02.25.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:52 pm by nadia
The imperative to educate girls in the developing world is great:
- 104 million children ages 6-11 are out of school, and 60 million of them are girls;
- Nearly 76 countries are off-track to reach the UN Millennium Development Goal of gender parity by 2005;
- Another 86 countries are off-track to achieve universal primary education by 2015.
A single year of primary education correlates with a 10-20% increase in women’s wages later in life. Academic studies find the return to a year of secondary education is even higher – in the 15-25% range;
An extra year of a woman’s education has been shown to reduce the risk that her children will die in infancy by 5–10 percent;
Education offers what the World Bank has referred to as a “window of hope” in helping prevent the spread of AIDS among today’s children. A recent study of a school-based AIDS education program in Uganda found a 75 percent reduction in the likelihood that children would be sexually active in their last year of primary school;
Girls’ education is the best single policy for reducing fertility and therefore achieving smaller and more sustainable families, according to a recent survey of the academic literature. In Brazil, for example, illiterate mothers have an average of six children while literate mothers choose to have less than three children, and are better able to care for and invest in their children’s well-being;
A study of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa found that from 1960 to 1992, more equal education between men and women could have led to nearly 1 percent higher annual per capita GDP growth.
These findings are culled from some of the most significant studies and research available on the topic. Based on this overwhelming evidence, the report highlights proven strategies and programs for success to increase girls’ educational opportunities. Major recommendations include:
- Reducing school fees;
- Covering indirect costs of schooling through scholarships, stipends and school health and nutrition programs;
- Building schools close to girls’ homes;
- Making schools more girl-friendly with private latrines and ensuring girls’ safety at school;
- Providing more female teachers for girls;
- Improving the quality of education by ensuring basic teacher training.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/6950/girls_education_key_to_global_wealth_health_new_council_report_finds.html
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