International Day of the Girl: Investing in girls’ education is more important than ever
By Sarah Goulding, Assistant Secretary, Gender Equality Branch (DFAT) & Emily Boost, Director (Kore Global)
Today, on the International Day of the Girl, we focus on the centrality of education to girls’ wellbeing and futures.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the biggest disruption to education in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries. It risks reversing two decades of gains in expanding access and learning - and girls in low and middle income countries will be the hardest hit.
However, hard evidence on the impacts of the pandemic on girls in our region is scarce. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has partnered with Kore Global on research to assess evidence on the impacts of COVID-19 on girls’ learning and well-being across the Indo-Pacific region, and on the effectiveness of responses to date.
Global estimates suggest that as many as 11.2 million girls from pre-primary to tertiary levels will not return to school after lockdowns – including approximately 1.9 million girls in East Asia and the Pacific. This would represent an 8 per cent increase on the 15 million girls not currently enrolled in pre-primary, primary and secondary school in our region.
School closures have seen girls take on more household and child care responsibilities, disrupting their learning at twice the rate of boys. Girls have also had less access to remote learning than boys. At least a fifth of girls in East Asia and the Pacific – 40 million in total – have been unable to access online, TV or radio education, mostly due to a lack of devices. COVID is exacerbating the digital gender divide.
Learning loss will have a proportionately greater impact on students in low and middle income countries, who with six months of school closures could lose as much as 50 per cent of their total years of education. Schools in several countries in our region – including Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines – were closed for 18 months. We know that the longer girls are out of school, the harder it is for them to return.
As DFAT and the Global Partnership for Education highlighted in a blog in January, the short term impacts of school closures on girls’ learning and well-being can be devastating. In addition to learning loss and the risk of school drop-out, school closures heighten girls’ vulnerability to gender-based violence, early and forced marriage and early pregnancy.
COVID-19 impacts will also have long term consequences. Globally, COVID-19-related education disruptions are projected to cost US$10 trillion – the equivalent of one tenth of global GDP – in lost future earnings of school-aged children and youth. The cost of learning loss for girls is even higher, because the benefits of educating girls – to individuals, families and nations – far outweigh the value of projected earnings.
Educating girls – getting them into school and ensuring they are learning in a safe environment – is transformative. There is overwhelming evidence that girls’ education unlocks a range of other benefits that accelerate social and economic development. As well as being more likely to participate in the formal labour market, earn higher incomes and reach leadership positions, women who have had access to more education are more financially literate and can be more empowered making decisions in their lives and communities – being better informed about nutrition and healthcare. These benefits can help lift communities out of poverty.
During the pandemic, we have seen governments across the Indo-Pacific adapt their education systems to deliver remote and blended learning. Australia has worked with countries across the region to help maximise the quality of teaching and learning under lockdowns, especially for vulnerable children.
There are strong examples of how governments regionally have adapted inclusive education delivery during the pandemic. Papua New Guinea has worked to ensure that girls are able to return safely and remain in secondary schools. This has included provision of gender sensitive learning materials as well as support to improve water and sanitation facilities and arrangements for menstrual hygiene. In the Philippines, teachers have adapted pedagogies for remote delivery, with a particular focus on the needs of girls and boys with disabilities.
Girls in Afghanistan have experienced multiple disruptions to their education, as a result of COVID-19, conflict and ongoing insecurity. Australia will continue to work with the United Nations and other partners in Afghanistan to advocate for girls’ right to stay in school, and to be free from violence and harmful practices, including early and forced marriage. Australia made a new pledge this year to the Global Partnership for Education, supporting the Girls’ Education Accelerator, which provides targeted financing and incentives for countries with the greatest levels of disparity for girls in access to basic education.
The initial findings from the Evidence Review are available on DFAT’s website. As a next step in our partnership, Kore Global will undertake an Indo-Pacific-focused evidence review, with deep dives on the impacts of COVID-19 on girls’ education and wellbeing in selected countries. Our objective is to understand the challenges and opportunities, so we can work with governments and development partners to target scarce resources to enhance girls’ education opportunities.
The benefits of girls’ education are clear. Inclusive access to education and learning – for all girls and boys – is critical. As we continue responding to the impacts of COVID-19, we have a unique opportunity to work alongside partners as they rebuild their education systems, including with digital tools, to ensure they work for girls and help prepare them for the future.
