Influenced by numerous studies that show large public and private returns on investments in girls' education,
Education Sub-Saharan Africa has prioritized support for girls' primary education for making
education more "child friendly." Educated women earn more, have smaller, healthier families, and are more likely to
educate their girls. Moreover, interventions that target girls help boys as well. Despite the benefits, fewer than half
of girls in sub-Saharan Africa enter primary school, and of those who do, fewer than half reach fifth grade. The largest
return to education is gained when girls complete the primary level. Retention, therefore, is key. Education Sub-Saharan
Africa has learned that a focus on girls' education must include a parallel focus on quality, i.e., and environment
must be created to keep girls in school.
Assisting in the analysis and development of policy frameworks, Education Sub-Saharan Africa works with partner government's departments to remove constraints to girls' education. Education Sub-Saharan Africa has been instrumental in school mapping, the desegregations of data by gender, greater focus on attendance rather than enrollment rates, changes in policies barring pregnant girls or mothers from school, and the provision of incentives for sending girls to school.
Support to regional institutions such as the Forum for African Women Educationalists Chapters FAWE has brought increased public and ministerial attention to the issue of girls' education.
The physical condition of schools has been improved and the number of spaces for school going children has increased. Efforts have concentrated on building more schools, improving their facilities, and making them more child friendly. Activities have included community involvement in improving school environments and monitoring and managing school affairs.
Girl-friendly interventions have been introduced at the school and community level . Examples include curriculum redesign, recruitment of female teachers, and development of alternative forms of delivering education such as e-learning, and investment in labor-saving devices (such as wells) at schools. Building schools closer to girls' homes and providing clean and private lavatory facilities often make a difference in retaining girls. Recognizing the power of parents and community members in determining whether a girl goes to school, many of the above interventions are combined with community-level girls' education advocacy campaigns and mobilization activities.
Challenges:
- Girls and boys are more likely to stay in school if they are provided quality education in the best learning environment possible. To improve retention, it is necessary to continue to focus on improving facilities, student/teacher ratios, teacher training, and recruitment of female teachers. Teacher training should stress the need for gender-neutral teaching. Community involvement to improve schools and learning and address barriers preventing girls from staying in school also remains a priority.
- The HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB epidemics has changed the educational landscape dramatically. Safety issues for girls, in particular, must be addressed, as some schools are risk environments for infection. Schools may be used to deliver critical prevention messages, and they may be called on to take on other development activities, such as food distribution, health and nutrition interventions, and care and education of the growing number of orphans. The role of the school in providing vocational or livelihood training, particularly for girls, must be reexamined given economic pressures and the human capacity losses being experienced in areas hit by the epidemic.