Girls' education is improving, but not for everyone. UNICEF supports the Kizo model primary school with teacher training, textbooks and a WASH program on water, sanitation and hygiene. UNICEF also supports GEM, the girls' education movement aimed at keeping girls in school.
UNICEF has commissioned ten papers from leading researchers and practitioners to spark debate on educational challenges in Eastern and Southern Africa - an area where most children are in school, but many are not learning the basics. While the articles have academic roots, they are not research papers and do not represent UNICEF policy.
Rather, they are fascinating pieces to inspire new ideas to improve learning in Eastern and Southern Africa and around the world. It is encouraging to revisit the last ten years and see that a lot of work has been done to improve girls' education; more is known about "what works" in other circumstances.
But the problem of poor girls' learning outcomes persists. Partly because girls face many levels of barriers, some of which, especially based on cultural and religious norms, require a lot of time and attention to change. Another aspect is that efforts to deal with obstacles are often very uneven, with limited focus, short duration or very small, which has a great impact.
A group of girls dressed in green and yellow are sitting in a circle in a grassy field under the shade of a tree. At Manjholo Primary School, Amrath Chigdev from the Mother's Group discusses the problems that girls have with their education.
Mothers' groups have received support from UNICEF as part of their approach to accessible schools for children, and their responsibilities include persuading girls to stay in school and encouraging traditional leaders to end socio-cultural practices that reduce schooling. girls education.
Therefore, I propose a new approach to girls' education: galvanizing and coordinating efforts so that more comprehensive and sustainable change can be achieved. In Eastern and Southern Africa, tremendous progress has been made towards achieving gender equality in the early years of primary school.
However, in later years, girls' attendance and participation begin to decline, leading to very low completion and infection rates. To understand why girls 'education is affected, let's consider the constraints that affect girls' education.
The following figure (click to enlarge the image) describes the limitations within the different levels of the education system:
- Home and community
- School and classroom; Y
- System and policy
Such analysis helps to find that the inequalities that affect girls' education are complex, interconnected and mixed from the macro to the micro level. Many international partners, donors and governments have implemented interventions to remove barriers; However, they typically focus on just one or two barriers at the educational system levels.
This can be a problem, as projects that focus on the school's limitations can easily be mitigated by the limitations that still exist on the inside (or vice versa). No single intervention can permanently improve girls' education. There are still inadequate achievements for girls due to the lack of a holistic approach.
Therefore, I propose an approach that analyzes the general problem and coordinates the interventions for a comprehensive strategy. The ministries of education are included in this: Develop a comprehensive principle (ToC) in education policy to reduce your gender sensitive area plan or national gender
Use TOC to guide implementation: This system provides a common strategy and coordination mechanism for similar actors and organizations working on girls' education intervention. An example of this transformational approach can be seen in the figure below.
It starts with different restrictions and levels and provides related interventions. Discussion with key stakeholders, especially girls, is necessary to help validate barriers and prioritize barriers and interventions in specific districts or regions.
This transformational approach can be used as a clear roadmap to keep all actors, organizations and projects in the system focused and aligned. The hypothesis is that if interventions are implemented simultaneously and in the same context, more gender-sensitive systems, schools, homes and communities will begin to develop.
When this happens, the educational outreach and integrity of girls will greatly improve. This approach is not easy: it takes leadership and political will from ministries of education to develop, own and drive this transformative approach. But if all partners support ministry leadership and training and actively promote a coordinated effort, meaningful change for girls' education is possible.
Because it is only by working together, from the macro to the micro level and through governmental and non-governmental partners, that we can truly transform our investment in girls' education and lives. Now and for years to come.
Dr. Sharon Tao is Cambridge Education Senior Education and Gender Consultant with extensive experience implementing large-scale DFID-funded educational programs in Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria, Uganda, Sierra Leone and India.
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