topic about girl child education

Girls' Education

Every day, girls face barriers to education caused by poverty, cultural norms and practices, poor infrastructure, violence and fragility. Girls’ education is a strategic development priority for the World Bank.

Ensuring that all girls and young women receive a quality education is their human right, a global development priority, and a strategic priority for the World Bank. 

Achieving gender equality is central to the World Bank Group mission to end poverty on a livable planet. As the largest financing development partner in education globally, the World Bank ensures that all of its education projects are gender-sensitive, and works to overcome barriers that are preventing girls and boys from equally benefiting from countries’ investments in education.

Girls’ education goes beyond getting girls into school. It is also about ensuring that girls learn and feel safe while in school; have the opportunity to complete all levels of education, acquiring the knowledge and skills to compete in the labor market ; gain socio-emotional and life skills necessary to navigate and adapt to a changing world; make decisions about their own lives ; and contribute to their communities and the world.

Both individuals and countries benefit from girls’ education. Better educated women tend to be more informed about nutrition and healthcare, have fewer children, marry at a later age, and their children are usually healthier, should they choose to become mothers. They are more likely to participate in the formal labor market and earn higher incomes. A 2018 World Bank study estimates that the “ limited educational opportunities for girls, and barriers to completing 12 years of education, cost countries between US$15 trillion and $30 trillion in lost lifetime productivity and earnings. ” All these factors combined can help lift households, communities, and countries out of poverty.

The Challenge

According to  UNICEF   estimates, around the world, 122 million girls are out of school, including 34 million of primary school age, and 87 million of secondary school age. 

Globally, primary, and secondary school enrollment rates are getting closer to equal for girls and boys (92% male, 90% female). But while enrollment rates are similar – in fact, two-thirds of all countries have reached  gender parity in primary school enrollment  – completion rates for girls are lower in low-income countries where 63% of female primary school students complete primary school, compared to 67% of male primary school students.  In low-income countries, secondary school completion rates for girls also continue to lag, with only 38% of girls completing lower secondary school compared to 43% of boys. Upper secondary completion rates have similar disparities in lower income countries, the rate is 26% for young men and  21% for young women.

The gaps are starker in countries affected by fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) . In FCV countries,  girls are 2.5 times  more likely to be out of school than boys, and at the secondary level, are 90% more likely to be out of secondary school than those in non-FCV contexts.  

Both girls and boys are facing a learning crisis. Learning Poverty (LP) measures the share of children who are not able to read proficiently at age 10. While girls are on average 4 percentage points less learning-poor than boys, the rates remain very high for both groups. The average of Learning Poverty in in low- and middle- income countries is 50% for females, and 56% for males. The gap is narrower in low-income countries, where Learning Poverty averages about 93% for both boys and girls.

In many countries, enrollment in tertiary education slightly favors young women, however, better learning outcomes are not translating into better work and life outcomes for women. There is a large gender gap in labor force participation rates globally. It is especially stark in regions such as South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, which have some of the  lowest female labor force participation rates  at 26% and 20% per region, respectively. These are appallingly low rates, considering what is observed in other regions like Latin America (53%) or East Asia (59%), which are still below rates for men. 

Gender bias  within schools and classrooms may also reinforce messages that affect girls’ ambitions, their own perceptions of their roles in society, and produce labor market engagement disparities and occupational segregation. When gender stereotypes are communicated through the design of school and classroom learning environments or through the behavior of faculty, staff, and peers in a child’s school, it goes on to have sustained impact on academic performance and choice of field of study, especially negatively affecting young women pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

Poverty  is one of the most important factors for determining whether a girl can access and complete her education. Studies consistently reinforce that girls who face multiple disadvantages — such as low family income, living in remote or underserved locations or who have a disability or belong to a minority ethno-linguistic group — are farthest behind in terms of access to and completion of education.

Violence  also prevents girls from accessing and completing education – often girls are forced to walk long distances to school placing them at an increased risk of violence and many experience violence while at school. Most  recent data  estimates that approximately 60 million girls are sexually assaulted on their way to or at school every year. This often has serious consequences for their mental and physical health and overall well-being while also leading to lower attendance and higher dropout rates. An estimated  246 million children experience violence in and around school every year , ending school-related gender-based violence is critical. Adolescent pregnancies can be a result of sexual violence or sexual exploitation. Girls who become pregnant often face strong stigma, and even discrimination, from their communities. The burden of stigma, compounded by unequal gender norms, can lead girls to drop out of school early and not return. 

Child marriage  is also a critical challenge. Girls who marry young are much more likely to drop out of school, complete fewer years of education than their peers who marry later. They are also more likely to have children at a young age and are exposed to higher levels of violence perpetrated by their partner.  In turn, this affects the education and health of their children, as well as their ability to earn a living. Indeed, girls with secondary schooling are up to six times more likely to marry as those children with little or no education.  According to a 2017 report , more than 41,000 girls under the age of 18 marry every day. Putting an end to this practice would increase women’s expected educational attainment, and with it, their potential earnings. According to the report’s estimates, ending child marriage could generate more than US$500 billion in benefits annually each year.

COVID-19  is having a negative impact on girls’ health and well-being – and many are at risk of not returning to school once they reopen. Available  research  shows that prevalence of violence against girls and women has increased during the pandemic – jeopardizing their health, safety and overall well-being. As school closures and quarantines were enforced during the 2014‐2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, women and girls experienced more sexual violence, coercion and exploitation. School closures during the Ebola outbreak were associated with an increase in teenage  pregnancies . Once schools re-opened, many “visibly pregnant girls” were banned from going back to school. With schools closing throughout the developing world, where stigma around teenage pregnancies prevails, we will probably see an increase in drop-out rates as teenage girls become pregnant or married. As girls stay at home because of school closures, their household work burdens might increase, resulting in girls spending more time helping out at home instead of studying. This might encourage parents, particularly those putting a lower value on girls' education, to keep their daughters at home even after schools reopen. Moreover,  research  shows that girls risk dropping out of school when caregivers are missing from the household because they typically have to (partly) replace the work done by the missing caregiver, who might be away due to COVID-19-related work, illness, or death. Therefore, with the current COVID-19 pandemic, we might see more girls than boys helping at home, lagging behind with studying, and dropping out of school.

The World Bank is committed to seeing every girl prosper in her life. Our projects support the education of hundreds of millions of girls and young women across the world. Working through interventions in education, health, social protection, water, infrastructure, and other sectors, we are making an even stronger commitment to support countries in ensuring that every girl receives the quality education she deserves.

Our 162 active projects (as of February 2024) are impacting more than  150 million girls and young women worldwide . Hundreds of millions more have been impacted over the past few decades. 

We tackle key barriers that girls and young women face when trying to obtain an education. Guided by evidence on what works for girls’ education, our projects use multi-pronged approaches across areas including:

1. Removing barriers to schooling

• Addressing financial barriers, through scholarships, stipends, grants, conditional cash transfers
• Addressing long distances and lack of safety to and from school by building schools, providing transportation methods for girls to get to school
• Addressing a lack of information about returns to girls’ education but running community awareness campaigns engaging parents, school leaders, and local community leaders
• Working with the community to address and inform on social and cultural norms and perceptions that may prevent girls’ education

2. Promoting safe and inclusive schools 

• By constructing and rehabilitating schools to create safe and inclusive learning environments, 
• Efforts at the community- and school-levels, and programs to engage the school (including teachers, girls, and boys) in reducing gender-based violence (GBV) and ensuring available mechanisms to report GBV
• Support for hygiene facilities and menstrual hygiene management for adolescent girls

3. Improving the quality of education 

• Investing in teacher professional development, eliminating gender biases in curriculum and teaching practices, and focusing on foundational learning
• Adapting teaching and learning materials , and books to introduce gender sensitive language, pictorial aspects, and messaging

4. Developing skills and empowering girls for life and labor market success 

• Promoting girls’ empowerment , skills development programs and social programs
• Prioritizing and promoting women in STEM subjects and careers in both traditional and non-traditional sectors
• Reducing barriers and providing incentives through scholarships for women to enroll in higher education and TVET programs
• Support for childcare programs for women and girls to join the labor market

For more information on our girls’ education investment and projects, please read  Count Me In: The World Bank Education Global Practice: Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Women  (PDF) , which highlights our decades-long commitment to girls’ education, and showcases how Education GP projects are creating opportunities for girls around the world to succeed in their education and beyond.

The WBG supports girls’ education through a variety of interventions.  Our focus on girls’ education and wellbeing goes beyond school attendance and learning outcomes – we strive to ensure girls have safe, joyful, and inclusive experience with education systems that set them up for success in life and motivate them to become lifelong learners. This  approach , reflected in the current Education portfolio impacting at least 150 million girls and young women, prioritizes investments in four key areas listed below. 

1. Removing barriers to girls’ schooling

• Our projects providing stipends to improve primary and secondary school completion for girls and young women in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Sahel benefit close to half a million girls. 
• Our  Girls Empowerment and Learning for All Project in Angola  will use a variety of financial incentives to attract adolescent girls to schools, including scholarships, and new school spaces for girls. 
• The AGILE (Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment) project in Nigeria is providing conditional cash transfers to households for sending girls to school, removing cost barriers to their education. 
• The MIQRA (Mali Improving Education Quality and Results for All Project) has a school feeding and nutrition program targeted at retention and attendance for girls in schools.

2. Promoting safe and inclusive schools for girls

• In Tanzania, the Bank is supporting the training of a counselor in every school who will provide life-skills training in girls’ and boys’ clubs – which is important because closing gender gaps is not only about interventions for girls but also for boys. 
• In Nigeria, female counselors will provide life skills training to about 340,000 girls in safe spaces. Several of our other projects also support the construction of separate sanitary toilets for girls, as well as introducing GBV-reducing and reporting mechanisms in school systems. 

3. Improving the quality of education for girls (and boys)

• In Ghana, the Accountability and Learning Outcomes Project is conducting teacher training for gender-sensitive instruction, and aims to create guides for teachers to support gender sensitivity in classrooms. 
• In Honduras, the Early Childhood Education Improvement Project, will create a revised preschool curriculum that will include content on gender equity, inclusion, and violence prevention, as well as training for teachers, including training to combat GBV.
• The Girls Empowerment and Quality Education for All Project in Sao Tome & Principe is creating girls’ clubs after school, where they are also provided with life skills training, and counseling.

4. Developing skills for life and labor market success for young women

• The Nurturing Excellence in Higher Education Project in Nepal is focusing on increasing access to tertiary education for young women from low-income groups, and additional providing scholarships for the poorest applications, alongside communication and advocacy campaigns for more female enrollment in STEM subjects. 
• The ASSET (Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation) project in Bangladesh is working to increase the participation of women in skills training programs, and conducting awareness and communications campaigns to address dropout.
• In Pakistan, the  Higher Education Development  project seeks to support women enrolled in STEM programs, with an aim to move them from 2-year to more comprehensive 4-year programs. 
• The  Higher Education Project  in Moldova and the Higher Education Modernization Project in Belarus will both support and finance activities to increase enrollment of women in STEM fields. The Côte d'Ivoire  Higher Education Development Support Project  provides scholarships for women in higher education, and extra tutoring support for females pursuing STEM subjects.
• Schemes to increase participation of girls in higher education. Through the Africa Centers of Excellence (ACE) project, the Bank has supported increased enrollment of females in masters and PhD programs. The number of female students in ACE centers was 343 in 2014 and was 3,400 in 2020; a tenfold increase. The Bank is also building the pipeline of female students interested in computer science and engineering programs and retain them.  

The WBG works closely with governments and other development organizations on girls’ education issues to identify and advance interventions that improve girls’ education outcomes and provide resources to support countries implementing such initiatives. Partnerships both within and outside of the World Bank are critical to the Education GP’s work on girls’ education. The Education GP works with other global practices in the Bank to improve girls’ education—for example, collaborating with the Water GP for access to sanitation and hygiene in schools, with Social Protection and Jobs GP for challenges related to labor market transition, or Energy GP to improve school safety. 

The World Bank collaborates actively with many donors and organizations. As a signatory to the G7 Charlevoix Commitment, the Bank has already committed an estimated $2.5 billion to girls’ education in FCV countries as of September 2021—exceeding its pledge of $2.0 billion from 2018 to 2023. 

The Education GP: 

• is collaborating with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office FCDO (UK) about targets and high-level engagement with G7 donors, to support aid and financial commitment for girls’ education; 
• is a member of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Girls’ EiE Reference Group, which seeks to further research and advocacy for girls’ education in emergencies; 
• a member of the UNESCO Gender Flagship Reference Group and has provided technical contributions to the UNESCO-commissioned study (December 2020-July 2021); and 
• is working closely with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) as the implementing agency for 65 percent or $5.5 billion of the total GPE grants since inception, that also support girls' education.
• is a member of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), which comprises over 20 partners representing multilateral, bilateral, civil society, and non-governmental organizations.
• collaborated with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) to produce Economic Impacts of Child Marriage , a recent report detailing the effects of child marriage, which was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation , and GPE.

Publication:   Achieving Gender Equality in Education: Examining Progress and Constraints

Report:  Breaking Barriers, Improving Futures: Challenges and Solutions for Girls’ Education in Pakistan

Girls’ education in conflict is most at risk: Here’s how to reach them

Why girls’ education should remain a priority

Closing the gap: Tackling the remaining disparities in girls’ education and women’s labor market participation

Empowering adolescent girls in Africa through education

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Girls’ education

This page looks at why girls and young women miss out on school - even though educating girls has huge benefits for health, prosperity and security. This page explains more about the impact of a safe, quality education for girls and examines the barriers that prevent them from getting an education.

The issue of girls and education, what progress has been made on girls' education, why is educating girls so important, what are the barriers to girls' education, useful links.

Girls have the right same right to education as boys. Educated girls can make informed choices – and from a far better range of options. Educating girls saves lives and builds stronger families, communities and economies.

An educated female population increases a country’s productivity and fuels economic growth. Some countries lose more than $1 billion a year by failing to educate girls to the same level as boys.

Despite this, girls and young women in many parts of the world miss out on school every day. Around 61 million girls are of school, according to UNICEF in 2016 – 32 million girls of primary school age and 29 million of lower secondary school age.

Often, girls are marginalised and are out of school simply because they are girls and it is not the cultural norm. Their chances of getting a quality education are even smaller if they come from a poor family, live in a rural area or have a disability.

Girls are four times more likely to be out of school than boys from the same background. The poorest girls also have the least likelihood of completing primary school.

There are often legal, religious and traditional practices that discriminate against girls having the chance to get an education.

There has been improvement in gender equality in education. Between 2000 and 2015, the number of girls for every 100 boys in primary education rose from 92 to 97 and from 91 to 97 in secondary education.

The number of countries that achieved gender parity in both primary and secondary education from 2000 to 2015 increased from 36 to 62. But the overall improvement does not tell the full story. Some parts of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia, are not making as much progress.

Only two of 35 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have equal numbers of girls and boys in school – the lowest proportion of countries with gender parity – according to the Education Commission’s Learning Generation report in 2016.

In South and West Asia, 80% of out-of-school girls are unlikely ever to start school, compared to just 16% of boys.

Many countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria, have seen attacks on girls’ education and threats to close down schools.

The world has committed to continue to make progress through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals . Goal 4 aims to “ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education”. Goal 5 is focused on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

"Every girl, no matter where she lives, no matter what her circumstance, has a right to learn. Every leader, no matter who he or she is or the resources available to him or her, has a duty to fulfil and protect this right." Malala Yousafzai, Student, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and Co-Founder of the Malala Fund, in the foreword to the research report 'What Works in Girls' Education

Every child has a right to learn and get a good quality education, regardless of gender, where they live or their circumstances.

Because educated girls can make informed choices from a far better range of options, educating girls saves lives and builds stronger families, communities and economies. With an education, girls will understand their rights, have a greater sense what is needed to support health and wellbeing, and they will have greater opportunities to be employed in a fulfilling way and achieve their full potential.

Here are just some of the benefits of giving girls an equal opportunity to be educated:

• Economic growth

Education for girls and boys increases productivity and contributes to economic growth. Globally, women are not in the formal job market as much as men but many studies show there are economic benefits if they are allowed to join the labour force.

Educating girls and young women increases a country’s productivity and contributes to economic growth. Some countries lose more than $1 billion a year by failing to educate girls to the same level as boys.

A woman with an education can get a better job with higher wages and has the effect of addressing gender imbalances in the labour force. Increased levels of education have a greater positive impact on women’s wages.

According to an International Labor Organization report, “Educating girls has proven to be one of the most important ways of breaking poverty cycles and is likely to have significant impacts on access to formal jobs in the longer term.”

• Health knowledge saves children’s lives

A child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of five. Over the past four decades, the global increase in women’s education has prevented more than four million child deaths.

Educated mothers are better informed about sanitation, nutrition and immunisation for their children, leading to fewer child deaths from preventable diseases such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria or from malnutrition.

• Smaller and more sustainable families

Girls’ education helps reduce population growth. Educated women have fewer pregnancies and are also less likely to become pregnant as teenagers.

In many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the birth rate among girls with secondary education is four times lower compared to those with no education.

• Reduced infection rates for HIV/AIDS and malaria

When researchers analysed the declining HIV/AIDS infection rate in Zimbabwe from 29% of the population to 16% from 1997 to 2007, they found that high levels of girls completing secondary education was an important factor in making awareness campaigns and efforts to reduce infection by partners more effective.

Better-educated girls and women are also more likely to use techniques to prevent malaria, such as using bed nets, and are less likely to become infected.

• Fewer girls in child marriages

Girls who are better educated are less likely to be married as children and are more likely to have opportunities for a healthier and more prosperous life for themselves and their families.

Across 18 of the 20 countries with the highest prevalence of child marriage, girls with no education are up to six times more likely to marry as children than girls with a secondary education.

• Better prepared for natural disasters and climate change

Higher levels of education generally help prepare families for coping with shocks. Girls’ education in particular is associated with reduced injury and death and increased family and community resilience from the hazards of natural disasters and extreme weather that results from climate change.

A 2010 World Bank study of developing countries from 1960 to 2003 found that countries with higher levels of female schooling were less likely to suffer high rates of death, injury, and displacement due to weather disasters.

• More control over their lives

When girls go to school, they grow into women who have more say over their lives and have an increased sense of their worth and capabilities. They are less likely to be subjected to domestic violence and will participate more in decision-making in households.

• More skills to be leaders

Education helps women to gain the skills needed to take on leadership roles at local and national levels. Better-educated women are more likely to join bodies, whether volunteer or elected, where they can take part in making decisions that affect their lives and those of their communities.

They include:

• Poverty and child labour

Girls from the poorest and rural households face the greatest disadvantages because parents are less educated and therefore may value education less. Rural communities have fewer support systems, often forcing girls to work or manage their household.

Many girls begin working as early as five years old – mainly in agriculture or in homes as domestic servants. Child domestic workers have limited or no access to education as employers often do not allow them to enrol in school.

• Caring for relatives

Women and girls disproportionately share the burden and care of ill family members and relatives. This affects not only whether they can attend school but also the time and energy they can devote to schoolwork.

• Water and sanitation

Due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, poor girls can spend six hours each day collecting water, leaving little time for school. Those girls who do go to school often drop out when they start to menstruate because there is no safe place to keep clean at school.

• Conflict and emergencies

Girls living in conflict-affected countries are 90% more likely to be out of secondary school than those living in peaceful areas. Schools can be destroyed in conflict situations, while targeted attacks on girls’ schools can make parents afraid to send their daughters to school. In humanitarian emergencies, including natural disasters, increased poverty for families and lack of employment opportunities means girls are at higher risk of early marriage or ending up in prostitution.

• Child marriage

Every year 15 million girls under the age of 18 become wives – an average of 40,000 every day. Marriage interrupts and ends girls’ education so they don’t gain the skills that could lift them out of poverty – over 60% of child brides in developing countries have no formal education. Many cannot return to school after marriage because they cannot afford to pay school fees. Child marriage also means girls have early and frequent pregnancies, which contributes to higher rates of girls dropping out of school.

Each year about 16 million girls between 15 and 19 give birth. Stigma, lack of support and discriminatory laws around pregnancy exclude girls from school, forcing them to stay at home and care for their children. Childcare and flexible school programmes or adult classes are not available to them.

Globally between 93 million and 150 million children live with a disability. The World Health Organization and the World Bank estimate that in some countries “being disabled more than doubles the chance of never enrolling in school”.

Girls with disabilities face discrimination both because of their gender and their disability, making them among the most marginalised groups of children. Respondents to the World Health Survey 2002-2004 indicated that 41.7% of girls with a disability completed primary school compared to 52.9% for those without a disability.

What Works in Girls’ Education: Evidence for the World’s Best Investment : Read the research report on the Brooking Institution website.

United Nations Girls Education Initiative : More information about the issue and the efforts to address it.

Q&A: Why investing in girls’ and women’s education is a smart move

The most recent data reveal that currently fewer girls are out of school than boys, and that more women are enrolled in higher education than men worldwide. But there is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality in education globally. 

Here is what you need to know about the latest data and why investing in girls’ and women’s education is crucial.

What are the latest trends in girls’ education?

Despite progress, a staggering 122 million girls remain out of school globally.  Girls’ disadvantage is exacerbated by several factors. One important factor is poverty. In Côte d’Ivoire, for instance, there are 72 young women in school – but only 22 poor young women – for every 100 young men.

Another factor is location. In Mozambique, for example, there are 73 young women in school for every 100 young men. But while there is gender parity in urban areas, there are 53 young women in school for every 100 young men in rural areas. 

There are also regional differences. In sub-Saharan Africa, gender parity in enrolment has not been achieved at any level of education. 

While girls have caught up and even surpassed boys in the completion of secondary education, only 94 young women complete secondary school for every 100 young men in Central and Southern Asia. Disparity also remains in sub-Saharan Africa, where despite progress only 88 young women complete secondary education for every 100 young men. 

Girls fare better than boys in reading. Globally, for every 100 proficient boys, there are 115 proficient girls in reading at the end of lower secondary education. Boys have a small advantage over girls in mathematics in primary education, but this is reversed in lower secondary education. Yet, boys tend to have a considerable advantage over girls in mathematics at the higher end of performance.

While young women are outnumbering young men at university globally, only 9% of young women enrol in tertiary education when primary and secondary education is neither compulsory nor free.

Where is progress most needed?

Nine of the 10 countries with the highest out-of-school rates for girls are in sub-Saharan Africa, the tenth country being Afghanistan. In 8 of these 10 countries, at least 50% of school-age girls are not in school; in Afghanistan, 75% of girls are not in school.  These rates are staggering and must urgently be addressed. 

What are the benefits of investing in girls’ education?

Globally, the loss in human capital due to gender inequalities is estimated to be around US$160 trillion, which is about twice the value of global GDP.

Educating girls has huge societal impact. It enhances women’s agency and their decision-making. It increases their living standards. It has benefits for the health and nutrition of their children. Education can help to end child marriage and early and unintended pregnancy. 

It also increases women’s access to decent work and sparks economic development.

There is an urgent need to transition to a green economy. Why is investing in girls’ and women’s education crucial to doing so successfully?

Investing in girls’ and women’s education is indeed a smart investment for the green transition. We know that women are more likely to start businesses focused on sustainability. Yet, girls and women are less well prepared for and represented in green jobs. Green jobs require science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills and knowledge. But gender is one of the strongest determinants of the likelihood of pursuing education and careers in STEM. 

In 30 out of 121 countries, fewer than 20% of graduates in engineering are women. In 61 out of 115 countries, fewer than 30% of computer science graduates are women. We cannot afford to lose out on the innovative ideas of women.  And we also know that where education opens leadership opportunities for girls as adults, their participation in national politics can lead countries to adopt more environment-friendly policies.

What can we do to improve girls’ education further?

Governments and partners need to invest in several critical areas to ensure that all girls’ right to complete a full cycle of basic education is met. Following the Incheon and Paris Declarations, governments shall allocate at least 4-6% of GDP and at least 15-20% of total public expenditure to education. As highlighted in the Call to Action on financing education, issued at the Transforming Education Summit, education investment needs to target the most marginalized. 

This includes investment in the collection, analysis and use of data on girls’ education and in the development of gender-transformative learning systems. 

The latter entails among others, gender-transformative teaching and learning materials and teacher training on gender-transformative pedagogy. Governments also need to invest into nutrition, sanitation and hygiene at school. The prevention of school-related gender-based violence and the provision of comprehensive sexuality education are also critical to keep girls in school. Importantly, governments need to provide 12 years of free, publicly funded, inclusive, equitable and quality education, without discrimination, including making school affordable, reducing the direct and opportunity cost of schooling through cash or in-kind transfers for poor families. 

• ‘Her Education, Our future’ fact sheet
• UNESCO’s work in  gender equality and education
• Her Atlas, UNESCO’s interactive tool on educational rights of girls and women

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Why girls’ education matters

Sarah Holst

Lead Adviser - Girls' Education

In recent years, huge strides have been made in girls’ education. In many countries, girls are now just as likely to attend primary school as boys. More girls than ever before are finishing primary school and transitioning to secondary education, and in many countries, female university graduates easily outnumber their male counterparts. So why do we still need to talk about girls’ education? In this article, we explore the systemic challenges which continue to prevent many girls from accessing and completing high-quality education, and the implications of these inequalities for millions of girls and their communities worldwide.

Progress in parity?

Over the last 25 years, gender parity in education around the world has skyrocketed. The percentage of countries with gender parity in primary education rose from 56% in 1995 to 65% in 2018. In the same period, this proportion of countries achieving gender parity at lower secondary level rose from 45% to 51%, and from 13% to 24% at upper secondary level.

Gender parity, however, is only a surface measure and does not capture the numerous issues which continue to prevent many girls fulfilling their right to education. Even in countries that have achieved gender parity, girls and young women continue to fall behind boys and young men in access to resources (such as well-paid jobs, smartphones, or connections to civic and political leaders) and the ability to enjoy their rights – for example, to freedom from violence and harmful practices like child marriage. In low-income countries, the number of out-of-school girls of primary school age fell by 48%, while the number of out-of-school girls and young women of upper secondary school age increased by 37% between 2000 and 2020.ii In some contexts, the pandemic took away hard-won gains in girls’ education. In others, notably Afghanistan, regime changes have created new barriers to girls’ learning. In still others, girls notionally have access to equal opportunities, but longstanding or cultural biases mean that they are less likely to access or take advantage of the options available to them.  

Globally, deeply entrenched social norms and expectations can limit girls’ opportunities both in and out of schools. Early marriage and early childbearing can force others – especially the most marginalised – to drop out of school, further limiting their career opportunities. While educational opportunities in many contexts appear equal, girls are still subject to higher levels of gender-based violence, discrimination and abuse than boys. Even in countries where girls outnumber boys at in secondary and tertiary education, the education sector itself is far from being gender-equal, with continued overrepresentation of female teachers in lower-paid, temporary jobs. 

What is more, progress in parity too often leaves the most marginalised behind, including the poorest girls, those living in remote areas, those with disabilities and those who are orphaned, refugees or living in crisis settings. Those girls who are least educationally marginalised are those who are already better able to attend and learn in school, whilst the additional funding and resources provided to support the most marginalised – such as girls with disabilities and those living in crisis – are too often insufficient. Simply achieving parity does not translate to the inclusion of such marginalised groups: when parity is the goal, and when parity reached, the most marginalised are frequently left behind.  

The critical importance of educating girls

Educating girls is critical to moving countries along the path to gender equality, making progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and changing the lives of women and their families – as well as the future prospects of the countries they live in. Schooling has the potential to effectively tackle harmful gender norms and unlock girls’ potential to lead more fulfilling lives, to exercise their human rights, to fully contribute to the economies and societies in which they live, and to become leaders in their communities. This can all lead to a wider group of leaders tackling injustice, discrimination such as gender-based violence, and contributing to a more peaceful and sustainable world.  

Educated girls tend to marry later and to earn more as adults, enabling them to provide for their families, contribute to the global economy and have greater power in decisions that affect them. They also have lower rates of maternal and infant mortality – a UNESCO study found that if all mothers completed a primary education, maternal deaths would decrease by 60%, saving approximately 98,000 lives per year.iii The children of educated mothers also tend to be healthier, with lower rates of malnutrition and higher rates of vaccination.  

Barriers to girls’ learning

The unfortunate reality is that although educating girls is vitally important, around the world too many girls face barriers to learning. These barriers can exist at various levels of the education system and wider society. High rates of early marriage, teen pregnancy and gender-based violence remain huge barriers to education, especially for older girls. Meanwhile, in their homes and communities, girls may face more domestic responsibilities than their male counterparts, alongside lower aspirations for their academic and economic potential. This can lead to limited support for their learning at home or fewer resources to support them to stay in school and learn.  

Even when they are in school, girls too often face gendered barriers to learning. In some contexts – especially where gender intersects with other forms of marginalisation, such as extreme poverty, remote communities, the effects of crisis or conflict, and living with disabilities – this means that girls’ learning is falling behind that of boys. Meanwhile, cultures and attitudes within schools can reinforce cultural norms which limit girls’ learning, participation and aspirations, and school leadership may not be focused on quality instruction. Even where school leaders have the relevant data and will to enforce change, they often lack knowledge of how to address gender issues in their schools. There is also too often a lack of enforcement of safeguarding policies, and system incentives which are not geared towards ensuring that pupils (both girls and boys) learn in a safe and supportive environment. 

In addition, there are specific barriers at classroom level which prevent girls from learning: these pedagogy-related challenges further hinder their ability to learn and thrive in school. Research shows that teaching and learning methods, curricula, school textbooks and learning materials, language and behaviour management approaches can all consciously or unconsciously reinforce harmful gender stereotypes, negatively affecting girls’ ability to learn. Teaching approaches can demonstrate higher expectations of boys, limiting aspirations, confidence and opportunities for girls, who are further disadvantaged when assessments are over-reliant on multiple choice and closed short answers, and when opportunities for collaborative and group learning in the classroom are lacking.  Meanwhile, teacher training, recruitment and career progression processes also often reinforce or sustain gender biases.  

As a result of all this, girls – and their peers, teachers, and communities – may have limiting beliefs about what they can do, perpetuating a cycle in which lower confidence and participation can be perceived as a lack of ability, and result in less support to succeed in learning. It is therefore critically important to ensure that teachers and school leaders have confidence and believe in the abilities of all their students, especially girls and those with disabilities, and that they continue to focus on improving the quality of pedagogy for learning as well as equity. Only then can we ensure that all girls and boys can reach their full potential. 

Our approach to girls’ education

As we have seen, barriers to girls’ learning can be complex and inequalities at all levels of education systems continue to limit opportunities for girls. To address this, our approach is not simply about improving access to education for girls, but rather about working at all levels of the education system to equip and empower girls, their teachers, their communities and educational leaders to challenge harmful gender norms and address the deep-rooted issues and power imbalances which continue to advantage men and boys over girls. 

We work to not only highlight girl-specific barriers, but also to transform education approaches to ensure education systems are inclusive for all. We are dedicated to ensuring that all students have a safe, quality and engaging learning experience by addressing stereotypes and norms which act against this.  

We base our approaches to girls’ education on strong evidence of what works, and back this up by detailed gender analysis in every context – to ensure the best results for the girls we work with and for. We draw on our portfolio of research and generate, disseminate and apply evidence on what works in ensuring girls’ learning. Our wealth of research, consultancy and delivery experience and expertise in girls’ learning gives us a strong and nuanced understanding of the challenges and how to overcome them. In addition, we closely monitor and evaluate our own work and programmes to understand the elements of programming that are most effective and enable the most effective approaches to be scaled. We also share this evidence of what works and use data to inform decision-making at all levels, and to help our partners to target resources and develop and scale good practices – because rising to the specific challenges of girls’ education matters.  

To find out more about our work in  girls’ education, click here . 

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Wasichana Wetu Wafaulu: GEC Kenya

Our Wasichana Wetu Wafaulu (Let our girls succeed) programme in Kenya is part of the UK-funded worldwide Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) to help some of the world’s poorest girls improve their lives through education. It builds on the success of our Wasichana Wote Wasome (Let all girls learn) programme that increased school enrolment for girls.

If we consider the specific needs of genders in the delivery of education as we do with other factors such as disability, then the benefits of gender-responsive education can be felt by all.

Adolescent girls’ education in Kenya: a case study

Gender gaps in education widen significantly at the time of adolescence due to the compounding disadvantage faced by girls, including negative gender norms, and health and safety risks. Our Girls’ Education Challenge project in Kenya works to support girls in a tailored way as they transition to secondary or vocational education and training pathways. In this case study, we illustrate the power of our guiding principle for adolescent girls’ education: as girls grow, we need to grow with them.

Five Steps to Improve Girls’ Education and Job Prospects

Mattias lundberg, oni lusk-stover, quentin wodon.

• World Bank and Girls’ Education
• Adolescent Girls Initiative
• STEP Framework
• World Bank and Skills for Jobs

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Senior Economist, Social Protection & Labor, World Bank

Senior Education Specialist, Education Sector, World Bank

Lead Economist, Education Sector, World Bank

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  Women and girls can lead us to a fairer future...let us amplify girls’ voices, and recommit to working together to build a world where every girl can lead and thrive." UN Secretary-General António Guterres  

Girls’ vision for the future

The 2024 International Day of the Girl theme is ‘Girls’ vision for the future’.

This year’s theme conveys both the need for urgent action and persistent hope, driven by the power of girls’ voices and vision for the future.

Today’s generation of girls is disproportionately affected by global crises of climate, conflict, poverty and pushback on hard won gains for human rights and gender equality. Too many girls are still denied their rights, restricting their choices and limiting their futures.

Yet, recent analysis shows that girls are not only courageous in the face of crisis, but hopeful for the future. Every day, they are taking action to realize a vision of a world in which all girls are protected, respected and empowered. But girls cannot realize this vision alone. They need allies who listen to and respond to their needs. 

With the right support, resources and opportunities, the potential of the world’s more than 1.1 billion girls is limitless. And when girls lead, the impact is immediate and wide reaching: families, communities and economies are all stronger, our future brighter.

It is time to listen to girls, to invest in proven solutions that will accelerate progress towards a future in which every girl can fulfil her potential.

Five game-changing solutions with and for adolescent girls

Did you know that investing in girls is not only the right thing to do for them, but it also brings positive impacts to their families, communities, and societies as a whole? Based on the priorities of young people worldwide for promoting adolescent girls' rights, there are five key solutions rooted in partnerships that can transform girls' lives and secure their futures.

In 1995 at the World Conference on Women in Beijing countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing the rights of not only women but girls. The Beijing Declaration is the first to specifically call out girls’ rights.

On December 19, 2011, United Nations General Assembly adopted  Resolution 66/170  to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.

Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders. An investment in realising the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability.

Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion, including those directed at children with disabilities and those living in marginalized communities. As entrepreneurs, innovators and initiators of global movements, girls are creating a world that is relevant for them and future generations.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) adopted by world leaders in 2015, embody a roadmap for progress that is sustainable and leaves no one behind.

Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment is integral to each of the 17 goals. Only by ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the goals will we get to justice and inclusion, economies that work for all, and sustaining our shared environment now and for future generations.

Vanessa Nakate on how the climate crisis impacts girls

Vanessa Nakate, 25, is a Ugandan climate change activist and founder of the Africa-based Rise Up Movement. Nakate speaks out on the climate crisis and its intersection with gender and race, especially in how it disproportionately affects women and girls in Africa.

Did you know?

• Nearly 1 in 5 girls are still not completing lower-secondary and nearly 4 in 10 girls are not completing upper-secondary school today.
• Around 90 per cent of adolescent girls and young women do not use the internet in low-income countries, while their male peers are twice as likely to be online.
• Globally, girls aged 5-14 spend 160 million more hours every day on unpaid care and domestic work than boys of the same age.
• Adolescent girls continue to account for 3 in 4 new HIV infections among adolescents.
• Nearly 1 in 4 married/partnered adolescent girls aged 15-19 have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime.
• Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 100 million girls were at risk of child marriage in the next decade. And now over the next ten years, up to 10 million more girls worldwide will be at risk of marrying as children because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Documents

• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• Convention on The Rights of Child
• Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
• Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: Beijing+5 Political Declaration and Outcome
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Publications

• Adolescent Girls Programme Strategy, 2022 - 2025
• Global Annual Results Report 2022: Gender equality
• Bridging the Gender Digital Divide
• Legislating and enforcing the minimum age of marriage: A comparative study of experiences and lessons learned in ending the legalization of child marriage
• Gender-Transformative Accelerator
• UNICEF: International Day of the Girl Child
• UN Women: International Day of the Girl Child
• UNESCO: International Day of the Girl Child
• UN Secretary-General's Campaign UNiTE to End Violence Against Women
• The Spotlight Initiative
• World Bank: Girls' Education 
• United Nations Girls' Education Initiative
• International Labour Organization: Gender and child labour in agriculture
• UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage
• UN Global Issues: Gender equality
• SDG-5: Gender equality

Related Observances

• International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
• International Day of Women and Girls in Science
• International Women's Day
• International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
• World Day Against Child Labour
• International Youth Day
• International Literacy Day
• World Children’s Day
• UN Decade for Women

Global Issues: Gender Equality

Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential. Gender equality, besides being a fundamental human right, is essential to achieve peaceful societies, with full human potential and sustainable development. Moreover, it has been shown that empowering women spurs productivity and economic growth.

Skills4Girls : Girl-centered solutions for unlocking the potential of adolescent girls

There are more than 600 million adolescent girls in the world today — equipped with the right resources and opportunities, they will be the largest cohort of female leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers the world has ever seen. Learn more .

Why do we mark International Days?

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances .

Essay on Girl Education for Students and Children

500+ words essay on girl education.

If we look at the demographics, India is one of the most populated countries. However, the rate of girl education is quite low in the country. It is quite troubling to see the figures in a country where women are given the status of goddesses. The figures have significantly improved to an extent but there’s still a long way to go.

Women were not allowed to even step out of their houses in ancient India , but times are changing. Along with changing times, people’s thinking is also changing. They wish to educate their girls and see them succeed in life. However, this is not the case in rural India which makes for more than 60% of the population. We need to identify the factors responsible for such low rates of girl education to find some solutions.

Factors Contributing to Low Rate of Girl Education

There are various factors that make it impossible for girls to get an education in our country. Firstly, the poverty rate is alarming. Even though education is being made free, it still involves a substantial cost to send girls to school. Therefore, families who are struggling to make ends meet fail to pay the educational expenses of their children.

Secondly, in rural areas, there aren’t many schools. This creates a distance problem as they are located far from the villages. In some areas, students have to walk for three to four hours to reach their school. This is where the safety of the girls gets compromised so parents don’t see it fit to send them off so far.

Furthermore, the regressive thinking of the people makes it tougher for girls to get an education. Some people still believe girls are meant to stay in their houses and look after the kitchen. They do not like women to do any other tasks expect for household ones.

Other than that, social issues like child marriage and child labor also stop the girl from getting an education. Parents pull daughters out of school to marry them off at an early age. Also, when girls indulge in child labor, they do not get time to study.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Benefits of Girl Education

If we wish to see India progress and develop, we need to educate our girl child. They are indeed the future of our nation. Moreover, when they become educated, they will not have to be dependent on others for their livelihood.

One of the most important benefits of girl education is that the country’s future will be brighter and better. Similarly, our economy can grow faster if more and more women become financially strong thereby reducing poverty.

Furthermore, women who are educated can take proper care of their children. This will strengthen the future as lesser kids will die due to a lack of vaccination or a similar reason. Even for women, they will be less likely to become a patient of HIV/AIDS as they will be aware of the consequences.

Most importantly, educated women can result in a decrease in social issues like corruption, child marriage , domestic abuse and more. They will become more confident and handle their families better in all spheres. Thus we see how one educated woman can bring so much change in her life along with the others as well.

Some FAQs on Girl Education

Q.1 Why is girl education not encouraged in India?

A.1 India is still a developing country. It has too much poverty and regressive thinking. It is one of the main reasons why people don’t encourage girls to get an education.

Q.2 What are the advantages of educating girls?

A.2 When we educate girls, we educate a whole nation. As she teaches everyone around her. The education of girls will result in a better economy and a brighter future along with enhanced confidence of the girl.

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• CHAPTER 1 Introduction
• CHAPTER 2 Types of education
• CHAPTER 3 Importance of education
• CHAPTER 4 Early Childhood Education
• CHAPTER 5 Education system in India
• CHAPTER 6 Girl Child Education in India
• CHAPTER 7 Role of the civil society in the education sector
• CHAPTER 8 About Oxfam India
• CHAPTER 9 Role of Oxfam India in girl child education
• CHAPTER 10 Why donate to Oxfam India

Importance of Girl Child Education

Empowering girls through education.

Everyone wishes to see this world become a better place and strives to do their bit to change the world. But often we find it difficult to find a cause we want to support and the organization we would like to donate to.

Here we will explore the issue of quality and affordable education, which can help you understand why it is one of the most pressing issues and how you can sponsor child education in India. It will also help you understand.

Oxfam India’s work in education and how you can support Oxfam India to educate a child.

What You Will Know About Girl Child Education in This Resource

To help you read on all specific topics, we've put together an interactive table of contents. Click each link to be jumped to different sections. (Or, you can also scroll down and start from the beginning.)

• Definition of Education
• Types of Education
• Importance of Education
• Early Childhood Education
• Education System in India
• Girl Child Education in India
• Role of the Civil Society in the Education Sector
• About Oxfam India
• Role of Oxfam India in Girl Child Education
• Donate to Oxfam India

What is education? Is there a difference between education and schooling? In this chapter we will learn what is the meaning of education and the concept of education.

What is education?

Education definition.

The term ‘Education’ originated from the Latin word ‘Educare’, which means ‘to bring up’ or ‘to nourish’. Another Latin word ‘Educatum’ gave birth to the English term ‘Education’. ‘Educatum’ means ‘the art of teaching’ or training.

Oxford dictionary defines education as, “a process of teaching, training, and learning, especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge and develop skills.” It is the action or process of being educated.

Concept of education

Most of us, when we think of education, we imagine a formal school, with students learning subjects like Mathematics, English Literature, Social Studies, Physics, Chemistry, or Biology. We imagine a school where students play sports in their free time and are regularly assessed through exams. But is education only confined to a school or university building? Can a child, or even an adult learn outside of school and improve their knowledge and skills?

Education is the process of acquisition of knowledge and experiences, and development of skills and attitudes of an individual, which help them lead a fruitful life and contribute to the development of the society. The main purpose of education is the all-round development of individuals. Education aims to not only focus on skill development, but also on personality development to help individuals become socially responsible citizens of a country.

What is value education?

Value education aims to develop certain attitudes in individuals so they are able to face different situations in life. It is often wrongly assumed that value education teaches values. Value education does not teach values but develops the ability to find one’s own values. Individuals are encouraged to develop critical thinking so they can deal with conflicts, understand their actions and their consequences, develop healthy relationships, and become dependable members of the society.  

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/education

Education goes beyond the four walls of a classroom. A child continues to learn throughout their life, even during adulthood, through different experiences. Different types of education, gives different types of learnings.

How many types of education are there

There are three main types of education. In this chapter, we will learn the different types of education, their examples, characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages.

What are the three types of education

The types of education are: Formal Education, Informal Education, and Non-formal Education.

1. What is Formal Education

Formal Education refers to the education imparted to students in an established educational institute premises by trained teachers. The teachers must have a certain level of training in the art of education and knowledge of relevant subjects.

Students are taught basic academic skills based on a certain syllabus. Regular assessments of learning outcomes are conducted through examinations. There is a set of established rules which both teachers and students follow in order to complete formal education.

Formal education begins at the elementary/primary level, continues through high school and college or university. Children often attend nursery or kindergarten before beginning their formal education.

What is primary education

Formal education begins with primary education, also called elementary education. Primary education begins in kindergarten and lasts till the sixth grade. Depending on the specific education system, primary education may even begin from class 1 till class 4 – class 7. Primary education helps children develop the ability to learn and understand the rules of formal education.

What are the examples of Formal Education

• Classroom instructions or training
• Grading and certification in school, colleges, and university
• Set subjects and syllabus

What are the characteristics of Formal Education

• Structured hierarchy
• Strict rules and discipline
• Regular fee
• Grading system
• Formal teacher-student relationship

What are the advantages of Formal Education

• Structured and organised
• Trained professionals as teachers
• Regular assessments to enable students to reach higher levels
• Recognised certification
• Better access to employment

What are the disadvantages of Formal Education

• Rigid and lacks flexibility for students to pursue their own interest
• Too much importance to grades puts extreme pressure on those with average scores
• Fails to recognize non-academic talents in students
• Set syllabus limits the scope of learning
• High expenses

2. What is Informal Education

Unlike Formal Education, Informal Education is not imparted in school, college or university. It is not deliberate, does not follow a set syllabus and timetable, and there are no regular assessments. There is no structured teacher-student relationship.

Informal Education is imparted by parents to their children, one person to another. Children learning how to ride a bicycle from their parents, one individual teaching another how to bake are examples of informal education.

Informal Education is also conducted through reading books, or online material. It is also the education obtained in one’s surroundings, in their daily lives, like in a marketplace, or by simply living in a community. Individuals who join some community groups and learning occurs during their activities, or take up some project of their own and learn themselves, are also considered to be acquiring informal education.

What are the examples of Informal Education

• Spontaneous learning – a person learns how to use an automatic ticket vending machine
• Parents teaching their children certain skills
• Individuals taking up a sport activity on their own
• Learning a psychological fact by reading a website article

What are the characteristics of Informal Education

• It is spontaneous
• Happens outside the formal classroom
• Life-long process
• No structured syllabus
• No grading system for what one learns

What are the advantages of Informal Education

• More flexible as individual have the advantage to choose what they wish to learn
• Individuals have the opportunity to learn the skills not taught in formal education
• Utilizes a variety of means – TV, internet, conversations, magazines
• Learners are more motivated as they have flexibility
• Less costly
• Flexible time

What are the disadvantages of Informal Education

• Lack of discipline or rules may lead to inconsistency
• Information acquired through internet or conversations may not be reliable
• No set timelines or schedule
• Difficult to recognize

3. What is Non-formal Education

Non-formal Education is organised education outside the formal school/university system. It is often referred to as adult education, adult literacy education, or community education. Non-formal education is conducted by community groups, government schemes, or an institute. It can also be conducted as home education or distance learning.

Non-formal education may not have a set syllabus or curriculum. It focuses on the development of job skills, develop reading and writing skills in out of school children or illiterate adults. Non-formal education system may also be used to bring out-of-school children at par with those in formal education system.

This system does not have a specific target group and does not necessarily conduct examinations. Children, youth, and adults can be a part of this system.

What are the examples of Non-formal Education

• Community based adult education programmes
• Community based sports programmes for children
• Fitness programmes by private institutes
• Computer and language courses in a community
• Online courses

What are the characteristics of Non-formal Education

• Has a flexible curriculum
• There is no age or time limit
• One can earn while learning
• Examinations may not be necessarily conducted
• May not require certification
• Involves vocational learning

What are the advantages of Non-formal Education

• Flexibility of age and time
• Freedom to pursue one’s interest and choose a programme
• No need of regular exams or grades
• Helps in learning useful job skills

What are the disadvantages of Non-formal Education

• Lack of certificates may leave a skill unrecognized
• Students may be irregular due to the lack of set regulations
• Untrained teachers
• Basic reading and writing skills may still be required
• Lack of formal structure and rules may lead to students discontinuing

In this chapter, we will learn about the importance of education, early childhood education and the impact of lack of education.

Why education is important

Now that we know what are the different types of education, let us explore the importance of education in life.

Education is a human right. Education is important for not only a holistic development of an individual, but the society as well. 59 million children and 65 million adolescents are out of school, across the world, and more than 120 million children do not complete primary education.

Lack of education hampers an individual from reaching their full potential. Out of school children miss out the opportunity to develop their skills and to join the work force later in their adult life. Unemployment further creates more stress among people, especially the youth, leading to social unrest and crimes, adversely impacting the development of a country. Hence, education is the key to an individual’s and a country’s development. Learn more about illiteracy in India.

All the different types of education enable an individual develop cognitive skills, emotional intelligence, and skills required to be employed.

Education helps an individual develop the ability to think critically, understand the people around them and their surroundings, make informed decisions, and understand the consequences of their actions on themselves and others. Education is necessary for an individual to live a fruitful life and become a responsible member of the society.

Education must begin early in an individual’s life, during early childhood. This is the time when important brain development occurs. In the next chapter we will explore early childhood education more in depth. Let us first understand the importance of education in an individual’s life and the importance of education for a country.

Why is education important for an individual

As already discussed, education helps an individual develop cognitive skills and emotional intelligence. An uneducated person, who doesn’t understand themselves, who cannot understand how to interact with people around them, is isolated from their society.

Humans are social beings and need to form healthy relationships with their fellow humans and live with them in harmony, in order to survive. Lack of education, hampers a person’s ability to understand other people’s emotions and cannot understand their own emotions to be able to form a relationship. Additionally, education helps individuals combat diseases, change regressive social norms, and promote peace.

Further, an individual who does not attend school, or take any form of formal education, cannot develop the skills required to enter the workforce, and is eventually pushed into poverty.

Why is education important for a country

Education is the key to economic development. It reduces poverty, boosts economic growth, by ensuring people enter the work force and increase their income.

Education helps promote stability in times of conflict and crisis. Children are forced out of school in a conflict situation, leading to high drop-out rates. The chance of education lays a path to normalcy for children. Girl child education, especially, benefits a country. Educated women can make informed decisions, reduce gender violence, have fewer children, and join the work force. It is the first stepping stones towards ending gender based discrimination and inequality. This village in Uttar Pradesh has an inspiring story of changing regressive social norms through education.

In this chapter, we will learn what is early childhood and the importance of early childhood education.

What is an early childhood

Early childhood is the period from birth to eight years of age. These are the most critical years in a child’s life. During this time the brain is at its peak development stage and determine a child’s development over the course of their lives. 

This is period is extremely crucial because children develop cognitive, physical, social, and emotional skills. They are highly influenced by their environment and require utmost care by parents and community members to ensure holistic development. Hence, the emphasis on early childhood education.

What is early childhood education?

Early childhood education is not only preparation for primary school, it also aims to develop basic life skills in children to lay a foundation of lifelong learning and success. It consists of varied activities to aid in the cognitive and social development of children before they start preschool. 

It consists of both formal and informal education. Parents are considered to be the first ones educating a child, as a child develops their first relationship with parents. This relationship can have a significant impact on child development and early childhood education. This stage of early childhood care and education typically starts between 0 to 2 years of age. 

After this stage, formal education starts. Formal education for early childhood may vary from state to state, a child’s age and their learning abilities. Early childhood education programmes may vary for each age group and run at different levels – nursery, playgroup, preschool, and kindergarten.

Why is early childhood education important?

A child’s brain is at its peak developmental stage from 0 to 8 years of age. Their experiences lay the foundation of a child’s emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Following are some of the benefits of early childhood education:

Social skills

Humans are social beings. They need to develop healthy relationships in order to live a fruitful life. Early childhood education ensures children learn how to socialize with other children of their age, with people outside of their immediate family and develop the skills to successfully socialize with people later on in their lives.

Sharing with others is the core of any relationship and peaceful society. Early childhood education enables a child to learn how to share their things so they can develop strong friendships with other children. 

Team working skill is one of the most important assets of an individual’s holistic development. The skill is useful throughout formal education, in personal relationships, and in the workforce. Hence, it is crucial to ensure that children develop skills early in their childhood. 

A child cannot be educated if they do not have the enthusiasm and curiosity to learn new things. Early childhood education programmes ensure that children develop the curiosity to learn. 

What are early childhood education programmes

Several organisations in India, public, private, and non-governmental sectors provide early childhood education programmes. Below are early child education programmes in India, across different sectors: 

Government organisations

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) plays a key role in providing early childhood education in India. The ministry has set up Anganwadi centres (courtyard shelters) across rural areas to provide health, nutrition, and education to children from minority groups and economically weak groups. The government has facilitated the transition of children from preschool to elementary school, by relocating the Anganwadi centres close to elementary schools and aligning their schedule with those of elementary schools.

Non-government organisations

In India, non-government organisations have an important role in filling the gaps left by the government. NGOs working for education provide early childhood care and child education to marginalised children. As per government estimates, NGOs run child education programmes have provided education to 3 to 20 million children in India. The programmes include direct intervention in areas where there are no government programmes or to improve the quality of government programmes. Oxfam India works with a network of grassroot partners across six states in India, to facilitate education, especially girl child education, and advocates for increased government spending in the public education system. Oxfam India and one of its partner, Lokmitra, run this small school in Raebareily which attracts students from private school as well.

Private Institutes

India has seen a rapid rise in private institutions at all levels of education. As per government estimates, around 10 million children have participated in early child education programmes run by private organisations. Some organisations provide only early childhood care and education, while others may run till elementary school and/or higher secondary school level. Private schools, however, charge exorbitant fee, leaving millions of children out of the education system.

Early childhood education in India

According to Census 2011, there are 164.48 million (approximately 16.5 crores), children from 0 to 6 years of age in India. [6]  These numbers indicate a strong need for efficient early childhood education programmes in India. Constitutional and policy provisions have been made to ensure early childhood education in India.

Article 21A of the Indian Constitution, provides for the right to free and compulsory education for children from 6 to 14 years of age, in purview of the Right to Education Act (RTE) (2009). Article 45 urges the state government to provide Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) to all children till the age of six years. 

The Right to Education Act, guarantees children the right to free education, whereas, ECCE is not stated as a compulsory provision. The RTE states to provide free pre-school education for children above three years. In 2013, the Government of India approved the National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy. [7]  

The policy promotes free, universal, inclusive, equitable, joyful, and contextualised opportunities for laying foundation and attaining full potential for all children below 6 years of age. [8]  It aims to promote a holistic development of children in the said age group. The policy is a key milestone in filling the gap in early childhood care and development in India and strengthening elementary education. 

https://www.educationforallinindia.com/early-childhood-care-and-education-in-india-1.pdf - National University of Education Planning and Administration – New Delhi - page 26

• https://unicef.in/Whatwedo/40/Early-Childhood-Education

https://wcd.nic.in/sites/default/files/national_ecce_curr_framework_final_03022014%20%282%29.pdf

Education in India is provided by public and private schools. The most important element of the education system in India, is the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, (RTE). RTE constitutionally guarantees education as a fundamental right of every child in the age group of 6 to 14 years.

Despite the provision, there are more than 60 lakh children out of school in India. [10]

In this chapter, we will understand the provisions laid down by the RTE and the gaps in its implementation.

What is Right to Education Act 

The RTE Act (2009) lays down legal provisions to grant every child aged between six to fourteen years, the right to free and compulsory elementary education of an appropriate standard in a neighbourhood school. Here are some interesting facts about RTE.

Education is a concurrent subject in which both the Centre and the states play a role. It is necessary for the states to draft rules to implement the provisions laid down in the RTE, with reference to the framework provided by the Centre. The states can modify the rules to suit their local needs. However, implementation of RTE has greatly varied across the states.  [11]

India continues to fail to spend the financial resources required to meet the minimal norms under the RTE Act. Bihar, for instance, spends only 30% of what is needed to implement the Act in totality – enrolling all children in school, hiring the minimum number of required teachers, improving infrastructure, and providing learning materials. Additionally, Bihar is also failing its children from minority groups.

Hardly 12.7% of schools in India comply with the minimum norms laid down under the RTE Act. There are wide gaps in RTE implementation between different states; ranging from 39% in Gujarat, to less than 1% in Nagaland, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Lakshadweep. 70% of teachers in Meghalaya lack the required qualifications. [12]  

The RTE Act, Section 12(1)(c) envisions that schools must provide spaces for the economically weaker section of the society so that children from different backgrounds have equal opportunities and that will help build a more equal society. Studies show that giving opportunities to students from different economic backgrounds, makes student more social, generous and egalitarian, and they are less likely to discriminate against poor children. But instead, private schools create hurdles for children with disabilities and those from marginalised communities to avoid their enrolment. 

India’s government spending on education has stayed below 4%, despite successive governments’ electoral commitment to spend 6% of its GDP on education. The government discriminates in the allocation of the education budget. For instance, in government-run Kendriya Vidyalaya and Navodaya Schools, government spending is roughly around Rs. 27,000 and Rs. 85,000 per student, respectively. However, the spending in regular government schools is just over Rs. 3000 per student per year. [13]  Without equitable investment in public schools, inclusive education cannot be achieved. This one of a kind satellite school in East Delhi imparts education with no desks, walls, or chairs.

The inefficient implementation of the RTE Act, is a classic example of the gaps between policy and its implementation. There are limited efforts in building awareness of the provisions of the act, the need of such an Act; among those on the ground responsible for its implementation and those for whom the Act is. [14]  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7WspAXyK5Y Is the government spending enough on education? Our Social Policy Researcher, Kumar Rajesh explains the reality behind the government’s claim of spending 4% of the GDP on education.

Privatization of education in India

In light of the gap left by the government in the education system in India, private schools are growing in huge numbers. However, the increasing rise in private schools is socially segregating children of rich and poor families in India. Financially better off families send their children to private schools, with better facilities and smaller classes, thus widening the economic and social gap in an already unequal society. 

Between 2010-11 and 2015-16, the number of students enrolling in government schools across 20 states fell by 13 million, while 17.5 million new students joined private schools. [15]  Private schools are further unregulated and many of them do not meet the basic standards of infrastructure, safety, and quality of education. However, the condition of public schools is forcing even the poor families in India to enroll their children in private schools, leading to huge financial burden on families. Thus, rendering education in India a privilege, instead of rendering by class and caste.

Even though, the enrolment in government schools is declining they remain the main provider of elementary education in India, accounting for 73.1% elementary school and 58.6% of the total enrolment. [16] India still needs to universalize its education system, by providing better quality public education institutes.

What are the problems in the education system in India [17]

• Lack of a clear definition of an out of school child is a grave concern. Without a clear definition to identify when a child stops going to school and becomes a drop-out, it is difficult to enroll and retain children in school.
• There is ambiguity about specific roles the School Management Committee (SMCs) have to play. The SMCs are not aware of their responsibilities or the members themselves do not know that they are a part of the SMC. A research by a leading non-profit Pratham based in Delhi in 2013 found that only 10 per cent of the SMC parent members interviewed were aware that they were part of the SMCs. [18]
• The SMCs have the mandate to prepare School Development Plans (SDPs), but this is hardly followed in practice. Capacity building programmes for SMCs, to enable them to follow their mandates are not being implemented thus affecting their functioning. [19]
• The RTE Act implies to both public and private schools, but its implementation in private school remains weak. Private schools are on the rise, and they deliberately omit the rule of the RTE, while most government schools struggle to implement because of lack of resources.
• The RTE Act provides for a mechanism to ensure the availability of qualified teachers by setting up teacher training institutions. Some states have completely omitted the provision to set up training institutes.

[9] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2019-02/Davos%20India%20Supplement.pdf

[10] https://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/National-Survey-Estimation-School-Children-Draft-Report.pdf (2014) - pg 9

[11] Federalism and Fidelity – RTE Review (2014) – Oxfam India

[12] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2019-02/Davos%20India%20Supplement.pdf

[13] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/Government-spends-Rs-85000-on-each-Navodaya-student-annually/articleshow/47754083.cms (2015)

[14] Federalism and Fidelity – RTE Review (2014) – Oxfam India

[15] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2019-02/Davos%20India%20Supplement.pdf – pg 4

[16] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2019-02/Davos%20India%20Supplement.pdf – pg 4

[17] Federalism and Fidelity – RTE Review (2014) – Oxfam India

[18] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/OIA-Community-Based-Monitoring-and-Grievance-Redressal-in-Schools-in-Delhi-1012-2015-en.pdf - Policy Brief - Community-Based Monitoring and Grievance Redressal in Schools in Delhi

[19] http://rteforumindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Year-9-Stocktaking-Report-RTE-Forum-draft.pdf

There are several schemes and programmes implemented by the Government of India to ensure child education in India. On 22 January 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, to “change mindsets regarding the girl child”. The campaign was launch with an aim to raise awareness about the declining sex-ratio in India and the importance of girl child education.

Other government schemes for girl child education provide financial support to parents to educate their daughters. Some of these schemes are Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY), Balika Samriddhi Yojana (BSY), and Mukhyamantri Rajshri Yojana (MRY). These schemes provide benefits such as higher interest rates, direct financial support, and tax benefits to parents for investing in education of their girl child.

Even though some reports have shown increasing enrollment of the girl child, there are still several hurdles in girl child education in India. The World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study in Uttar Pradesh has shown increased girl child education in private schools over the years. The first data collection was done in 1997-98. The same set of households were surveyed in 2007-08 and then again in 2010-11. Enrolment rate of girls was only 50% as per the first survey. This showed significant improvement, with 65% enrolment in 2007-08 and 72% by 2010-11. [20]

Problem in Girl Child Education [21]

Financial constraints.

Financial restrictions create hurdles for many parents in educating the girl child. Usually, she is forced to stay at home to carry out household chores and take care of her younger siblings while the son in the family is sent to school. Even if some parents wish to educate their girl child, lack of quality schools or other social factors create restrictions.

Household Responsibilities

Many girls are forced to drop out of school because of household responsibilities. Losing a parent or a sick family members forces young girls to take up household chores. Social norms dictate that it is a woman’s duty to do domestic work or take care of sick family members. 12-year-old Meena from Uttar Pradesh, was pulled out of school to take care of household chores and her young siblings.

Early and Forced Marriages

Our society’s obsession with marriage has ruined many lives. Girls are denied education and instead forced to marry at an early age, often before she has attains the physical and emotional maturity to even understand what marriage is. Due to lack of education she cannot make an informed decision of whether she indeed wishes to marry or not, and has no say in choosing the person she is forced to spend her entire life with. Additionally, the later a girl marries, the more the dowry her parents are forced to pay.

Preference of sons over daughters

Son preference further creates problems for a girl child. The  deep-set social norm that sons will take care of the parents in their old age, while girls will have to get married and leave the parents house leads to a lot of preferential treatment to the sons and subsequently, discrimination against the girl child from a very young age. This then leads to parents not giving any importance to the education of the girl child. 

Lack of functional toilets

Lack of basic facilities such as funtional toilets and hand washing areas force children to stay out of school. Girls are especially affected due to lack of functional toiliets once they reach menstruation age. They may be either be absent from school on a regular basis, or drop out of school altogether. 

Long Distance to School

In rural areas, children have to walk, often alone, through forests, rivers, or deserted areas, and cover a long distance to school. Due to increased risk of violence against girls, parents prefer their daughters stay safe at home. Devyani was pulled out of school because she had to walk alone to school, but with Oxfam India’s support she was enrolled back in school.

[20] https://www.isid.ac.in/~soham9r/doc/pvt_paper.pdf - Intra-Household Gender Disparity in School Choice: Evidence from Private Schooling in India – Soham Sahoo, July 2015

[21] https://donate.oxfamindia.org/girl-child-education

[22] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/PN-OIN-ES-Education-07-CSA-Efforts-Effective-Implementation-RTE-EN.pdf

In this chapter we will learn the role civil society plays in the education sector, and how its actions impact the implementation of education policies around the world.

What is a civil society organisation

There is no one clear definition of a civil society organisation (CSO). It is defined in different ways by different organisations. 

A paper by World Health Organisation states that in the absence of a common defination, civil society is usually understood as the social arena existing between the state and the individial or household. It states that the civil sociey lacks regulatory power of the state and the economic power of the market but it provides social power to the ordinary people.

What is the role of civil society

Recently, CSOs have become more prominent across the world. They are growing in number and influence around the world. CSOs play a vital role in the development sector, by asserting the rights of the marginalised communities. Civil society organisations holds the government accountable and ensure their compliance with human rights and international treating and conventions. Oxfam India is one such organisation which mobilizes people and builds movement against discrimination .

On the other hand, governments and institutions around the world have become more motivated in response to the increasing influence of CSOs, to establish a formal mechanism of working with the CSOs.

What is the role of civil society in the education section

Civil society organisations has played an active role in the education sector. CSOs have raised issues ranging from implementation to advocacy. Civil society has brought about significant changes to national education policies and system, through advocacy, across the world, ensuring that the right to education is granted to each person. 

By holding the government accountable, civil society organisations ensures that each individual has equal access to essential services and they can raise their voice against violations of their rights.

What is the role of civil society in education in India

Civil society organisations in India have been playing a crucial role, since more than a decade. They are strengthening the education system in India by actively participating in advocacy, at the national, regional and internation levels in the education sector. There is an increasing collaboration between national, regional, and international CSO, through the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) and Education for All moverment. 

NGOs like Oxfam India campaigns for quality and free public education for all, with a network of other civil society organisations, think tanks, policy makers, parents, and teachers. 

Oxfam India is building a movement of people working to end discrimination and create a free and just society.

Oxfam India is building a movement of Indians coming together to fight discrimination. We stand for the rights of the marginalized such as Adivasis, Dalits, and Muslims, with a special focus on women and girls. We work with the public and policymakers to find lasting solutions to build an inclusive and just India where everyone can have equal access to rights, be safe, get quality education and healthcare, make their voices heard and thrive. We campaign and mobilize people to stand up and speak out, to demand decisions and policies from the government that help them fight inequality and discrimination in India. We save, protect and rebuild lives in times of crisis and humanitarian disasters.

Oxfam India changed the lives of over 1 million people across six poorest states* in India last year and campaigned to reach out to tens of millions more across the country. 

We put the rights of the marginalized at the heart of everything we do, as this will lead to the lasting change we need. Together, we can create a discrimination free India where everyone can live with dignity and free from inequality and injustice. 

Joins us as we fight discrimination today, to end it for good.

(* Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh)

Why we are here

Discrimination in India has been a social evil for ages. It has affected millions of lives in the past and continues to affect people basis their gender, caste, and economic background. 

Everyone has the right to safety, education, health, shelter, food, and water, and people should not have to fight for these rights every day. 

There are millions who are deprived of basic fundamental rights and Oxfam India champions their right to be heard.

With Oxfam India’s efforts, communities live safer lives; have access to health and education, clean water, food, sanitation, and other fundamental needs.   

Oxfam India strives for an inclusive and just society.

How we make it happen

Oxfam India helps people fight discrimination on four fronts. 

• Working with Marginalized communities: We work at the grassroots to generate awareness amongst the most marginalized communities such as Adivasis, Dalit and Muslims to stand up and speak out, to demand their rights and policies that help them fight discrimination and injustice. We work with the most vulnerable people with a special focus on women and girls.
• Public Campaign & Policy making: We work with the public and policy makers to find lasting solutions to build a just and discrimination free India where everyone can have an equal access to rights, be safe, get an education, quality healthcare, make their voices heard and thrive, irrespective of their caste, gender and economic background.
• Humanitarian Response: We save, protect and rebuild lives in times of crisis and humanitarian disasters.

Our commitment

We are committed to the people, both of who we work with and our supporters.

Oxfam India believes in the power of people coming together for justice and against discrimination.

In our 68-year history, we have seen that, when people join hands, raise their voice and demand action, change happens. We are committed to the power of people to fight discrimination and help marginalized communities pull themselves out of inequality and injustice. This is why our work and organization are based in the communities who are most affected in the six poorest states of India so that we can deliver change quickly and with impact.

Oxfam India uniquely combines the power of the public and the learnings from grassroots with the strength of supporters, partners, and allies to make a positive impact in the lives of millions of people. 

From supporting women farmers in Bihar to demanding good quality education for children in Uttar Pradesh, from mobilizing public support in Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad to delivering life-saving aid in Assam and Manipur, we strive to ensure that the most marginalized people are heard.

And we won’t stop until everyone in India can live a life of dignity free from discrimination. 

Our vision for the future

Our vision is a just and discrimination free India. Oxfam India will always be there in times of crisis and injustice to fight the inequalities and discrimination affecting the lives of millions of Indians. 

Over the next five years, we will help many more people of socially excluded groups (Dalit, Adivasis and Muslims), and especially women in ‘Oxfam India focus states’ exercise their rights of citizenship and live a life of dignity, free from discrimination.

And we cannot do it without your support. We need more voices to join us in speaking truth to power so that we can influence the policies and attitudes that will fight discrimination across the nation. 

As India’s leading movement against discrimination, we will not rest until everyone in our country can live in a fairer, equal society, and leave injustice and discrimination behind forever.

In this chapter, we will explore how Oxfam India support girl child education in India and the impact we have created in the last year.

Oxfam India’s role in education

Oxfam India is working to achieve the goal of quality and affordable education for each child in India. We campaign for the right to education of people from the most marginalised communities, especially the girl child.

Gudiya had to discontinue her education after her parents migrated to Delhi from Assam. After Oxfam India’s intervention she was brought at par with regular students and is now on her way to be admitted in a government school in New Delhi.

We advocate for the proper implementation of the Right to Education Act. Oxfam India is the founding member of the National RTE Forum. The forum has almost 10,000 non-government organisations members. The National RTE Forum has been one of the biggest achievements of Oxfam India, in the education sector. The forum brings together like minded groups and people working towards the common goal of inclusive education in India. The forum ensures that different groups work together and learn and support each other. [23]  

Activities undertaken by Oxfam India [24]

Social mobilisation .

Oxfam India works with grass root organisations and initiates debates and dialogues, with teachers, intellectuals, educationist, and the general public on various issues related to the state of education in India. Oxfam India engages with youth on ‘Inequality in Education’ .

We sensitise people from various sections of the society on the right to education, status of RTE, and advocate for the right of the education for children up to 18 years of age. We deploy media channels, form support groups inside the Parliament and among policy makers at both the centre and state level. 

Campaign for Policy Changes

We campaign for stricter regulation of private schools and ensure that 25% reservation for children from economically weaker sections and marginalised groups is implemented. We campaign against all forms of privatization of education in India to ensure that education is a treated as a fundamental right and not a privilege. Oxfam India holds consulations on Right to Education with other civil society organisation in its focus states.

Effective implementation

Oxfam India works with the School Management Committees (SMCs) and local authorities, to ensure effective implementation of the RTE Act. We also work with community members to raise awareness about the issues of marginalised groups, especially the problems of girl child education to ensure fulfilment of the RTE Act’s goal.

Accountability

Oxfam India strives to ensure the government is held accountable for the gaps in the implementation of the RTE, through careful study of the policy and its implementation. We also suggest recommendations for better implementation of the Act.

Oxfam India’s impact

Impact in bihar.

Oxfam India along with its partners, Dalit Vikas Abhiyan Samiti (DVAS) is working towards ending caste based discrimination in schools in Bihar and creating awareness about the value of education among marginalised communities. The Musahar community in Samastipur district of Bihar, is especially discriminated against. Their children are put in separate classrooms and the teachers hardly teach them. Teachers and upper caste students hold the bias that they are “dirty” and “pollute the environment of the school”. Oxfam India and DVAS work towards changing these attitudes. After a series of meetings in 2018 Oxfam India and DVAS managed to push the school administration to let children from the community eat their mid-day meals with other students. The Musahar families consider this an important milestone and say it’s a “big change” they have seen in years. [25]  

Impact in Delhi

When a study by Pratham revealed in 2013 that only 10% of the SMC parent members interviewed were aware that they were part of the SMC, Oxfam India and its partner JOSH (Joint Operation for Social Help) filed a complaint at the Central Information Commission (CIC)in 2011 evoking the Section 4 of the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005. Section 4 of the RTI Act is a proactive disclosure section mandating all public authorities to share information with citizens about their functioning. Since the school is a public authority, compliance to Section 4 was demanded. [26]   Read More about Oxfam India's work on Education in Delhi.

Impact in Jharkhand

Students were irregular in schools in Kolpotka village, Jharkhand. One of the reasons behind this was that they were taught in Hindi. Coming from the Munda tribe, speaking a different language, they could not grasp what was being taught. To raise interest of the students, Oxfam India and its partner Society for Participatory Action and Reflection (SPAR) introduced Multi Lingual Education (MLE) in the schools and appointed part-time teachers in April 2015, who took training in the tribal language. This helped students enrol back in school who had dropped out. The SMC too played a crucial role in getting children back to school. [27]   Read More about Oxfam India's work on Education in Jharkhand.

                                             Part-time teacher appointed by SPAR taking a class at Kolpotka village in                                             West Singhbhum's Manoharpur block.

Impact in odisha.

Odisha has a high percentage of out-of-school children between six and fourteen years of age. One of the key reasons for high dropout rates is the language barrier in the Adivasi belts of the state. Most children in the Adivasi dominated areas have inadequate exposure to Odia, the main medium of teaching. In order to ensure access to quality, universal and inclusive elementary education, Oxfam India along with Sikshasandhan, an NGO based in Odisha, initiated Project Birsa in 2011. As part of the project, Sikshasandhan appointed teachers who could teach in the tribal languages. Eventually, school attendance increased in the Birsa focused schools. [28]   Read More about Oxfam India's work on Education in Odisha.

Books in Odia and Ho made available, by Oxfam India and Sikshasandhan, to students of the 11 primary schools in Noto Gram Panchayat in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha.

Impact in uttar pradesh.

In 2016-17 Oxfam India and its partner, Lokmitra, identified 63 out-of-school children from marginalised sections and provided supportive classes. These classes ran for four months. 27 of these children were mainstreamed into formal schools. [29]   Read More about Oxfam India's work on Education in Uttar Pradesh.

Oxfam India and Samarth Foundation introduced sports and extracurricular activities in five schools in 2016, to encourage more children to go to school. Initially, parents were hesitant to allow their daughters to follow sports, they had to be convinced. Eventually, more girls started enrolling in schools. They even train along with boys and outperform them. [30] Read More how girls are outperforming boys in sports.

Oxfam India’s Role in Girl Child Education

In 2018, 7,048 boys and 6,003 girls from our focus areas received quality education. 136 schools and 117 Anagwadi centres were made functional. 440 School Management Committees (SMCs) were made functional in Primary and Upper Primary Schools. When you support Oxfam India’s work, you help end Inequality in education and empower children to become future leaders and change-makers of our country. In just one year, Oxfam India benefited over 13,000 children. People like you make it possible for us to help the most marginlised children and empower girl child education. Visit our story section to know about the children we helped.

When girls stay in school, they are more likely to build an educated and healthier family, earn a better living, and contribute to the development of the society. Oxfam India, NGO for girl child education, aims to bring back girls missing from the classrooms of India and empower them through education. Our young girls leaders are leading the fight for education in India.

How Oxfam India and its supporters sent Rani back to school

Rani, a 16-year-old girl from Raebareli, was compelled to drop out of school after class 7 due to poverty and household responsibilities. But support from our donors sent Rani back to school.

After dropping out of school, she spent all her time in household chores. She woke up at 5 am every day to start household chores. In order to fetch water, she had to go multiple times to a handpump, a little away from her house. She then used to clean the house, wash utensils, feed the buffaloes nearby and prepare breakfast for the entire family.

Her father Harilal is a woodcutter and her mother Sona is a housewife. Rani has three sisters and all have dropped out of school. Her eldest sister is the most educated in the family. She studied till 10th standard before she was married.

But Rani did not let her passion for studies die. Support from our donors sent Rani back to school. Supporters like you helped us and our grassroots partner in Raebareli build a Kishori Shiksha Kendra, an educational training institute for girls, near Rani’s village. Today, Rani is studying and is on her path to follow her passion. “I want to become a teacher and encourage children to attend school and fulfil their dreams.” says Rani. Read more about Rani and her journey back to school.

There are many girls like Rani who are currently outside the education system in India. Socio-economic circumstances force them to leave schools, work at home and at times, as child labours. Often, they are forced to get married at an early age and raise a family.

Oxfam India has been fighting for the implementation of the Right to Education Act in India. 

Oxfam India also advocates for the importance of right to education and aims to change regressive social norms to end discrimination. Deepti, a primary school teacher in our partner’s school keeps paretns motivated to educate their children.

But not every girl is as lucky as Rani. Each girl deserves the chance to fulfil her dreams. We must understand the importance of educating a girl child. Education is the first step to reduce poverty and inequality in any society. 

Educating a girl child helps her develop the ability to make informed decisions, join the work force, overcome poverty, and benefit her community at large, thus contributing to the development of our nation. Importance of girl child education has been observed in several studies. Girl child education has a significant impact on her own child’s development. Many studies indicate that educated women have healthier children, lower child mortality, and impart better education to their children, thus overcoming inequality. [31] These young warriors are the perfect example for fighting inequality through education.

[23] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/PN-OIN-ES-Education-07-CSA-Efforts-Effective-Implementation-RTE-EN.pdf [24] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/PN-OIN-ES-Education-07-CSA-Efforts-Effective-Implementation-RTE-EN.pdf [25] https://www.oxfamindia.org/blog/failed-education-priorities-bihar-government [26] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/OIA-Community-Based-Monitoring-and-Grievance-Redressal-in-Schools-in-Delhi-1012-2015-en.pdf [27] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/OIA-Mobilising-Civil-Society-towards-Right-to-Free-Public-Health-and-Education-in-Jharkhand-14052016-EN.pdf [28] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/Oxfam-in-Action-Promoting-Multi-Lingual-Education-in-Odisha%E2%80%99s-Adivasi-belt-080915-EN.pdf

[29] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/PN_LOKMITRA%20hi-res.pdf

[30] https://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/default/files/2018-10/samarth.pdf

This chapter will help you understand why you should donate to Oxfam India and the benefits you receive.

How Your Donation Will Change Lives

Your immediate support will help oxfam india .

• Identify out-of-school children
• Provide support to children, especially girls to enrol in school
• Help reduce discrimination in education
• Raise awareness among girls about their rights
• Encourage parents to educate girls 
• Overcome social norms which restrict girl child education
• Urge the government to increase spending on government schools

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhJT_5pCxqU Donate for girl child education in India

Why monthly donation matters

Your monthly donation for girl child education ensures continuous and consistent support for hundreds of girls from marginalised communities. Without which, it will be difficult for Oxfam India to plan a long-term, sustainable programme to support girl child education. It is a small amount for you and a life-line for us at Oxfam India and thousands of children. Through your urgent support, you can help enrol thousands of girls in India who continue to live in poverty and are deprived of their rights. The amount you invest every month will help a child learn, grow and build a better life for themselves and their future generations.

Oxfam India works with children from the top 5 poorest states of India. Nandini’s parents, from Bihar, believed that girl child education is a waste of money. But after attending Oxfam India’s workshop, they now encourage other parents to educate their daughters too!

Your generous donation for education in India will enable children to achieve their dreams and transform our nation.

What’s in it for you

• When you support Oxfam India’s work, you make a difference by helping a child study and contribute to our nation’s development
• You will receive monthly updates from us about the lives you are transforming 
• You will also receive an audited annual report from Oxfam India for fund transparency and work accountability.
• Your donation also helps you in saving tax. We will provide you with Tax exemption certificate, 80G, to claim your tax.

If you wish to cancel your donation at any time, we are just an email away. Write to us at [email protected]

Help us build a nation where every girl child is in school. Bring girls back to school so they can build a better future and an empowered nation.

References:

• https://examplanning.com/types-education-formal-informal-non-formal/
• https://www.pearson.com/corporate/about-pearson/the-importance-of-education.html
• https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-weaknesses-of-non-formal-education
• http://www.studylecturenotes.com/foundation-of-education/non-formal-education-nfe
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310920/
• https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-disadvantages-of-informal-education
• https://en.unesco.org/themes/early-childhood-care-and-education
• https://www.early-childhood-education-degrees.com/what-is-early-childhood-education/
• https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/importance-of-early-childhood-education/

[31] https://www.firstpost.com/india/indias-female-literacy-has-gone-up-but-still-22-percentage-points-behind-world-average-education-among-young-women-rising-7197631.html

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74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe

Alarming decline in adolescent condom use, increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies, reveals new WHO report

Copenhagen, 29 August 2024

New report reveals high rates of unprotected sex among adolescents across Europe, with significant implications for health and safety

An urgent report from the WHO Regional Office for Europe reveals that condom use among sexually active adolescents has declined significantly since 2014, with rates of unprotected sex worryingly high. This is putting young people at significant risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies. The new data were published as part of the multi-part Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, which surveyed over 242 000 15-year-olds across 42 countries and regions in 2014–2022.

Far-reaching consequences of unprotected sex

Overall, the report highlights that a substantial proportion of sexually active 15-year-olds are engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse, which WHO warns can have far-reaching consequences for young people, including unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and an increased risk of contracting STIs. The high prevalence of unprotected sex indicates significant gaps in age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education, including sexual health education, and access to contraceptive methods.

Worrying decline in condom use

Compared to 2014 levels, the new data show a significant decline in the number of adolescents reporting condom use during last sexual intercourse. From the data, it is clear that the decrease in condom use is pervasive, spanning multiple countries and regions, with some experiencing more dramatic reductions than others.

The report underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to address these concerning trends and promote safer sexual practices among young people within the wider context of equipping them with the foundation they need for optimal health and well-being.

“While the report’s findings are dismaying, they are not surprising,” noted Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “Age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education remains neglected in many countries, and where it is available, it has increasingly come under attack in recent years on the false premise that it encourages sexual behaviour, when the truth is that equipping young persons with the right knowledge at the right time leads to optimal health outcomes linked to responsible behaviour and choices. We are reaping the bitter fruit of these reactionary efforts, with worse to come, unless governments, health authorities, the education sector and other essential stakeholders truly recognize the root causes of the current situation and take steps to rectify it. We need immediate and sustained action, underpinned by data and evidence, to halt this cascade of negative outcomes, including the likelihood of higher STI rates, increased health-care costs, and – not least – disrupted education and career paths for young persons who do not receive the timely information and support they need.”

Key findings from the report

• Decline in condom use: the proportion of sexually active adolescents who used a condom at last intercourse fell from 70% to 61% among boys and 63% to 57% among girls between 2014 and 2022.
• High rates of unprotected sex: almost a third of adolescents (30%) reported using neither a condom nor the contraceptive pill at last intercourse, a figure that has barely changed since 2018.
• Socioeconomic differences: adolescents from low-affluence families were more likely to report not using a condom or the contraceptive pill at last sexual intercourse than their peers from more affluent families (33% compared with 25%).
• Contraceptive pill use: the report indicates that contraceptive pill use during last sexual intercourse remained relatively stable between 2014 and 2022, with 26% of 15-year-olds reporting that they or their partners used the contraceptive pill at their last sexual intercourse.

Need for comprehensive sexuality education

The findings underscore the importance of providing comprehensive sexual health education and resources for young people. “As teenagers, having access to accurate information about sexual health is vital,” said Éabha, a 16-year-old from Ireland. “We need education that covers everything from consent to contraception, so we can make informed decisions and protect ourselves.”

“Comprehensive sexuality education is key to closing these gaps and empowering all young people to make informed decisions about sex at a particularly vulnerable moment in their lives, as they transition from adolescence to adulthood,” said Dr András Költő of the University of Galway, the lead author of the report. “But education must go beyond just providing information. Young people need safe spaces to discuss issues like consent, intimate relationships, gender identity and sexual orientation, and we – governments, health and education authorities, and civil society organizations – should help them develop crucial life skills including transparent, non-judgmental communication and decision-making.”

Roadmap for action, despite worrying trends

While the findings are sobering, they also offer a roadmap for the way ahead.

The report calls for sustainable investments in age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education, youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, and enabling policies and environments that support adolescent health and rights.

“The findings of this report should serve as a catalyst for action. Adolescents deserve the knowledge and resources to make informed decisions about their sexual health. We have the evidence, the tools and the strategies to improve adolescent sexual health outcomes. What we need, though, is the political will and the resources to make it happen,” said Dr Margreet de Looze of Utrecht University, one of the report’s co-authors.

Call to action for policy-makers and educators

The WHO Regional Office for Europe calls upon policy-makers, educators and health-care providers to prioritize adolescent sexual health by:

• Investing in comprehensive sexuality education: implementing and funding evidence-based sexuality education programmes in schools that cover a wide range of topics, including contraception, STIs, consent, healthy relationships, gender equality and LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, plus) issues. In this, the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education, produced by a consortium of United Nations agencies and partners, is key.
• Enhancing access to youth-friendly sexual health services: ensuring that adolescents everywhere have access to confidential, non-judgmental and affordable sexual health services that meet their specific needs and preferences.
• Promoting open dialogue: encouraging open and honest conversations about sexual health within families, schools and communities to reduce stigma and increase awareness.
• Training educators: providing specialized training for teachers and health-care providers to deliver effective and inclusive sex education. Such resources should be made available in both school and out-of-school settings.
• Conducting further research: investigating the underlying reasons for the decline in condom use and the variations in sexual health behaviours across different populations to inform targeted interventions. This includes analysing messages and other content adolescents are exposed to across social media and online platforms, given their reach and impact.

“Ultimately, what we are seeking to achieve for young persons is a solid foundation for life and love,” said Dr Kluge. “Sexual and reproductive health and rights, informed by the right knowledge at the right time along with the right health and well-being services, is critical. By empowering adolescents to make informed decisions about their sexual health, we ultimately safeguard and improve their overall well-being. This is what all parents and families should want for their children, everywhere.”

Communications officer

Bhanu Bhatnagar

Press & Media Relations Officer WHO Regional Office for Europe

Joseph Hancock

Communications Officer for the HBSC study

WHO/Europe Press Office

A focus on adolescent sexual health in Europe, central Asia and Canada: Health Behaviour in School-aged Children international report from the 2021/2022 survey

Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study