Equal Education
By Serge Norguard. Filed in Blogathon, Personal |
What is girls’ education?
Education is a fundamental right for all children, including girls. Yet, as in many other areas of their lives, girls’ prospects for education are diminished because of gender discrimination.
The statistics say it all. 65 of the 121 million children in the world who are not in school are girls. In Sub Saharan Africa, 24 million girls were out of school in 2002. 83% of all girls out of school live in Sub Saharan Africa, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific. Two-thirds of the world’s 875 million illiterate adults are women.
That is why United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his groundbreaking address to the Millennium Assembly reminded us that there can be no significant or sustainable transformation in societies—and no lasting reduction in global poverty—until girls receive the basic quality education they deserve—and take their rightful place as equal partners in development.
What’s new in girls’ education?
Girls’ education is among the priorities of UNICEF’s medium-term strategic plan for 2002-2005. The focus is on getting girls into school, making sure they stay there and equipping them with the skills they need to succeed in life.
Within this broader strategy, UNICEF launched an “acceleration campaign” to make substantial inroads in girls’ education. Without this extraordinary effort, it is doubtful that the global community can reach its goal of eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005.
Achieving this objective, in fact, will be the first test case of the Millennium Development Goals, pledged by all UN Member States. These eight goals, agreed upon by 189 nations in September 2000, are now widely accepted as universal benchmarks for development. They set time-bound and measurable targets for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women.
It is a challenge that UNICEF accepts wholeheartedly. If we can succeed in making substantial progress in girls’ education by 2005, we will have contributed to the lives of a whole generation of women. Moreover, we will have improved the prospects for the generation that follows, the children of women who have fulfilled their right to learn.
Remember now Serge is blogging for Unicef and you can make a pledge here And there’s a contest as well.
Sphere: Related ContentTags: World Issues
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Updated: Jun 24, 2008
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Sunday, July 30th 2006 at 1:08 pm
Glad I live in a society that demands education for all. =\