Education of Girls is paramount for development of society

“Educate a Girl, Educate a Nation”

Education of Girls is paramount for development of society

Give a girl enough education and see how well she generates the power to empower not only herself but also the society in which she breathes. As they say “educate a girl and educate a whole nation”. There are overwhelming gains from investing in education of females because they extend beyond the four walls of the school classroom. Educated girls will grow on to become future women leaders. Yet the statistics show really depressing figures regarding status of education of females.
As per World Bank data there has been increase in enrollment of girls at primary and secondary school levels. More girls now have access to higher education but this progress has been uneven because 2/3rd of the World’s out-of -school girls reside in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Enrollment figures of girls in schools in Mali are comparable with those of the United States of 1810.

One of the main reasons for the low enrollment of girls in secondary education is the persistent high level of poverty, especially in urban slums and rural areas. Most families are unable to cover the cost of their children’s education and opportunity costs for sending children to school are high. Furthermore, as socio-cultural norms based on patriarchy prevail, families tend to give priority to boys’ education when faced with financial constraints.

Girls in India and Pakistan find access to education difficult because of high levels of poverty as well as face social and cultural barriers to learning. Those who manage to get enrolled somehow have to opt out due to lack of proper sanitation facilities and poor infrastructure of schools. There are Girls in Liberia who have study under the shade of trees and could not afford a classroom. Girls in Tanzania and some other places have to walk miles and pass through difficult and dangerous terrains to reach their schools. The safe journey to school and back home seems like a battle which thousand girls fight on a daily basis.

In many parts of Pakistan, especially areas bordering Afghanistan, women risk their lives simply by going to university. Gender-based discrimination in education is both a cause and a consequence of broader forms of gender inequality in society.

Gender-based discrimination in education is both a cause and a consequence of broader forms of gender inequality in society.To break the cycle, UNESCO is committed to promoting gender equality in and through education systems.The Organization also encourages mainstreaming gender equality issues in education at all levels (from early childhood to higher education), in all settings (from formal, non-formal and informal), and in all intervention areas (from planning infrastructure to training teachers). UNESCO

Girls account for the majority (53%) of children of primary school age who are not in school.

Globally, 32 million girls in this age group are denied their basic right to education.31 million children in sub-Saharan Africa are out of school. 55% of them will never start school. Girls face the greatest barriers to education.

There are about 2 million more primary school-age girls out of school than boys.

In South and West Asia, 13 million children are out of school. 49% will never start school and another 45% have enrolled but dropped out. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-all/advocacy/global-action-week/gaw-2013/facts-and-figures/

Education might serve as a magic bullet for hitting the target of empowering girls and women worldwide because education of women and girls have a multiplier effect towards the betterment of their families where they live and the societies they are part of as well as improving the developmental indicators of nations. There are data and numbers to support that when girls are educated, they marry at right time and give birth to healthy babies and go on to build healthier families. They are more capable of nourishing their kids as well as themselves with nutritious food and help curb infant mortality and mal-nutrition prevalent amongst children. According to the World Bank, each additional year of female education reduces child mortality by 18 per thousand births. They have more opportunities to generate income. One extra year of primary school boosts a girl’s future wage 10 to 20 percent and an extra year of secondary school increases that earning potential by 15 to 25 percent.

Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education: In India to promote enrollment of girl child in the age group of 14-18 at secondary stage, especially those who passed Class VIII and to encourage the secondary education of such girls, the Centrally Sponsored Scheme: National Scheme of Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education was launched in May, 2008.

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Thanks to Meetika Srivastava