals who join some community groups and learning occurs during their activities, or take up some project of their own and learn themselves, are also considered to be acquiring informal education.

What are the examples of Informal Education

• Spontaneous learning – a person learns how to use an automatic ticket vending machine
• Parents teaching their children certain skills
• Individuals taking up a sport activity on their own
• Learning a psychological fact by reading a website article

What are the characteristics of Informal Education

• It is spontaneous
• Happens outside the formal classroom
• Life-long process
• No structured syllabus
• No grading system for what one learns

What are the advantages of Informal Education

• More flexible as individual have the advantage to choose what they wish to learn
• Individuals have the opportunity to learn the skills not taught in formal education
• Utilizes a variety of means – TV, internet, conversations, magazines
• Learners are more motivated as they have flexibility
• Less costly
• Flexible time

What are the disadvantages of Informal Education

• Lack of discipline or rules may lead to inconsistency
• Information acquired through internet or conversations may not be reliable
• No set timelines or schedule
• Difficult to recognize

3. What is Non-formal Education

Non-formal Education is organised education outside the formal school/university system. It is often referred to as adult education, adult literacy education, or community education. Non-formal education is conducted by community groups, government schemes, or an institute. It can also be conducted as home education or distance learning.

Non-formal education may not have a set syllabus or curriculum. It focuses on the development of job skills, develop reading and writing skills in out of school children or illiterate adults. Non-formal education system may also be used to bring out-of-school children at par with those in formal education system.

This system does not have a specific target group and does not necessarily conduct examinations. Children, youth, and adults can be a part of this system.

What are the examples of Non-formal Education

• Community based adult education programmes
• Community based sports programmes for children
• Fitness programmes by private institutes
• Computer and language courses in a community
• Online courses

What are the characteristics of Non-formal Education

• Has a flexible curriculum
• There is no age or time limit
• One can earn while learning
• Examinations may not be necessarily conducted
• May not require certification
• Involves vocational learning

What are the advantages of Non-formal Education

• Flexibility of age and time
• Freedom to pursue one’s interest and choose a programme
• No need of regular exams or grades
• Helps in learning useful job skills

What are the disadvantages of Non-formal Education

• Lack of certificates may leave a skill unrecognized
• Students may be irregular due to the lack of set regulations
• Untrained teachers
• Basic reading and writing skills may still be required
• Lack of formal structure and rules may lead to students discontinuing

In this chapter, we will learn about the importance of education, early childhood education and the impact of lack of education.

Why education is important

Now that we know what are the different types of education, let us explore the importance of education in life.

Education is a human right. Education is important for not only a holistic development of an individual, but the society as well. 59 million children and 65 million adolescents are out of school, across the world, and more than 120 million children do not complete primary education.

Lack of education hampers an individual from reaching their full potential. Out of school children miss out the opportunity to develop their skills and to join the work force later in their adult life. Unemployment further creates more stress among people, especially the youth, leading to social unrest and crimes, adversely impacting the development of a country. Hence, education is the key to an individual’s and a country’s development. Learn more about illiteracy in India.

All the different types of education enable an individual develop cognitive skills, emotional intelligence, and skills required to be employed.

Education helps an individual develop the ability to think critically, understand the people around them and their surroundings, make informed decisions, and understand the consequences of their actions on themselves and others. Education is necessary for an individual to live a fruitful life and become a responsible member of the society.

Education must begin early in an individual’s life, during early childhood. This is the time when important brain development occurs. In the next chapter we will explore early childhood education more in depth. Let us first understand the importance of education in an individual’s life and the importance of education for a country.

Why is education important for an individual

As already discussed, education helps an individual develop cognitive skills and emotional intelligence. An uneducated person, who doesn’t understand themselves, who cannot understand how to interact with people around them, is isolated from their society.

Humans are social beings and need to form healthy relationships with their fellow humans and live with them in harmony, in order to survive. Lack of education, hampers a person’s ability to understand other people’s emotions and cannot understand their own emotions to be able to form a relationship. Additionally, education helps individuals combat diseases, change regressive social norms, and promote peace.

Further, an individual who does not attend school, or take any form of formal education, cannot develop the skills required to enter the workforce, and is eventually pushed into poverty.

Why is education important for a country

Education is the key to economic development. It reduces poverty, boosts economic growth, by ensuring people enter the work force and increase their income.

Education helps promote stability in times of conflict and crisis. Children are forced out of school in a conflict situation, leading to high drop-out rates. The chance of education lays a path to normalcy for children. Girl child education, especially, benefits a country. Educated women can make informed decisions, reduce gender violence, have fewer children, and join the work force. It is the first stepping stones towards ending gender based discrimination and inequality. This village in Uttar Pradesh has an inspiring story of changing regressive social norms through education.

In this chapter, we will learn what is early childhood and the importance of early childhood education.

What is an early childhood

Early childhood is the period from birth to eight years of age. These are the most critical years in a child’s life. During this time the brain is at its peak development stage and determine a child’s development over the course of their lives. 

This is period is extremely crucial because children develop cognitive, physical, social, and emotional skills. They are highly influenced by their environment and require utmost care by parents and community members to ensure holistic development. Hence, the emphasis on early childhood education.

What is early childhood education?

Early childhood education is not only preparation for primary school, it also aims to develop basic life skills in children to lay a foundation of lifelong learning and success. It consists of varied activities to aid in the cognitive and social development of children before they start preschool. 

It consists of both formal and informal education. Parents are considered to be the first ones educating a child, as a child develops their first relationship with parents. This relationship can have a significant impact on child development and early childhood education. This stage of early childhood care and education typically starts between 0 to 2 years of age. 

After this stage, formal education starts. Formal education for early childhood may vary from state to state, a child’s age and their learning abilities. Early childhood education programmes may vary for each age group and run at different levels – nursery, playgroup, preschool, and kindergarten.

Why is early childhood education important?

A child’s brain is at its peak developmental stage from 0 to 8 years of age. Their experiences lay the foundation of a child’s emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Following are some of the benefits of early childhood education:

Social skills

Humans are social beings. They need to develop healthy relationships in order to live a fruitful life. Early childhood education ensures children learn how to socialize with other children of their age, with people outside of their immediate family and develop the skills to successfully socialize with people later on in their lives.

Sharing with others is the core of any relationship and peaceful society. Early childhood education enables a child to learn how to share their things so they can develop strong friendships with other children. 

Team working skill is one of the most important assets of an individual’s holistic development. The skill is useful throughout formal education, in personal relationships, and in the workforce. Hence, it is crucial to ensure that children develop skills early in their childhood. 

A child cannot be educated if they do not have the enthusiasm and curiosity to learn new things. Early childhood education programmes ensure that children develop the curiosity to learn. 

What are early childhood education programmes

Several organisations in India, public, private, and non-governmental sectors provide early childhood education programmes. Below are early child education programmes in India, across different sectors: 

Government organisations

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) plays a key role in providing early childhood education in India. The ministry has set up Anganwadi centres (courtyard shelters) across rural areas to provide health, nutrition, and education to children from minority groups and economically weak groups. The government has facilitated the transition of children from preschool to elementary school, by relocating the Anganwadi centres close to elementary schools and aligning their schedule with those of elementary schools.

Non-government organisations

In India, non-government organisations have an important role in filling the gaps left by the government. NGOs working for education provide early childhood care and child education to marginalised children. As per government estimates, NGOs run child education programmes have provided education to 3 to 20 million children in India. The programmes include direct intervention in areas where there are no government programmes or to improve the quality of government programmes. Oxfam India works with a network of grassroot partners across six states in India, to facilitate education, especially girl child education, and advocates for increased government spending in the public education system. Oxfam India and one of its partner, Lokmitra, run this small school in Raebareily which attracts students from private school as well.

Private Institutes

India has seen a rapid rise in private institutions at all levels of education. As per government estimates, around 10 million children have participated in early child education programmes run by private organisations. Some organisations provide only early childhood care and education, while others may run till elementary school and/or higher secondary school level. Private schools, however, charge exorbitant fee, leaving millions of children out of the education system.

Early childhood education in India

According to Census 2011, there are 164.48 million (approximately 16.5 crores), children from 0 to 6 years of age in India. [6]  These numbers indicate a strong need for efficient early childhood education programmes in India. Constitutional and policy provisions have been made to ensure early childhood education in India.

Article 21A of the Indian Constitution, provides for the right to free and compulsory education for children from 6 to 14 years of age, in purview of the Right to Education Act (RTE) (2009). Article 45 urges the state government to provide Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) to all children till the age of six years. 

The Right to Education Act, guarantees children the right to free education, whereas, ECCE is not stated as a compulsory provision. The RTE states to provide free pre-school education for children above three years. In 2013, the Government of India approved the National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy. [7]  

The policy promotes free, universal, inclusive, equitable, joyful, and contextualised opportunities for laying foundation and attaining full potential for all children below 6 years of age. [8]  It aims to promote a holistic development of children in the said age group. The policy is a key milestone in filling the gap in early childhood care and development in India and strengthening elementary education. 

https://www.educationforallinindia.com/early-childhood-care-and-education-in-india-1.pdf - National University of Education Planning and Administration – New Delhi - page 26

• https://unicef.in/Whatwedo/40/Early-Childhood-Education

https://wcd.nic.in/sites/default/files/national_ecce_curr_framework_final_03022014%20%282%29.pdf

Education in India is provided by public and private schools. The most important element of the education system in India, is the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, (RTE). RTE constitutionally guarantees education as a fundamental right of every child in the age group of 6 to 14 years.

Despite the provision, there are more than 60 lakh children out of school in India. [10]

In this chapter, we will understand the provisions laid down by the RTE and the gaps in its implementation.

What is Right to Education Act 

The RTE Act (2009) lays down legal provisions to grant every child aged between six to fourteen years, the right to free and compulsory elementary education of an appropriate standard in a neighbourhood school. Here are some interesting facts about RTE.

Education is a concurrent subject in which both the Centre and the states play a role. It is necessary for the states to draft rules to implement the provisions laid down in the RTE, with reference to the framework provided by the Centre. The states can modify the rules to suit their local needs. However, implementation of RTE has greatly varied across the states.  [11]

India continues to fail to spend the financial resources required to meet the minimal norms under the RTE Act. Bihar, for instance, spends only 30% of what is needed to implement the Act in totality – enrolling all children in school, hiring the minimum number of required teachers, improving infrastructure, and providing learning materials. Additionally, Bihar is also failing its children from minority groups.

Hardly 12.7% of schools in India comply with the minimum norms laid down under the RTE Act. There are wide gaps in RTE implementation between different states; ranging from 39% in Gujarat, to less than 1% in Nagaland, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Lakshadweep. 70% of teachers in Meghalaya lack the required qualifications. [12]  

The RTE Act, Section 12(1)(c) envisions that schools must provide spaces for the economically weaker section of the society so that children from different backgrounds have equal opportunities and that will help build a more equal society. Studies show that giving opportunities to students from different economic backgrounds, makes student more social, generous and egalitarian, and they are less likely to discriminate against poor children. But instead, private schools create hurdles for children with disabilities and those from marginalised communities to avoid their enrolment. 

India’s government spending on education has stayed below 4%, despite successive governments’ electoral commitment to spend 6% of its GDP on education. The government discriminates in the allocation of the education budget. For instance, in government-run Kendriya Vidyalaya and Navodaya Schools, government spending is roughly around Rs. 27,000 and Rs. 85,000 per student, respectively. However, the spending in regular government schools is just over Rs. 3000 per student per year. [13]  Without equitable investment in public schools, inclusive education cannot be achieved. This one of a kind satellite school in East Delhi imparts education with no desks, walls, or chairs.

The inefficient implementation of the RTE Act, is a classic example of the gaps between policy and its implementation. There are limited efforts in building awareness of the provisions of the act, the need of such an Act; among those on the ground responsible for its implementation and those for whom the Act is. [14]  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7WspAXyK5Y Is the government spending enough on education? Our Social Policy Researcher, Kumar Rajesh explains the reality behind the government’s claim of spending 4% of the GDP on education.

Privatization of education in India

In light of the gap left by the government in the education system in India, private schools are growing in huge numbers. However, the increasing rise in private schools is socially segregating children of rich and poor families in India. Financially better off families send their children to private schools, with better facilities and smaller classes, thus widening the economic and social gap in an already unequal society. 

Between 2010-11 and 2015-16, the number of students enrolling in government schools across 20 states fell by 13 million, while 17.5 million new students joined private schools. [15]  Private schools are further unregulated and many of them do not meet the basic standards of infrastructure, safety, and quality of education. However, the condition of public schools is forcing even the poor families in India to enroll their children in private schools, leading to huge financial burden on families. Thus, rendering education in India a privilege, instead of rendering by class and caste.

Even though, the enrolment in government schools is declining they remain the main provider of elementary education in India, accounting for 73.1% elementary school and 58.6% of the total enrolment. [16] India still needs to universalize its education system, by providing better quality public education institutes.

What are the problems in the education system in India [17]

• Lack of a clear definition of an out of school child is a grave concern. Without a clear definition to identify when a child stops going to school and becomes a drop-out, it is difficult to enroll and retain children in school.
• There is ambiguity about specific roles the School Management Committee (SMCs) have to play. The SMCs are not aware of their responsibilities or the members themselves do not know that they are a part of the SMC. A research by a leading non-profit Pratham based in Delhi in 2013 found that only 10 per cent of the SMC parent members interviewed were aware that they were part of the SMCs. [18]
• The SMCs have the mandate to prepare School Development Plans (SDPs), but this is hardly followed in practice. Capacity building programmes for SMCs, to enable them to follow their mandates are not being implemented thus affecting their functioning. [19]
• The RTE Act implies to both public and private schools, but its implementation in private school remains weak. Private schools are on the rise, and they deliberately omit the rule of the RTE, while most government schools struggle to implement because of lack of resources.
• The RTE Act provides for a mechanism to ensure the availability of qualified teachers by setting up teacher training institutions. Some states have completely omitted the provision to set up training institutes.

[9] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2019-02/Davos%20India%20Supplement.pdf

[10] https://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/National-Survey-Estimation-School-Children-Draft-Report.pdf (2014) - pg 9

[11] Federalism and Fidelity – RTE Review (2014) – Oxfam India

[12] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2019-02/Davos%20India%20Supplement.pdf

[13] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/Government-spends-Rs-85000-on-each-Navodaya-student-annually/articleshow/47754083.cms (2015)

[14] Federalism and Fidelity – RTE Review (2014) – Oxfam India

[15] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2019-02/Davos%20India%20Supplement.pdf – pg 4

[16] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2019-02/Davos%20India%20Supplement.pdf – pg 4

[17] Federalism and Fidelity – RTE Review (2014) – Oxfam India

[18] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/OIA-Community-Based-Monitoring-and-Grievance-Redressal-in-Schools-in-Delhi-1012-2015-en.pdf - Policy Brief - Community-Based Monitoring and Grievance Redressal in Schools in Delhi

[19] http://rteforumindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Year-9-Stocktaking-Report-RTE-Forum-draft.pdf

There are several schemes and programmes implemented by the Government of India to ensure child education in India. On 22 January 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, to “change mindsets regarding the girl child”. The campaign was launch with an aim to raise awareness about the declining sex-ratio in India and the importance of girl child education.

Other government schemes for girl child education provide financial support to parents to educate their daughters. Some of these schemes are Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY), Balika Samriddhi Yojana (BSY), and Mukhyamantri Rajshri Yojana (MRY). These schemes provide benefits such as higher interest rates, direct financial support, and tax benefits to parents for investing in education of their girl child.

Even though some reports have shown increasing enrollment of the girl child, there are still several hurdles in girl child education in India. The World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study in Uttar Pradesh has shown increased girl child education in private schools over the years. The first data collection was done in 1997-98. The same set of households were surveyed in 2007-08 and then again in 2010-11. Enrolment rate of girls was only 50% as per the first survey. This showed significant improvement, with 65% enrolment in 2007-08 and 72% by 2010-11. [20]

Problem in Girl Child Education [21]

Financial constraints.

Financial restrictions create hurdles for many parents in educating the girl child. Usually, she is forced to stay at home to carry out household chores and take care of her younger siblings while the son in the family is sent to school. Even if some parents wish to educate their girl child, lack of quality schools or other social factors create restrictions.

Household Responsibilities

Many girls are forced to drop out of school because of household responsibilities. Losing a parent or a sick family members forces young girls to take up household chores. Social norms dictate that it is a woman’s duty to do domestic work or take care of sick family members. 12-year-old Meena from Uttar Pradesh, was pulled out of school to take care of household chores and her young siblings.

Early and Forced Marriages

Our society’s obsession with marriage has ruined many lives. Girls are denied education and instead forced to marry at an early age, often before she has attains the physical and emotional maturity to even understand what marriage is. Due to lack of education she cannot make an informed decision of whether she indeed wishes to marry or not, and has no say in choosing the person she is forced to spend her entire life with. Additionally, the later a girl marries, the more the dowry her parents are forced to pay.

Preference of sons over daughters

Son preference further creates problems for a girl child. The  deep-set social norm that sons will take care of the parents in their old age, while girls will have to get married and leave the parents house leads to a lot of preferential treatment to the sons and subsequently, discrimination against the girl child from a very young age. This then leads to parents not giving any importance to the education of the girl child. 

Lack of functional toilets

Lack of basic facilities such as funtional toilets and hand washing areas force children to stay out of school. Girls are especially affected due to lack of functional toiliets once they reach menstruation age. They may be either be absent from school on a regular basis, or drop out of school altogether. 

Long Distance to School

In rural areas, children have to walk, often alone, through forests, rivers, or deserted areas, and cover a long distance to school. Due to increased risk of violence against girls, parents prefer their daughters stay safe at home. Devyani was pulled out of school because she had to walk alone to school, but with Oxfam India’s support she was enrolled back in school.

[20] https://www.isid.ac.in/~soham9r/doc/pvt_paper.pdf - Intra-Household Gender Disparity in School Choice: Evidence from Private Schooling in India – Soham Sahoo, July 2015

[21] https://donate.oxfamindia.org/girl-child-education

[22] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/PN-OIN-ES-Education-07-CSA-Efforts-Effective-Implementation-RTE-EN.pdf

In this chapter we will learn the role civil society plays in the education sector, and how its actions impact the implementation of education policies around the world.

What is a civil society organisation

There is no one clear definition of a civil society organisation (CSO). It is defined in different ways by different organisations. 

A paper by World Health Organisation states that in the absence of a common defination, civil society is usually understood as the social arena existing between the state and the individial or household. It states that the civil sociey lacks regulatory power of the state and the economic power of the market but it provides social power to the ordinary people.

What is the role of civil society

Recently, CSOs have become more prominent across the world. They are growing in number and influence around the world. CSOs play a vital role in the development sector, by asserting the rights of the marginalised communities. Civil society organisations holds the government accountable and ensure their compliance with human rights and international treating and conventions. Oxfam India is one such organisation which mobilizes people and builds movement against discrimination .

On the other hand, governments and institutions around the world have become more motivated in response to the increasing influence of CSOs, to establish a formal mechanism of working with the CSOs.

What is the role of civil society in the education section

Civil society organisations has played an active role in the education sector. CSOs have raised issues ranging from implementation to advocacy. Civil society has brought about significant changes to national education policies and system, through advocacy, across the world, ensuring that the right to education is granted to each person. 

By holding the government accountable, civil society organisations ensures that each individual has equal access to essential services and they can raise their voice against violations of their rights.

What is the role of civil society in education in India

Civil society organisations in India have been playing a crucial role, since more than a decade. They are strengthening the education system in India by actively participating in advocacy, at the national, regional and internation levels in the education sector. There is an increasing collaboration between national, regional, and international CSO, through the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) and Education for All moverment. 

NGOs like Oxfam India campaigns for quality and free public education for all, with a network of other civil society organisations, think tanks, policy makers, parents, and teachers. 

Oxfam India is building a movement of people working to end discrimination and create a free and just society.

Oxfam India is building a movement of Indians coming together to fight discrimination. We stand for the rights of the marginalized such as Adivasis, Dalits, and Muslims, with a special focus on women and girls. We work with the public and policymakers to find lasting solutions to build an inclusive and just India where everyone can have equal access to rights, be safe, get quality education and healthcare, make their voices heard and thrive. We campaign and mobilize people to stand up and speak out, to demand decisions and policies from the government that help them fight inequality and discrimination in India. We save, protect and rebuild lives in times of crisis and humanitarian disasters.

Oxfam India changed the lives of over 1 million people across six poorest states* in India last year and campaigned to reach out to tens of millions more across the country. 

We put the rights of the marginalized at the heart of everything we do, as this will lead to the lasting change we need. Together, we can create a discrimination free India where everyone can live with dignity and free from inequality and injustice. 

Joins us as we fight discrimination today, to end it for good.

(* Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh)

Why we are here

Discrimination in India has been a social evil for ages. It has affected millions of lives in the past and continues to affect people basis their gender, caste, and economic background. 

Everyone has the right to safety, education, health, shelter, food, and water, and people should not have to fight for these rights every day. 

There are millions who are deprived of basic fundamental rights and Oxfam India champions their right to be heard.

With Oxfam India’s efforts, communities live safer lives; have access to health and education, clean water, food, sanitation, and other fundamental needs.   

Oxfam India strives for an inclusive and just society.

How we make it happen

Oxfam India helps people fight discrimination on four fronts. 

• Working with Marginalized communities: We work at the grassroots to generate awareness amongst the most marginalized communities such as Adivasis, Dalit and Muslims to stand up and speak out, to demand their rights and policies that help them fight discrimination and injustice. We work with the most vulnerable people with a special focus on women and girls.
• Public Campaign & Policy making: We work with the public and policy makers to find lasting solutions to build a just and discrimination free India where everyone can have an equal access to rights, be safe, get an education, quality healthcare, make their voices heard and thrive, irrespective of their caste, gender and economic background.
• Humanitarian Response: We save, protect and rebuild lives in times of crisis and humanitarian disasters.

Our commitment

We are committed to the people, both of who we work with and our supporters.

Oxfam India believes in the power of people coming together for justice and against discrimination.

In our 68-year history, we have seen that, when people join hands, raise their voice and demand action, change happens. We are committed to the power of people to fight discrimination and help marginalized communities pull themselves out of inequality and injustice. This is why our work and organization are based in the communities who are most affected in the six poorest states of India so that we can deliver change quickly and with impact.

Oxfam India uniquely combines the power of the public and the learnings from grassroots with the strength of supporters, partners, and allies to make a positive impact in the lives of millions of people. 

From supporting women farmers in Bihar to demanding good quality education for children in Uttar Pradesh, from mobilizing public support in Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad to delivering life-saving aid in Assam and Manipur, we strive to ensure that the most marginalized people are heard.

And we won’t stop until everyone in India can live a life of dignity free from discrimination. 

Our vision for the future

Our vision is a just and discrimination free India. Oxfam India will always be there in times of crisis and injustice to fight the inequalities and discrimination affecting the lives of millions of Indians. 

Over the next five years, we will help many more people of socially excluded groups (Dalit, Adivasis and Muslims), and especially women in ‘Oxfam India focus states’ exercise their rights of citizenship and live a life of dignity, free from discrimination.

And we cannot do it without your support. We need more voices to join us in speaking truth to power so that we can influence the policies and attitudes that will fight discrimination across the nation. 

As India’s leading movement against discrimination, we will not rest until everyone in our country can live in a fairer, equal society, and leave injustice and discrimination behind forever.

In this chapter, we will explore how Oxfam India support girl child education in India and the impact we have created in the last year.

Oxfam India’s role in education

Oxfam India is working to achieve the goal of quality and affordable education for each child in India. We campaign for the right to education of people from the most marginalised communities, especially the girl child.

Gudiya had to discontinue her education after her parents migrated to Delhi from Assam. After Oxfam India’s intervention she was brought at par with regular students and is now on her way to be admitted in a government school in New Delhi.

We advocate for the proper implementation of the Right to Education Act. Oxfam India is the founding member of the National RTE Forum. The forum has almost 10,000 non-government organisations members. The National RTE Forum has been one of the biggest achievements of Oxfam India, in the education sector. The forum brings together like minded groups and people working towards the common goal of inclusive education in India. The forum ensures that different groups work together and learn and support each other. [23]  

Activities undertaken by Oxfam India [24]

Social mobilisation .

Oxfam India works with grass root organisations and initiates debates and dialogues, with teachers, intellectuals, educationist, and the general public on various issues related to the state of education in India. Oxfam India engages with youth on ‘Inequality in Education’ .

We sensitise people from various sections of the society on the right to education, status of RTE, and advocate for the right of the education for children up to 18 years of age. We deploy media channels, form support groups inside the Parliament and among policy makers at both the centre and state level. 

Campaign for Policy Changes

We campaign for stricter regulation of private schools and ensure that 25% reservation for children from economically weaker sections and marginalised groups is implemented. We campaign against all forms of privatization of education in India to ensure that education is a treated as a fundamental right and not a privilege. Oxfam India holds consulations on Right to Education with other civil society organisation in its focus states.

Effective implementation

Oxfam India works with the School Management Committees (SMCs) and local authorities, to ensure effective implementation of the RTE Act. We also work with community members to raise awareness about the issues of marginalised groups, especially the problems of girl child education to ensure fulfilment of the RTE Act’s goal.

Accountability

Oxfam India strives to ensure the government is held accountable for the gaps in the implementation of the RTE, through careful study of the policy and its implementation. We also suggest recommendations for better implementation of the Act.

Oxfam India’s impact

Impact in bihar.

Oxfam India along with its partners, Dalit Vikas Abhiyan Samiti (DVAS) is working towards ending caste based discrimination in schools in Bihar and creating awareness about the value of education among marginalised communities. The Musahar community in Samastipur district of Bihar, is especially discriminated against. Their children are put in separate classrooms and the teachers hardly teach them. Teachers and upper caste students hold the bias that they are “dirty” and “pollute the environment of the school”. Oxfam India and DVAS work towards changing these attitudes. After a series of meetings in 2018 Oxfam India and DVAS managed to push the school administration to let children from the community eat their mid-day meals with other students. The Musahar families consider this an important milestone and say it’s a “big change” they have seen in years. [25]  

Impact in Delhi

When a study by Pratham revealed in 2013 that only 10% of the SMC parent members interviewed were aware that they were part of the SMC, Oxfam India and its partner JOSH (Joint Operation for Social Help) filed a complaint at the Central Information Commission (CIC)in 2011 evoking the Section 4 of the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005. Section 4 of the RTI Act is a proactive disclosure section mandating all public authorities to share information with citizens about their functioning. Since the school is a public authority, compliance to Section 4 was demanded. [26]   Read More about Oxfam India's work on Education in Delhi.

Impact in Jharkhand

Students were irregular in schools in Kolpotka village, Jharkhand. One of the reasons behind this was that they were taught in Hindi. Coming from the Munda tribe, speaking a different language, they could not grasp what was being taught. To raise interest of the students, Oxfam India and its partner Society for Participatory Action and Reflection (SPAR) introduced Multi Lingual Education (MLE) in the schools and appointed part-time teachers in April 2015, who took training in the tribal language. This helped students enrol back in school who had dropped out. The SMC too played a crucial role in getting children back to school. [27]   Read More about Oxfam India's work on Education in Jharkhand.

                                             Part-time teacher appointed by SPAR taking a class at Kolpotka village in                                             West Singhbhum's Manoharpur block.

Impact in odisha.

Odisha has a high percentage of out-of-school children between six and fourteen years of age. One of the key reasons for high dropout rates is the language barrier in the Adivasi belts of the state. Most children in the Adivasi dominated areas have inadequate exposure to Odia, the main medium of teaching. In order to ensure access to quality, universal and inclusive elementary education, Oxfam India along with Sikshasandhan, an NGO based in Odisha, initiated Project Birsa in 2011. As part of the project, Sikshasandhan appointed teachers who could teach in the tribal languages. Eventually, school attendance increased in the Birsa focused schools. [28]   Read More about Oxfam India's work on Education in Odisha.

Books in Odia and Ho made available, by Oxfam India and Sikshasandhan, to students of the 11 primary schools in Noto Gram Panchayat in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha.

Impact in uttar pradesh.

In 2016-17 Oxfam India and its partner, Lokmitra, identified 63 out-of-school children from marginalised sections and provided supportive classes. These classes ran for four months. 27 of these children were mainstreamed into formal schools. [29]   Read More about Oxfam India's work on Education in Uttar Pradesh.

Oxfam India and Samarth Foundation introduced sports and extracurricular activities in five schools in 2016, to encourage more children to go to school. Initially, parents were hesitant to allow their daughters to follow sports, they had to be convinced. Eventually, more girls started enrolling in schools. They even train along with boys and outperform them. [30] Read More how girls are outperforming boys in sports.

Oxfam India’s Role in Girl Child Education

In 2018, 7,048 boys and 6,003 girls from our focus areas received quality education. 136 schools and 117 Anagwadi centres were made functional. 440 School Management Committees (SMCs) were made functional in Primary and Upper Primary Schools. When you support Oxfam India’s work, you help end Inequality in education and empower children to become future leaders and change-makers of our country. In just one year, Oxfam India benefited over 13,000 children. People like you make it possible for us to help the most marginlised children and empower girl child education. Visit our story section to know about the children we helped.

When girls stay in school, they are more likely to build an educated and healthier family, earn a better living, and contribute to the development of the society. Oxfam India, NGO for girl child education, aims to bring back girls missing from the classrooms of India and empower them through education. Our young girls leaders are leading the fight for education in India.

How Oxfam India and its supporters sent Rani back to school

Rani, a 16-year-old girl from Raebareli, was compelled to drop out of school after class 7 due to poverty and household responsibilities. But support from our donors sent Rani back to school.

After dropping out of school, she spent all her time in household chores. She woke up at 5 am every day to start household chores. In order to fetch water, she had to go multiple times to a handpump, a little away from her house. She then used to clean the house, wash utensils, feed the buffaloes nearby and prepare breakfast for the entire family.

Her father Harilal is a woodcutter and her mother Sona is a housewife. Rani has three sisters and all have dropped out of school. Her eldest sister is the most educated in the family. She studied till 10th standard before she was married.

But Rani did not let her passion for studies die. Support from our donors sent Rani back to school. Supporters like you helped us and our grassroots partner in Raebareli build a Kishori Shiksha Kendra, an educational training institute for girls, near Rani’s village. Today, Rani is studying and is on her path to follow her passion. “I want to become a teacher and encourage children to attend school and fulfil their dreams.” says Rani. Read more about Rani and her journey back to school.

There are many girls like Rani who are currently outside the education system in India. Socio-economic circumstances force them to leave schools, work at home and at times, as child labours. Often, they are forced to get married at an early age and raise a family.

Oxfam India has been fighting for the implementation of the Right to Education Act in India. 

Oxfam India also advocates for the importance of right to education and aims to change regressive social norms to end discrimination. Deepti, a primary school teacher in our partner’s school keeps paretns motivated to educate their children.

But not every girl is as lucky as Rani. Each girl deserves the chance to fulfil her dreams. We must understand the importance of educating a girl child. Education is the first step to reduce poverty and inequality in any society. 

Educating a girl child helps her develop the ability to make informed decisions, join the work force, overcome poverty, and benefit her community at large, thus contributing to the development of our nation. Importance of girl child education has been observed in several studies. Girl child education has a significant impact on her own child’s development. Many studies indicate that educated women have healthier children, lower child mortality, and impart better education to their children, thus overcoming inequality. [31] These young warriors are the perfect example for fighting inequality through education.

[23] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/PN-OIN-ES-Education-07-CSA-Efforts-Effective-Implementation-RTE-EN.pdf [24] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/PN-OIN-ES-Education-07-CSA-Efforts-Effective-Implementation-RTE-EN.pdf [25] https://www.oxfamindia.org/blog/failed-education-priorities-bihar-government [26] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/OIA-Community-Based-Monitoring-and-Grievance-Redressal-in-Schools-in-Delhi-1012-2015-en.pdf [27] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/OIA-Mobilising-Civil-Society-towards-Right-to-Free-Public-Health-and-Education-in-Jharkhand-14052016-EN.pdf [28] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/Oxfam-in-Action-Promoting-Multi-Lingual-Education-in-Odisha%E2%80%99s-Adivasi-belt-080915-EN.pdf

[29] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/PN_LOKMITRA%20hi-res.pdf

[30] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/samarth.pdf

This chapter will help you understand why you should donate to Oxfam India and the benefits you receive.

How Your Donation Will Change Lives

Your immediate support will help oxfam india .

• Identify out-of-school children
• Provide support to children, especially girls to enrol in school
• Help reduce discrimination in education
• Raise awareness among girls about their rights
• Encourage parents to educate girls 
• Overcome social norms which restrict girl child education
• Urge the government to increase spending on government schools

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhJT_5pCxqU Donate for girl child education in India

Why monthly donation matters

Your monthly donation for girl child education ensures continuous and consistent support for hundreds of girls from marginalised communities. Without which, it will be difficult for Oxfam India to plan a long-term, sustainable programme to support girl child education. It is a small amount for you and a life-line for us at Oxfam India and thousands of children. Through your urgent support, you can help enrol thousands of girls in India who continue to live in poverty and are deprived of their rights. The amount you invest every month will help a child learn, grow and build a better life for themselves and their future generations.

Oxfam India works with children from the top 5 poorest states of India. Nandini’s parents, from Bihar, believed that girl child education is a waste of money. But after attending Oxfam India’s workshop, they now encourage other parents to educate their daughters too!

Your generous donation for education in India will enable children to achieve their dreams and transform our nation.

What’s in it for you

• When you support Oxfam India’s work, you make a difference by helping a child study and contribute to our nation’s development
• You will receive monthly updates from us about the lives you are transforming 
• You will also receive an audited annual report from Oxfam India for fund transparency and work accountability.
• Your donation also helps you in saving tax. We will provide you with Tax exemption certificate, 80G, to claim your tax.

If you wish to cancel your donation at any time, we are just an email away. Write to us at [email protected]

Help us build a nation where every girl child is in school. Bring girls back to school so they can build a better future and an empowered nation.

References:

• https://examplanning.com/types-education-formal-informal-non-formal/
• https://www.pearson.com/corporate/about-pearson/the-importance-of-education.html
• https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-weaknesses-of-non-formal-education
• http://www.studylecturenotes.com/foundation-of-education/non-formal-education-nfe
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310920/
• https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-disadvantages-of-informal-education
• https://en.unesco.org/themes/early-childhood-care-and-education
• https://www.early-childhood-education-degrees.com/what-is-early-childhood-education/
• https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/importance-of-early-childhood-education/

[31] https://www.firstpost.com/india/indias-female-literacy-has-gone-up-but-still-22-percentage-points-behind-world-average-education-among-young-women-rising-7197631.html

Article on Education of Girl Child in the Country

Fresh Reads

In many parts of our country girls are still discouraged from going to school. Consequently sizable section of the population is deprived of education. Schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, CBSE scholarship to single girl child and the Government’s policy of giving free education to girls have come as a boon to our society. Write an article in 150- 200 words on education of the girl child in the country.

Education of the Girl Child in the Country

In many countries, including India, the girl child is discriminated against from the early stages of her life. It is because of this discrimination, girls are not allowed education either in their childhood or after a certain age. In rural parts of India, one of the reasons why girls are deprived of education is that they would leave the parents’ house post marriage. Poor parents do not consider it to be economical investment. Since boys are the bread earners, their education is given the maximum importance.

Often girls themselves choose not to study, usually due to financial crisis at home, domestic responsibilities and even lack of aspiration. However, education for girls is extremely necessary because they too play an important role in country’s economy and society. Also, women are the primary care givers in the family. Proper education would enable them to improve their lives and others’ as well. Educated girls can share the burden of earning a livelihood, which would eliminate child labour.

Education will also make girls aware of family planning, health and sanitation. As a result, there will be low infant mortality rates and less numbers of death of women in child birth.

Fortunately, government schemes, such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, CBSE scholarship to single girl child and the policy of giving free education to girls have come as a boon to our society. One can say there is still hope for the betterment of the country.

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• Importance of Girl Child Education in India
• On: January 23, 2024
• By: Smile Foundation

Our Constitution accords equal rights to both men and women in every sphere of life, including the right to education. However, the reality is very different. The girl child is provided only primary or at most secondary education. The numbers bear witness to our country’s sex ratio of 943 females per 1000 males. How can we hope for India to progress when half of our society doesn’t even have access to basic education or skills?

The numbers are no better in other parts of the world. On average 129 million girls are out of school, including 32 million of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age, and 67 million of upper-secondary school age. In war-torn countries, these numbers are twice as high. 

Right to Education

However, there has been some progress towards rectifying this issue. In 2009, the Right to Education Act (RTE) , mandated that it is the right of every child to obtain a minimum amount of education. The program makes it compulsory for all children from the ages of 6 up to 14 to have unconditional rights and access to educational opportunities. This was the first step in the right direction, but has not yielded the results as expected and even today, in 2021 we see a gender gap with girl child education lagging far behind in India. 

Girl Child Education

Girl child education is a pivot for families, communities, and societies today. Investing in girls’ education transforms communities, countries, and the entire world. Girls who are able to get educated will be able to join the workforce, earn livelihoods, take care of their families, and marry at a mature and responsible age. This way they can build better futures for themselves and their families. 

Importance of Girl Child Education

As countries get more modern and strive towards developing their economic status, girl education assumes an ever bigger role. Since half of the active workforce is female, not having them receive an education will end up being a burden on the country’s economic progress.  Girls’ education strengthens economies and reduces inequality. It contributes to more stable, resilient societies that are able to give all individuals numerous opportunities to fulfill their potential and realize their dreams.

Challenges to Achieving Maximum Girl Education 

Apart from ensuring enough schools and easy access to girls, many key elements need to be in order before girls’ education can increase and run a smooth course. So while dedicated educated classrooms and schools for girls will boost attendance, there are several other issues that need to be addressed and resolved. Such as 

• Girls’ safety within these surroundings is paramount– often parents are scared of the distances that their girls need to travel to receive an education. Especially in rural areas where neither roads nor transportation are available or reliable. This can be a deterrent leading to massive dropouts from girls attending school. 
• Access to free education – this is the only way that parents in marginalized and rural economies will agree to send their girls to school. Eliminating any expense and cost burden to families will make them more receptive to the idea of education.
• The academic curriculum ideally should be a blend of subjects and vocational courses that support girls in the careers they choose to pursue. The curriculum offered should be created keeping in mind that most of these girls are likely to be either married off or allowed to work in selective professions. In both cases, apart from traditional education methods, schools should also offer robust and easy-to-understand vocational courses that can be of help should girls wish to pursue occupations in their later age
• Access to free and hygienic sanitation – this is also one of the reasons why we see girls dropping out of schools without completing even their primary education. Schools set up in rural areas as well as tier 2 and 3 towns should have provisions for clean toilets and hygienic waste disposal systems for girls to avail of during their menstruation cycles 
• Language-based education – Native language-centric education will see higher consumption amongst families who prefer their children to be educated in their mother tongues. This also helps parents be involved in their child’s education making them willing and open to sending their daughters to school as well.
• Freedom to study with no burden of household chores – once parents understand that the role of education for their girls is equally important as it is for their sons, they can be persuaded to let the girl child study without expecting her to help with household chores. Parents need to see the benefits of education for the girl child and how it will impact and enhance their quality of life. Once we are able to achieve that, girls can devote their time to learning well and studying hard.

Dream of a Gender-Equal World in Education

“ Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao ” (translated into “save the girl child, educate the girl child”) is the country’s slogan to prevent female infanticide and move the spotlight to the importance of girl education. If India wants to be perceived as a highly developed nation and one of the leading voices in world affairs, then it must focus on girl education and work hard to ensure that there are no gaps and that education is openly and freely offered to both genders.

Smile Foundation and Girl Child Education

Smile Foundation’s initiative ‘ She Can Fly ’ is an honest effort to enable, equip, and empower girl children with quality education, proper nutrition, good health, adequate skills, and most of all self-confidence to help them unlock their true potential.

Let us all come forward and join hands to give wings to a girl child’s dreams. Empower, educate, and make her strong enough to stand her own ground and shine in her efforts. She Can Fly, let’s give her the sky!

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Breaking gender barriers through education

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Roseline Adewuyi  is a fervent advocate for gender equality in Nigeria, driven by a passion for dismantling entrenched gender stereotypes. She spoke to Africa Renewal’s  Kingsley Ighobor on the need to empower girls through education. This is in line with the African Union’s theme for 2024: Educating and skilling Africa for the 21 st   Century.

Roseline Adewuyi believes that fighting gender inequality requires raising awareness and empowering young women and girls through education.

“My goal is to help break those barriers that limit our potential,” she told  African Renewal  in an interview. “I am talking about issues related to land rights, access to education, economic empowerment, leadership, and trust me, gender discrimination.”

Gender discrimination, she explains, is heightened during times of severe economic constraints such as now, when the tendency is often to invest in boys over girls. “That’s when parents often choose to send their sons to school or provide them start-up funding for business ventures, while daughters are expected to focus on house chores and wait for marriage. It’s absolutely absurd.” she insists. 

Roseline has her work cut out for her. “We are constantly finding ways to help women and girls break free from these constraints.” 

She founded the Ending Gender Stereotypes in Schools (ENGENDERS) project, which is dedicated to unlearning gender stereotypes in educational institutions.

“We reach the students, boys and girls in high schools and universities, and we do community engagement, speaking to parents and other influential community inhabitants,” she explains.

Already, she claims to have reached tens of communities and over 6,000 young girls through seminars and webinars, while her  blog , featuring over 300 articles on gender equity, has garnered a wide audience.

Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in French Literature with a focus on women, gender, and sexuality studies at Purdue University in Indiana, US, Roseline now aims to merge academic rigour with passionate advocacy.

“It’s an interesting intersection,” she says, adding that “The body of knowledge that we pass on to future generations is full of gender stereotypes. Our books need to be gender conscious.

“In most African literature, characters often depict women or girls as housemaids and men as pilots or engineers. It reinforces stereotypes; we need to root it out,” she stresses.

Roseline's journey into gender advocacy began in her childhood, fueled by a belief in the transformative power of education. She recognized the systemic challenges faced by African women and girls, including limited access to education and entrenched cultural biases.

“When I served as a prefect in secondary school, the belief among boys and even some girls was that I did not merit the position, that leadership was reserved for the boys. That experience sparked my curiosity as to why girls weren’t perceived as equally competent as boys.”

In 2019, she worked as a translator and interpreter for the African Union (AU), having been selected as one of 120 young people from various African countries to participate in the AU Youth Volunteer Corps. 

Her exposure to continental leaders' efforts to address gender-related challenges reinforced her conviction that gender equality is essential for achieving sustainable peace and security.

“At the AU, I also realized the connection between gender and peace and security. When there is a crisis, it is women who suffer the most. Therefore, women must be at the centre of efforts to achieve peace in our societies,” she adds.

Her international exposure includes being a participant in the Young African Leaders Initiative in 2016 (YALI – Regional Leadership Center West Africa), as well as being a Dalai Lama fellow in 2018. She says these experiences exposed her to gender best practices and strengthened her resolve to advocate for change in her home country.

Although some advances have been made in gender equality in Nigeria, Roseline highlights that the remaining hurdles include challenges in female land ownership, financial inclusion, and access to education.

“For example, we have laws [in Nigeria] that provide for women’s rights to land, but many communities still prevent them from owning a piece of land. We also have situations in which widows are not allowed to inherit the properties of their husbands. 

She says: “So, we have a lot more work to do. We need effective community engagement in raising awareness among women about their rights.

“Importantly, we need to provide women with access to education to equip them with the knowledge and skills to assert their rights effectively.”

In her ongoing advocacy work, she acknowledges facing cyberbullying, which she attributes to resistance from elements of a patriarchal society reluctant to embrace progress.

Roseline's final message to young African women and girls is for them to drive positive change, stand up for their rights, and challenge gender norms.

Also in this issue

Guiding the Future: UN launches new panel on critical energy transition minerals

We must do more to prevent genocide

Football saved me from genocide; now I promote peace with it

Transforming Artisanal Mining Can Be Beneficial for People and the Planet

30 years on, South Africa still dismantling racism and apartheid’s legacy

Kwibuka30: Learning from the past, safeguarding the future against genocide

Many African nations are making progress in the rule of law

Streamlining Egypt’s food value chain through technology

Lessons post the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda: we must speak out against discrimination and prejudice

We shouldn’t have to beg or negotiate for women rights

Creating credible carbon market in Africa

REMEMBER.UNITE.RENEW.

Reforming global financial structures: Paving the way for financing for sustainable development in Africa

Claver Irakoze: Bridging Generations Through the Memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

More from Africa Renewal

Advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Empowering change: Safeguarding women in Sierra Leone

Intra-African trade provides an opportunity for inclusive economic growth

Racheal’s resolve: Championing disability rights in Uganda

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Article on Importance of Girl Education

• Article Writing

There are approximately 34 million adolescent girls out of school. Another shocking fact is that two-thirds of the 796 million illiterates are women. According to the 2011 census, the male literacy rate is 82.14% and the female literacy rate is only 65.46% in India. All these statistics certainly reveal the kind of discrimination that women face in today's world.     

According to the 2011 census, the literacy rate of men is 82.14% and that of women only 65.46% in India. All these statistics certainly reveal the kind of discrimination that women face in today's world. 

Education is as important as air, food and housing for both men and women. Girls in India are considered a burden on parents by some people. People think that girls must first be raised, then married and sent to another house, while boys are considered the legal heirs of the family.   

They are considered the guardians of parents in their old age. People think that investing in a boy's education would be beneficial rather than a girl's, since they will go to another house. 

People think that women are sent to Earth just to cook, clean and give birth to children. Because of this thought, girls suffer and they are ignored. Things have got so much worse that some of the girls are killed before birth in the mother's womb and if they have given birth; they are despised by the family. Some are killed after birth too.     

The fundamental problem with this is that in India, a lot of importance is attached to marriage. People in India think that the ultimate home of a girl is her husband's house and that her fate should remain confined to the four walls of the house. 

People will not be bothered to spend so much on a wedding as on a girl's education. For this reason, all girls must give up their dreams. One person can not be blamed but the entire society is responsible for the fate of the girls. People do not realize that educating a girl is as important as educating a boy. Whenever a girl has the opportunity to prove her abilities, she has always proven herself.       

Education has a global impact on girls. Education makes a person strong mentally, socially and intellectually by increasing our knowledge. Educated girls are confident. They can make decisions on their own and become self-reliant.     

They can earn for themselves and take care of their families. They are independent and do not depend on men to validate their existence. 

After the wedding, they can help their husband financially and add to the family income. They will take care of their children and help to educate and transmit good values. 

Someone rightly said, "If you educate a man, you educate a person, but if you educate a woman, you educate the whole family and a nation."

Solving teacher shortages depends on coming together around shared aspirations for children

Distinguished University Professor and Associate Dean Teacher Education, Western University

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Kathy Hibbert is Distinguished University Professor and Associate Dean, Teacher Education, at the Faculty of Education, Western University. She has received funding from Western University in support of research in Teacher Education and SSHRC in support of various studies in education.

Western University provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA-FR.

Western University provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA.

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It’s impossible to ignore headlines announcing the predicted shortage of teachers both across Canada and globally .

In British Columbia, there has been an almost triple increase in uncertified adults covering classrooms . In Ontario, the not-for-profit organization People for Education reports being surprised at how “extreme” the shortage is . Nova Scotia recently averted a teacher strike after the province and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union reached an agreement in principle that the province was ignoring the root causes of the shortage crisis .

Read more: Provinces should act fast to avert a teacher shortage now and after COVID-19

As boards scramble to respond, classrooms are combined and preparation time is forfeited. Specialists are brought in to cover basic curriculum, abandoning other areas of education like music, health or math coaching . Some parents of children living with disabilities are asked to keep their children home .

When other efforts are exhausted, uncertified adults are hired .

How did we get here? Although teachers are still entering the profession in Canada, fewer and fewer are staying . The current crisis has been decades in the making. Reasons for leaving are numerous: a decline in professional autonomy, unrealistic workloads given the high needs of students, health and safety concerns and an overall decline in the status of the profession .

Multiple crises , including a health-care professional shortage and the climate crisis, are competing for our attention at the moment.

Solving the teacher shortage will take all of us — educational experts, government, school boards, parents, educators and all voters — coming together around a shared desire to create an educational future that reflects genuine aspirations for our children and future generations.

Long-term visioning

Economists have long understood that well-educated, healthy constituents contribute to a healthy economy, a thriving community, and a good life.

Achieving this “good life” requires an inspired long-term vision; one that exceeds any particular government’s term. As a society, we can no longer afford to ignore a problem until we are in a crisis. Doing so narrows available options to reactive, quick fixes that often ignore the broader systemic infrastructure needed to sustain them.

Broad systemic change is difficult and can be costly both financially and politically. Short-term reactive measures may appear easier than the thoughtful, sustained leadership, planning and investment required to build the positive and trusting relationships necessary to make meaningful change across systems.

Teachers seen as glorified babysitters

We need to reckon with how we think and speak about education’s most valuable resource: its teachers.

Many Canadians have been shocked to learn that the shortage of health-care professionals has closed down some emergency rooms , a situation prompting profound public concern and calls for action from municipal leaders .

The shortage of teachers yields a markedly different response . Schools remain open, scrambling in some areas to fill the classroom with, well, almost anyone.

The decision to fill the vacancy with uncertified adults in a school setting reveals a persistent, yet misguided legacy in the profession — that teachers, in a female-dominated profession — are merely glorified babysitters of the nations’ children .

Such a narrow perspective casts teachers simply in terms of the economic capital they afford parents in the workforce. But it is quality education that yields the socio-economic benefits and the innovation desperately needed to face society’s known and future challenges.

Quality education needs to be acknowledged

Researchers have long acknowledged the increasing complexity of knowledge and skills required to teach in today’s classrooms and Faculties of Education have redesigned teacher education programs in response.

The lack of an aspirational vision ignores decades of research about the growing demands of a difficult profession that looks easy . It ignores any understanding of what it means to be a professional, and the reality that educators are on the front lines with students, engaged in the fallout from all of the big issues that have been marginalized or collectively ignored.

Too many students, already suffering from the pandemic upheaval , are now subjected to a series of unqualified adults in charge of their learning.

Virtually all parents want the very best for their children. But there is little acknowledgement of what it means for our children when our teachers are under-resourced, disparaged and demoralized.

We can’t have it both ways.

Bring teachers to education policy table

Canada is internationally renowned for its K-12 education system. As professionals, educators are held to increasingly high standards through their regulatory bodies. Canada supports inclusive governance as a means of engaging all citizens in decision making. Yet teachers are largely excluded from reform and policy decisions in any meaningful way.

Influential international organizations (like UNESCO , the World Bank and the World Economic Forum ) emphasize two important points: First, that healthy and well-supported educators are critical to the success and achievement of students .

Second, just as policies designing roles for women required women to be at the policy table in the 1960s, policies designed to create sustainable, innovative programs for our children and youth require educators — experts in the field — to be at the policy table.

Must invest in long term planning and resources

The International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 assembled in 2008 to address the anticipated shortage concluded: “teaching should be a valued profession and every learner should be taught by qualified, motivated and empowered teachers within well-resourced, efficient and effectively governed systems to foster learning and achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all.”

We have so far failed to invest in ways that make quality education a priority.

There is still time to act.

Respect for educators = student achievement

Researchers track the relationship between respect for educators and student achievement . Respect is signalled in part through financial compensation, and whether parents encourage their own children to enter the profession. Teacher bashing carries consequences we cannot afford.

It is time for Canada to mature in our thinking about our teachers — for our children’s sake and for future generations.

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• Teacher shortage
• Teaching profession
• Ontario education
• Nova Scotia education
• health-care crisis
• British Columbia education

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Essay on Save Girl Child for Students and Children

500+ words essay on save girl child.

Essay on Save Child: The existence of human life on the earth is impossible without the equal participation of both women and men. They are equally responsible for the survival of the human race on the earth. They are also liable for the development and growth of a nation. However, the existence of the woman is for more important than men. Because without her we cannot think about our existence. So, to save humans from extinction we have to take measures to save girl child.

It’s a common practice in India where people abort or kill girl child on birth . But, they should be saved given equal opportunity, and respect and opportunity to go ahead in life. Apart from that, the fate of civilization lies in their hand as they are the root of our creation.

Why does the Girl Child Need Saving?

There is various evil in our society; one of which happens to be the desire to have a boy. In Indian society, everyone wants an ideal mother, sister, wife, and daughter. But they never want that girl to be his blood relative. Besides, there are other social evils in society that forces many parents to avoid having a girl child. These other social evils are dowry deaths , female feticide, and some others.

What Girls Can Do?

Although girls are ahead of boys in many fields but still people prefer a boy child. Girls have proven themselves better in every field than boys. And due to their hard work and dedication, they have been to space also. They are more talented, obedient, hardworking, and responsible for the family and their life. Besides, girls are more caring and loving towards their parents. Above all, they give 100% in every work.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Following are the Steps Taken by the Indian Government to Save Girl Child

For saving girl child the government has taken many initiatives and launched many campaigns to save them. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save the girl child) is the most recent initiative started by the government to actively encourage people to save the girl. Apart from that, many NGOs , companies, corporate groups, human rights commission run various campaign to save girl child.

The crime against women is a big barrier to the development and growth of the country. However, the government takes this problem seriously and for stopping female feticide they have banned the sex determination ultrasound, amniocentesis, and scan tests in the hospitals and labs. The government takes all these steps aware society that girls are a gift of God and not a burden.

Our Participation

For saving girl the first step starts with our own home. We should encourage our family members, neighbor, friends, and relative to save them and make other people aware of it. Also, we should cheer our family member to have a girl child rather than a boy.

A girl child deserves a life where she is treated as equal to a boy. And she should be loved and respected like others. She participates in the development and growth of the nation equally. Besides, she works hard for the betterment of society and country. They have also proven their worth and stand equal to boys in every field. Hence, they deserve to survive as their survival means the existence of the human race.

FAQs on Save Girl Child

Q.1 Why the girl child needs saving? A.1 Girls are very strong and determinant and can take care of themselves. But, due to social evils and unawareness, people kill them that’s why they need saving.

Q.2 Which initiative is taken by the government to save girl child? A.2 The most recent initiative by the government is Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao which aims to save and educate the girl child.

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Mississippi Republicans revive bill to regulate transgender bathroom use in schools

A group of Republican women from throughout the state watch procedures in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, gestures while speaking at the well before the body in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Sen. Derrick Simmons, D-Greenville, gestures while speaking at the well before the body in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Sen. Angela Hill, R-Picayune, addresses the legislators in the Senate Chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Sen. Bradford Blackmon, D-Canton, asks a question in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, holds a folder with files for the Senate Rules Committee, in the Senate Chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Rep. Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, explains a bill to regulate transgender people’s use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, before the House at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Rep. John Faulkner, D-Holly Springs, asks a question on a bill to regulate transgender people’s use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, before the House at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Rep. Jansen Owen, R-Poplarville, asks a question regarding a bill to regulate transgender people’s use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, before the House at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Rep. Fabian Nelson, D-Jackson, asks for a clarification on a bill to regulate transgender people’s use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, before the House at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s Republican-led Legislature completed a last-ditch effort Thursday to revive a bill to regulate transgender people’s use of bathrooms , locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings.

Lawmakers pushed the proposal through the House and Senate in the final days of their four-month session after negotiations between the chambers broke down Monday on an earlier proposal. Republicans said they received a flurry of messages urging them to bring the bill back to life.

“This probably, to a lot of our constituents and to a lot of people in this chamber, is probably the most important bill that we brought up,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby, a Republican.

The legislation would require all public education institutions to equip their buildings with single-sex restrooms, changing areas and dormitories.

People would only be allowed to enter spaces that correspond to their sex assigned at birth, regardless of their appearance or any procedures they’ve had to affirm their gender identity. Those who violate the policy could be sued, but schools, colleges and universities would be protected from liability.

Democrats said the bill would put transgender people at risk. They also criticized Republicans for spending time on the issue as other legislative priorities remained unfinished.

“It just baffles me that we have things we can do to improve the state of Mississippi for all people, for all people, but we get so pumped on something that’s national politics,” said Rep. Jeffrey Hulum III, a Democrat. “It is not my job to criticize how people live their lives.”

Republicans said they were standing up for female family members on college campuses and pointed to several Republican women, wearing red, as they looked on from the Senate gallery.

One of those women was Anja Baker, a member of the Mississippi Federation of Republican Women from the Jackson suburb of Rankin County. Baker said she works with social service providers and was concerned women would be crowded out of spaces they rely on.

“They only have so many resources, and they need to have their locations and resources protected for the women that need them instead of getting caught in a game of identity politics,” Baker said.

Advocacy groups emailed her and other Republican women late Wednesday urging them to show up Thursday at the Capitol. That came after an initial measure mandating single-sex spaces stalled, causing an embittered back-and-forth between top legislators.

Just before a Monday night deadline, the House offered a plan that would let people file lawsuits seeking monetary damages if someone uses a bathroom not assigned to their gender, said Senate Judiciary A Committee Chairman Brice Wiggins, a Republican. Wiggins said that made it an unacceptable “trial lawyer bill.”

House Judiciary A Committee Chairman Joey Hood, also a Republican, said the Senate forced the House into accepting a weaker proposal. The bill would let people sue, but they would be unable to claim compensatory damages from any lawsuit. As a result, Hood and other House members said the bill they ultimately approved would likely fail to deter people from entering spaces that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth.

Hood said he hopes the Legislature would introduce legislation in 2025 with stronger penalties.

Another proposal failed this year that would have denied the legal recognition of transgender people by writing into law that “there are only two sexes, and every individual is either male or female.”

In 2021, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed legislation to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls’ or women’s sports teams. Last year, he signed a bill to ban gender-affirming hormones or surgery for anyone younger than 18.

The Mississippi proposals were among several bills being considered in state legislatures around the country as Republicans try to restrict transgender people’s access to gender-affirming care, bathrooms and sports, among other things.

Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him at @mikergoldberg .