In 1992 in Mauritania, a girl writes Arabic script on the blackboard in a one-room school in Bagdada in the Tagant region. Just 43 per cent of adult women in the country can read and write.
UNICEF/HQ92-0263/Lauren Goodsmith
The world’s failure to get girls into school is a big problem for everyone. It’s left girls more at risk of disease, violence, abuse and exploitation of all kinds. Of the estimated 93 million children not in school globally, 48.4 million of these are girls. These girls become mothers but, without education, their children are more likely to die, get ill or suffer in poverty. It’s a vicious cycle that can best be broken through education.
An educated girl tends to marry later and have fewer children, and the children she does have will be more likely to survive. She will be more productive at home and better paid in the workplace. She will be better able to protect herself against HIV/AIDS and to assume a more active role in society. This is why girls’ education is an important Millennium Development Goal.
Girls miss out on their education because, in many societies, they’re not given the same opportunities as boys. Many poor households in developing countries will only send their boys to school, forcing girls to help care for the home and other family members. Governments need to get rid of school fees, so everyone can afford to go to school, and makes sure schools are close enough, safe enough and have clean water and sanitation. They need to work harder to break down the barriers that keep girls out of school, and make sure everyone understands that girls’ education is as important as boys’.
How UNICEF helps
UNICEF is deeply committed to creating a world in which all children, regardless of their gender, socioeconomic background or circumstances, have access to free, compulsory and quality education. For example, in Ghana, UNICEF has supplied 6,000 bicycles to girls in poor rural areas to enable them to go to school.