Vinutha Shekhar - Batch of 2022

When girls are educated, their countries become stronger and more prosperous - Michelle Obama


Ram and Nita are siblings born in a rural region of India. Their parents are daily wage earners. Nita dropped out of school after she attained puberty at the age of 12. In contrast, Ram continued to study, moved to a nearby city to pursue higher education, and started working in a reputed multinational company with a decent salary.

What did Nita miss? A degree or diploma to earn money like her brother? Well, that's not the point. Education would have helped her in many more ways than merely serve as a means of making money.

How?

Let's investigate these statistics from UNESCO's research.

<aside> 🍂 Around the world, 132 million girls are out of school, including 34.3 million of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age, and 67.4 million of upper-secondary school age. Only 66 per cent of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education. At the secondary level, the gap widens: 45 per cent of countries have reached gender parity in lower secondary education and 25 per cent in upper secondary education.

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The findings look stark, isn't it?

By investing in girls' education, we transform the communities, countries, and the entire human race. Girls who receive education are less likely to be marrying when young, and they lead healthy and productive lives. They also participate in decision-making for family and society. Decision-making is not child's play. One must have self-confidence, life skills and social skills to make sound decisions. Education is the fountainhead of these skills.

A recent Thomas Reuters article links education closely to health. The analysis provides evidence that educated women are far more likely to protect their children from preventable diseases and stave off malnutrition in their children's early years. At least 12 million children — a quarter of the world's population of malnourished children — could be saved from malnutrition if all mothers in developing countries received secondary education.

So, what is preventing girls from going to school?

Poverty & Violence

According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in Kenya alone, approximately 50 per cent of school-age girls do not have access to sanitary pads."Boys used to laugh at me, and I eventually stayed home whenever my period started." Joan reveals. Trem, a 14-year-old girl from Cambodia, told Plan International that she must go home to change her sanitary pad due to inadequate facilities in her school. Though her house is close by, she said that other girls must travel farther so they don't bother returning to school that day.

Child Marriage

Every day, 41,000 girls marry before they turn 18. That's 1.5 million girls every year. Indeed, child marriage will cost developing countries trillions of dollars by 2030, according to a new report by the World Bank Group and the International Center for Research on Women. Education will empower women to decide how many children to have and how frequently they get pregnant. In addition, by learning about the health risks associated with successive childbirth, women can choose to plan their pregnancy better.

What next?

<aside> 👉🏽 Globally, 52 per cent of the female population, or 26 per cent of the total population, are of reproductive age.

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According to the UNICEF, girls who remain in secondary school are six times less likely to marry early in life. Providing girls with a quality education also equips them with the confidence to confront people in power and challenge the inequalities that still exist for girls and women worldwide. World Bank reports that by 2030, eradicating child marriage today would save many governments five per cent or more of their education budget.

While the globe is moving towards Industry 5.0 (the interaction and collaboration between man and machine), girls' education isn't merely a social problem. It is a strategic development priority.