Gender equality in basic education Posted on June 25, 2010 at 10:54:57 PM by mb3
Gender equality in basic education
(UNESCO) The present “UNESCO Working Document: Gender Equality in Basic Education” lays down a strategic framework for the actions that UNESCO will took in its contribution to the United Nations Ten-Year Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI). 48 p.
C o n c e p t u a l frame work
Removing gender discrimination in basic education constitutes a non-negligible enabling factor for socio-economic and political development, and for women’s participation in social, economic and political life. Studies have shown , for example, that women with a few years of schooling are better workers than those without any formal
education, in agriculture and in various other economic fields. Many governments now support women’s basic education in order to foster economic growth, to fight diverse forms of economic polarization between rich and poor, or to eliminate poverty. It is by now widely recognized that investment in girls’ and women’s basic education has also positive impact on wider social development, inclusive of increased family income, reduced fertility rates, reduced infant and maternal mortality rates, and better family health and nutrition. Basic education, furthermore, gives girls and women the tools they need to move from exclusion to full participation in society. It prompts women to engage in community affairs and enables them to take action for the benefit of their communities. It is a precondition for the effective exercise of women’s human and legal rights and responsibilities. Basic education indeed empowers entire nations, because educated citizens have the skills to make democratic institutions function effectively.