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Recommendation: Sustain attention to girl child education in Fragile states
Target 3: Ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling
Sustain attention to girl child education in Fragile states
Noting that tremendous progress has been made in official primary school enrolment rates rising to an average of 89% worldwide and 84% in developing countries,
Recognizing that 75 million primary school age children remain out of school, seven out of ten of which live in sub-Saharan Africa or South and West Asia.
Emphasizing that over half of primary aged children not in school live in Fragile States where governments are either unwilling or unable to deliver services,
Regretting that significant gender disparities in enrolment rates remain especially in Fragile States where 89 girls are enrolled for every 100 boys, and appreciating that ‘educating a boy is educating an
individual, while educating a girl is educating a community’,
Aware that high drop-out rates lead to low completion rates with less than two-thirds of pupils in sub-Saharan Africa reaching the last grade in majority of countries and especially girls getting fewer opportunities than boys to complete primary education or enrol in secondary schools,
Appreciating that the Dutch government is part of the OECD Action framework that has endorsed DAC Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and the Partnership for Democratic Governance which calls for engagement with emerging donors, civil society, and private sector in Fragile States,
The Third Chamber 2015 urges the minister for development cooperation and the Dutch government to:
Specifically indicate and publish the amount and percentage of ODA budget for education targeted at improving access to and completion of primary and secondary education for girls in Fragile States, within the stated countries’ framework of overall National Development Strategy, and tied to a
coherent education sector wide approach in these countries,
Scale up multi-sectoral cooperation with and support for other actors in the education sector in Fragile states such as civil society, religious organisations, and the private sector to address structural and cultural factors impeding girls access to and benefits from education,
Specifically allocate part of the budget in exploring, together with partners, the application of new technologies (such as educational radio programmes, mobile internet, e-learning, distance learning) in Fragile States to bridge the digital divide, improve quality and enhance opportunities for access to and completion of schooling for girls.
Re: Recommendation: Sustain attention to girl child education in Fragile states
Detailed below is a brief account of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill's (India) turbulent journey:
• In 2002, the 86th Constitutional Amendment was passed.
• In 2003, the first draft of the Right to Education bill was circulated for public
• In 2004, the second draft of the bill, drafted after consideration of the feedback to the first draft, was posted on the Education Department website.
• In June 2005, the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) committee drafted the ‘Right to Education Bill' and submitted to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). MHRD sent it to the National Advisory Council (NAC) where Mrs. Sonia Gandhi was the Chairperson. The NAC sent the Bill to the Prime Minister for his observation.
• In July 2006, the finance committee and planning commission rejected the Bill citing the lack of funds and a Model bill was sent to states for the making necessary arrangements. (Post-86th amendment, States had already cited lack of funds at State level)
• The States promptly sent the model bill back to the Centre citing lack of funds.The bill was virtually buried for two years.
• In February, 2008 the Ministry of Human Resource Development circulated another draft of the bill.
• In August, 2008 the Union Cabinet referred the Right to Education Bill to the Group of Ministers (GoM), a high-powered group of ministers formed to look into operationalising the Fundamental Right to Education.
• On October 31, 2008 the Union Cabinet cleared a revised draft of the bill, as yet unreleased to the public. The GoM had passed on the draft to the Cabinet earlier that month.
• On 1 November, 2008, the Union Cabinet cleared the long-pending Right to Education Bill, which promises free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14.
• On 15 December, 2008 the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha and released to the public on the Rajya Sabha website.
• On 18 February, 2009 the Standing Committee released its report of recommendations and placed it before both the houses of Parliament, which were in session at the time.
• On 26 February, 2009 the Parliament ended its budget session without passing the bill.
• On 20 July, 2009 the Rajya Sabha passed the bill with minor changes to the 2008 draft bill.
• On 4 August, 2009 the Lok Sabha passed the bill.
. The countdown for implementation of the historic Right to Education Act from April 1 has begun.
Re: Recommendation: Sustain attention to girl child education in Fragile states
Completely agree with this proposal. Even in countries with conflict the girls are the ones who are more affected and some of them turn out to be child soldiers and then there adaption to normal life again is almost impossible. Good luck with this one.
Re: Recommendation: Sustain attention to girl child education in Fragile states
I perfectly agree with you.
I equally think the ministers for education and the Dutch government do not only have to publish the amount but to be able to say the change the amount voted have been able to bring to basic education and measures put in place in ensuring sustainability of the amount voted in stregthening girl child education or at least primary education for all in the developing countries. It is high time we know that time to pay lip service to education of future generation belongs to the past.
Thank you.
Re: Recommendation: Sustain attention to girl child education in Fragile states
This is a great recommendation! I hope it comes to fruition.
In my country Zambia after it was observed that girls have much more house work to do than boys (which should change), it was decided that they lower the passing mark for girls when it comes to grade seven and nine promotion examinations. This gives girls a more fair access in school advancement.
This recommendation mentioned access to internet. Internet is a vital too in obtaining information and sharing, however, the reality is that in third world countries like Zambia's rural areas,a lot has to be done before we can even think of internet. Most rural arears do not have access to electricity or solar power, this makes it difficult to bring something that requires reliable energy.
Perhaps the Dutch government can help implore on a comprehensive approach in balancing developmental activities. Rural electrification and other developments will also decongest urban areas, which will promote more mixed interactions and learning. This in turn helps change negative perceptions easier, for example when it comes to roles that are believed to be 'girls' roles because people will be able to see other life styles and cultures beyond theirs, and seive what is good from them. When there is adequate types of media and technology, boys and girls will be able to view life with global lenses, and learn from other communities and share their lives with others too.
In closed communities with little interaction and little information, it is not very ease to move from the status quo.
Re: Recommendation: Sustain attention to girl child education in Fragile states
Indeed the issue of girl child education is a call for concern for to the whole world not only developing countries. I am always impress with the Dutch government for bringing very important matters on the board and for especially supporting NCDO to bring out this vital matters to people around the globe for discussion. If girl child are not educated, then what is going to be the future for the next generation. It means dependancy will be the order of the day and poverty will increase drastically and the vision of the MDG's will just be a wast of time, money and energy. I support the Recommendation and think more effort needs to focus on girl child education.
For the world to achieve Primary Education to the target period 2015, it is slim and most likely not possible especially for develpoing countries particularly Africa where curruption and bad governance is pulling down our continent. Yes many governments have done well in building schools for primary education, but were are the train and qualify teachers who are currupt free and where are the facilities and quality education. Sexual Gender Based Violence is the order of the day between the teachers and girls in school if only a girl child want to make a better grade at the end of the school year.
This practice is at the low level up to university and at the completion of studies and a girl hoping to perform well in office will be the time she cant prove her compitency at the office just becuase she went throgh her education without studing to make a better grade but depending on the grades given to her by the teacher after sleeping with her. How about the norms in the schools, the other charges which are not part of the yearly fees, these also stop and discourage parents who are poor not to send their children to school. How about the punishment in the schools, torture and discrimination in the schools is also another factor that will stop us not to achieve the Primary Education for all before the UN target period 2015. But also it is a challenge to us all to fight the battle and see what we all can contribute to this course and make a world fit for all and our unborn generation.
Re: Recommendation: Sustain attention to girl child education in Fragile states
CULTURAL, PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC BARRIERS TO THE GIRL CHILD EDUCATION IN MAASAILAND, KENYA
The cultural, physical and economic barriers that combine to deny education to Maasai Girls in Kenya are numerous and taken together, almost impossible for all except for the most determined girls to overcome. The barriers include: 1.Economic incentives for early marriage 2. Family and peer pressure for early marriage 3. Fear of early pregnancy 4. Walking distances to and from school 5.The nomadic Maasai culture.
Like most poor women in African nations, Maasai women are destined to live a life with limited choices.More than eighty percent of Maasai women will never have a single day of formal education. They will never learn to read or write, or speak a language other than their native "Maa". Not one in ten will reach the eighth grade. All but the most defiant will be "circumcised" at the age of twelve or thirteen and soon afterwards married to a man her father chooses. She will never be allowed to divorce, except in the most egregious cases of physical abuse, and will never allowed to marry again, even if the husband her father chooses is an old man who dies when she is still in her teens. She will be one of her husband's multiple wives, and will have many children regardless of her health or ability to provide for them. she will rise early everyday to milk cows, and spend her day walking miles to water holes to launder clothes and get water, and to gather wood to carry back home. If she is lucky, she will have a donkey to share her burden. She will live a life with few physical comforts, depended on a husband and family she did not choose.
Re: Recommendation: Sustain attention to girl child education in Fragile states
OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS IN GIRL CHILD EDUCATION IN MAASAILAND, KENYA
- Increasing enrollment - Through volunteer network of community advocates for girls education, girls who will never have an opportunity to go to school are identified and enrolled in schools. Equally important is sustaining the number of girls who are already enrolled in school that would forced to drop out against their wishes because of cultural, physical or economic reasons.
- Enrolling in boarding schools - Physical barriers like long distsnces to school are removed and cultural barriers are weakened by placing girls in boarding schools. Boarding schools also give girls a save place to escape the rentless presure for early marriage and motherhood in an enviroment supportive of girls education. In adittion. boarding schools provide regular nutritional meals, healthcare, structured time for learning and a housing option for girls who have reached puberty, and by Maasai traditions, can no longer live in the same house with their fathers.
- Ensuring quality education - Improving rural schools infrastructure like adequate classrooms, providing enough desks, schools meals,ensuring enough and motivated teaching force etc, will create a conducive learning environment that will allow rural schools kids to compete with the more sophisticated and well funded urban public and private schools in Kenya.
- Paving the way for economic independence - Supporting college and university education for bright needy students who are forced to cut short their education ambition due to lack of resources.
- Empowering rural women - Organize workshops and exposure meetings for rural women who have no formal education, focusing on practical skills like Education, health care, nutrition to improve the family health and win their support in education.
The benefits to society of educating women are well documented and include lower birth rates, better health practices, lower infant mortality, fewer teenage pregnancies, and greater economic well being, not only for women, but the entire community in which they live. THIS IS TRUE IN KENYA, THIS IS TRUE IN EVERY CULTURE WORLDWIDE.
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