CHILD EDUCATION

CHILD EDUCATION(girls) 

 

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; learn the 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.

Girls’ education is a strategic development priority. 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. All these factors combined can help lift households, communities, and countries out of poverty.

According to UNESCO estimates, around the world, 132 million girls are out of school, including 34.3 million of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age, and 67.4 million of upper-secondary school age. In countries affected by conflict, girls are more than twice as likely to be out of school than girls living in non-affected countries. And in many countries, among girls who do enter primary school, only a small portion will reach and far fewer will complete secondary school.

SAME APPLIES FOR OUR WOMEN

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.

Reasons for uneducated girl child

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. 

society mainly in rural areas the society pressure is more on girls and their family for early marrige or sending their girls for earning money leaving there education.

working and earning money for them is more prioir then getting education for their girls.

The Top 10 Reasons to Support Girls’ Education

The immediate benefit and long-term impact of educating a girl is astonishing. Health improves. Economies grow. Societies are transformed. When girls are educated, their families, communities, and nations prosper. Educated girls are changing the world. Here’s why:

An educated girl can increase her income. A girl with an extra year of education can earn 20% more income as an adult (The World Bank, 2011). More income means better nutrition and healthcare for her family. Living conditions improve. Income can be the impetus to get out from under the grinding cycle of poverty into a life with choices and opportunities

She marries later. An educated girl breaks the cultural pattern of girls marrying as children. Girls with higher levels of education are also less likely to have children at an early age (UNESCO, 2013). Marrying later means she won’t be a child herself when she becomes a mother

An educated mother has fewer children. She has better knowledge about contraception as well as increased opportunities for employment. An educated mother provides better care of her children at home, thus increasing the value of her children’s human capital and reducing the need for more children 

Educated mothers are less likely to die in childbirth. Educated women’s knowledge about health care contributes to reduced maternal mortality rates during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Increased education of girls also leads to more female health care providers to assist with prenatal medical care, labor and delivery, and follow-up care. Skilled care before, during, and after childbirth can save the lives of women and newborns

Her children are healthier. The single biggest factor in reducing the mortality rate among children under five is more education for women (as reported in Scientific American, 2011). A literate mother has a 50% higher chance of her child surviving past the age of five (UNESCO, 2011). More education helps women make better decisions about prenatal care, basic hygiene, nutrition, and immunization, all of which contribute to healthier children.

Children of an educated mother are less likely to be malnourished. Malnutrition accounts for 45% of all deaths among children under five worldwide (Lancet Report, 2013). An educated mother is more likely to feed her children healthy food, to know the signs of malnourishment, and to take action if she suspects a problem. Adequate nutrition in the young child contributes to normal brain and physical development and overall better health and well-being.

She invests in future generations and her community. An educated woman invests nearly all (90%) of her income into her family and community (Phil Borges, Women Empowered: Inspiring Change in the Emerging World, 2007). Her knowledge influences how she raises her children and impacts her role in the family and the community. An educated mother is more than twice as likely to send her children to school (UNICEF, 2010) thus continuing the cycle of education and establishing a precedent for the generations that follow.

She experiences less discrimination. Girls and young women who are educated have a greater awareness of their rights (Education First: An Initiative of the United Nations Secretary General, 2012). They are more likely to stand up for themselves in male-dominated cultures and to advocate for themselves and their children.

She makes her own decisions. Educated girls and women have greater confidence and freedom to make decisions that affect their lives (Education First: An Initiative of the United Nations Secretary General, 2012). They’re better equipped to challenge the cultural imperative that women belong in the home, raising children and doing the chores. Education empowers young women to think beyond the cultural norms and pursue their dreams of a better life.

She’s safer. Education protects women from abuse (Atlantic Monthly, May 15, 2014). Extremists hate smart girls because smart girls are less likely to be kept down. Girls’ schooling has a protective effect against domestic violence, rape, and child marriage. Each additional year of schooling is associated with a 1% increase in a female’s ability to refuse sex with her partner. Women with some or completed secondary education have an 11 and 36% lower risk of violence, respectively, compared with women with no education (World Bank report, 2014). Educated women are more likely to work outside the home, avoid isolation, and earn income, all of which lessen their vulnerability to domestic and physical abuse.

Educating girls works

Incredible things happen when a girl gets the education she needs. Her life and the lives of her children improve. She earns an income and contributes to the local economy. She models confidence and self-determination for her children and the girls and women in her community. Thanks to the support of donors like you, we can continue to empower girls and women in Central Asia, where education is changing the world, one girl at a time.