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Promoting Education for Girls in Pakistan

In many developing countries, like Pakistan, education for girls is not a primary objective. The schools in these countries are often of poor quality. Consequently, many girls drop out during their elementary level school years, to help support their families.

When attending school does not necessarily guarantee learning, parents would rather have their children—especially girls—stay home to help the family.

The quality of Pakistan’s education stems from the country’s poverty.  Currently, measures are being taken in Pakistan to promote higher quality education that is accessible .

Khadim Hussain, an Echidna Global Scholar, founded Grace Association and has been working to develop Community School Networks (CSN). Over the last two years, the organization has been working to train local leaders to make a difference and improve the quality of education throughout the country for girls. The organization focuses on the importance of “the family, community, and the economy in the education of youth, and the core values of social justice, equity, and democracy in the design and implementation of educational programs.”

While Hussain tackles the issue of the quality education, Malala Yousafszai works to change social ideologies regarding women and the right to an education. Malala,  who fought for improved education and subsequently suffered a Taliban attack in October 2012 with two other friends for her culturally extreme ideas of equal education for girls in Pakistan, acts as a symbol of bravery and wisdom for the movement. On Dec. 10, 2014,  she was honored as the youngest to ever receive a Nobel Peace Prize for her courageous actions and words.

With the help of Malala and Hussain, education for girls in Pakistan is improving. Malala will continue to fight for what she believes to expand the opportunities for girls across the country. The friends of Malala continue to fight as well, saying “when you are educated, you are able to do everything. If you are not educated, you can’t do anything.”

– Erin Coughlin

Sources: Brookings, Education Innovations, WKYT
Photo: Flickr

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Julia Gillard & Female Education

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is no stranger to education reform. Before her term of service from 2010 to 2013, Gillard was the minister of education in Australia. As prime minister, she drew upon her work experiences to improve many of Australia’s policies for the country’s educational system.

Having accepted the position of Board Chair for the Global Partnership for Education in February, Gillard has since expanded her desire to promote high quality education to countries across the globe.

One of Gillard’s primary focuses is female education. The global leader has voiced her concern with the lack of funding and attention that female education typically receives. As Board Chair, Gillard has set out to instill a greater sense of gender equality in discussions regarding educational aid.

Gillard received a great deal of press in 2012 when she became engaged in a heated debate with opposition leader Tony Abbot during a meeting of parliament about the concept of sexism. Julia Gillard accused Abbot of behaving and speaking in a misogynistic manner and highlighted the evils of sexism.

The video of her speech from parliament that day went viral, becoming an online symbol of female empowerment.

Today, Gillard is continuing her passion for gender equality by accepting a partnership with the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI). At the GPE Replenishment Conference in June, Gillard opened the “Girls’ Education: Moving Beyond Access” session.

Gillard commented on the state of female global education saying, “There are more girls in school today, but there are still millions who are still not in school. There is a lot more that needs to be done.”

The session offered discussion on the most effective ways to respond to gender inequality in schools in the poorest areas of the world. The transition from primary to secondary education became a popular topic of conversation because so many girls drop out of school between the two levels.

The session also pinpointed the recent reasons behind female education’s success. For example, women are gaining land ownership rights more often in Nepal because daughters as well as sons can inherit family land now. Representatives from Nepal at the GPE conference believe that the opportunity to own land has affected female enrollment in schools because it has shifted the attitude toward women in the country.

Gillard advocates for complete equal access to education. As Board Chair for GPE, she leads initiatives to fund education for children with disabilities, children in rural and impoverished areas and girls dealing with oppression. Though female education is not her only focus, the fact that she, a prominent global symbol for both feminism and education reform, is leading these initiatives, seems like good news for the future of female education.

– Emily Walthouse

Sources: BBC, UNGEI, GPE, Huffington Post
Photo: Eight Women Around the World

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5 Powerful Advocates of Female Education

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1. Malala Yousafzai works tirelessly as a young advocate for female education, despite being shot in the head last year by the Taliban for these very same efforts. She—in her bravery and brilliance– exemplifies the struggle for girls’ education everywhere.

2. Hillary Rodham Clinton, having served as the first lady and Secretary of State, is now a partner with her husband and daughter at the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Within the organization, she has committed herself to improving access to female education and empowering women worldwide.

3. Richard Robbins directed Girl Rising, the extremely popular new documentary that tells the stories of nine struggling girls in the developing world. The film, which has met with great success, espouses the urgent global need for equal access to education.

4. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn published “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” in 2010, a compelling journalistic account of the developing world, and more specifically, of its disadvantaged women. The book, which spans the entire globe and a diverse set of lifestyles, seems to somehow convey a singular edict: in order to progess—particularly in the developing world– we must provide all women access to an adequate education.

5. Lawrence Chickering has worked for more than thirty years in order to improve the conditions of girls in the developing world, particularly in India, a country where 40% of women are not educated beyond the fifth grade level. His NGO, Educate Girls Globally, has significantly improved female enrollment, retention, and performance in India’s government schools, giving girls access to a variety of transformative resources.

– Anna Purcell

Sources: CBS News, Huffington Post, The Guardian

Ghana NGO Seeks to End Poverty through Education

Ghana NGO Seeks to End Poverty through Education
The Campaign For Female Education (CAMFED), a non-governmental organization in Ghana that seeks to remedy the challenges that girls face in completing their education, is benefiting from a large grant from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development. The project is called “Accountable Grants” and allocates several million dollars to young females in the country’s poorest districts.

The support would cover food rations for girls living in hostels, schooling expenses and fees, and textbooks. The Education Program Manager for CAMFED, Cyril Yabepone, has said that poverty remains a significant factor in the retention of young girls. This is especially true in the country’s northern region.

The £9.5million grant (an equivalent of almost 14.5 million USD) allows for CAMFED to expand to a total of thirty districts across the country and provide support for 20,000 girls who previously risked losing their education due to their family’s inability to pay. It would also provide training for the teachers of the affected girls, and provide them (the grant beneficiaries) with mentoring to ensure their success.

The country’s leaders, in order to ensure the success of the program as a whole, are calling on parents, teachers, administrators, and tribal leaders to support it. As one government official summarizes, “education is the panacea for development.”

– Samantha Mauney

Source: Ghana Business News
Photo: The Peace Blog