Girls’ and Women’s Education
Africa Teachers Report on Girls’ Education (jointly with AU/CIEFFA)
In sub-Saharan Africa, just over two-thirds of girls complete their primary education and four in ten complete lower secondary education. More needs to be done to improve educational opportunities for girls, which would help end child marriage and boost countries’ economic development. The first part of this study updates and expands for a much larger number of countries a previous investment case on the benefits of educating girls and ending child marriage. The second part looks at the role of teachers and school leaders in improving learning outcomes and educational attainment for girls. While the literature emphasizes economic incentives for adolescent girls to remain in school, it is also important to note that: (1) Lack of learning is a key factor leading to drop-out in primary and lower-secondary school; (2) Teachers and school leaders are key to improving learning, but new approaches are needed for pedagogy in the classroom and for training teachers and school leaders; and (3) Nationally, professional standards and competencies for teachers and school leaders are also required. These three simple facts call for investing in teachers and school leaders, especially women, to improve education for girls and end child marriage. Highlights.
IICBA Support for the 1st Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education
The African Union’s International Center for Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) organized from July 2-5, 2024, the 1st Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education. With funding from the Government of Japan, IICBA provided financial support for the conference and contributed to three plenary sessions and three breakout sessions. As part of the preparations for the conference, two videos were created with interviews of girls across Africa. Both videos are available here.
Gender-Responsive Pedagogy eLearning Course (jointly with FAWE and UNICEF)
FAWE, UNESCO IICBA, and UNICEF are making available a new free self-paced eLearning course on Gender-Responsive Pedagogy (GRP) for teachers, school leaders, and other individuals interested in this topic. GRP aims to equip teachers and school leaders with knowledge, skills, and attitudes to empower them to respond adequately to the learning needs of girls and boys through using gender-aware classroom processes and practices. Teaching quality has a significant impact on academic access, retention, and performance. Yet many teachers in Africa, conditioned by male-dominated values in their communities, employ teaching methods that do not provide equal opportunity to participation for girls and boys. Neither do these methods account for the individual needs of learners, especially girls. Based on a model originally designed by FAWE, this new self-paced eLearning course was designed jointly by FAWE, UNESCO IICBA, and UNICEF to train teachers to be more gender aware and equip them with the skills they need to understand and address the specific learning needs of both sexes. The course proposes teaching practices that engender equal treatment and participation of girls and boys in the classroom and in the wider school community. The course consists of two modules: Module 1: Teaching and Learning; and Module 2: Gender-based violence.
Capacity-building of Teachers to Promote Education for Girls in West Africa (jointly with AU/CIEFFA)
Countries in West Africa are amongst those that have the largest gender disparities in enrolment in school and completion at different levels. The region has also been affected by conflicts and violent extremism in recent years, as well as by the effects of climate change, all of which threaten education systems and girls’ education especially. The role of teachers is fundamental to improving educational outcomes for girls, but this role is often underplayed in policy discussions. Much of the literature and policy advice focuses on interventions to keep girls in school at the upper secondary level. What is also needed and could have a larger impact at a lower cost is improving learning in basic education while also tackling patterns of gender inequality in schools. Better teaching, gender-responsive pedagogy, and more qualified female teachers and heads of schools are all pressingly needed.
With funding from the Government of Japan, this project intends to contribute to accelerating efforts required to achieve education targets, particularly in terms of gender equality through quality and safe learning environments in seven countries mostly in West Africa, namely Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Nigeria. The objective is to support the professional development of teachers, including contract teachers, and promote continuous and inclusive access to safe and quality education for children and adolescents of school age, with a focus on girls especially. The project will enhance the capacity of existing teacher training institutions in the target countries by (1) upgrading their facility (especially with the use of ICTs); and (2) providing training and resources (including in-person, virtual, and hybrid training and courses). This will strengthen pre-service training and continuous professional development and upscale the qualifications of teachers. The project will be implemented among other partners with the African Union International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) which champions the #AfricaEducatesHer campaign within the African Union architecture.
Creating Safer, More Supportive, and More Resilient Learning Environments amidst Security Crises
The surge in violent incidents, threats, and displacement is a serious concern in the Sahel and several Central and East African countries. The situation has deteriorated rapidly in recent months with the conflict in Sudan and increasing armed group activities in the Sahel. Multiple countries including immediate neighbors are experiencing among others an influx of displacement, an increase in violent incidents, and threats to schools and teachers, which add pressure to already strained education systems. To respond to and mitigate the negative impact brought about by the emerging situation, education systems need to be strengthened so they can fulfil their role of protecting, caring for, and empowering learners including those in vulnerable situations.
With funding from the Government of Japan, this project seeks to create safer, more supportive, and more resilient learning environments amidst security crises in the Sahel, Central, and East African regions by strengthening education systems and teachers’ preparedness to safeguard school-age children’s right to education and their positive development. For the one-year project period, this initiative intends to work closely with the Ministries of Education, teacher training institutions in target countries, and other implementing partners to (1) diagnose urgent needs and possible measures to enhance school safety; and (2) provide capacity enhancement training for (among others) education officials, school leaders, teacher educators, preand in-service teachers, and volunteer teachers to safeguard education in adverse contexts. The initiative will be implemented with various partners, including JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and AU/CIEFFA (AU International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa) for policy directions and sustainability.
Community of Practice on Gender-Responsive Education
With funding from Global Partnership for Education and Canada’s IDRC, IICBA has organized since November 2023 a community of practice on gender-responsive education. Apart from focal points under the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) Africa 19 Hub, AU/CIEFFA staff and Ministry focal points also engaged in the Community of Practice, both as participants and presenters. This included a presentation by Ms. Esther Akumu Achire, the Director General for Gender Equity and Inclusion at the Ministry of General Education and Instruction in South Sudan. Ms. Achiere explained how cash transfers incentivized girls from primary five to senior four to enroll and remain in school. Materials from AU/CIEFFA were shared as key resources to participants in the Community of Practice, with additional presentations among others from Ms. Rosette Nanyanzi of the Gender and Equity Budgeting Unit at the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda, Ms. Martha Kalumbi, Principal Gender & Development Officer at the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare in Malawi, and Ms. Phyllis Sekunda Mavindu, Assistant Director Education, Ministry of Education, Kenya.
Collaboration with the African Union
IICBA has expanded its collaboration with the African Union in a range of areas, including girls’ and women’s education. For example, IICBA staff have participated in multiple events organized by AU/CIEFFA in the last year and a half, including the High-Level Dialogue organized in Addis Ababa
in 2023, sessions at the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women in both 2023 and 2024, trainings for AU/CIEFFA focal points in Uganda and Côte d’Ivoire in 2023 and 2024, and a wide range of webinars. Similarly, AU/CIEFFA staff have participated to multiple events organized by UNESCO IICBA, including the 2022 and 2023 GPE-KIX (Knowledge and Innovation Exchange) Research Symposia and the KIX Community of Practice on gender started at the end of 2023. For the KIX Symposia, AU/CIEFFA staff helped conduct the peer review for the selection of the papers for the symposia and made several presentations themselves. As another example of collaboration, IICBA supported the 1st Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education held in Addis Ababa in July 2024. This support has included (i) financial contributions for AU/CIEFFA consultants, conference costs, and travel for some participants; (ii) the organization of various plenaries and breakout sessions or side events; and (iii) analytical work together with other partners towards an African Union report on the status of girls’ education in Africa.
