Of girls education, health

Educating girls creates benefits for the whole nation. There is an overwhelming body of evidence that educating girls and women produces positive outcomes for all society such as reducing child and maternal mortality, reducing poverty and improving health.

The good news is that today, more girls are in primary school than ever before. But that does not mean the work of educating girls is finished.

Globally, 57 million children of primary school age do not go to school, 31 million are girls. In Malawi, only 45 percent of all children complete primary school and for girls, it is only 31 percent.

This is not only a clear violation of every child’s right, it is also bad economics. Educating girls is the single most powerful investment for the development of nations including Malawi.

Educated young women are less likely to marry young or die in childbirth, more likely to send their children to school, and better able to protect themselves and their children from malnutrition, HIV and Aids, trafficking and sexual exploitation.

An educated girl has better opportunities, as she is more likely to get a job and earn a higher wage, and her nation’s economy will benefit from it. One percentage point increase in female education raises the average level of gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.3 percentage points.

It is, therefore, critical—and to everyone’s benefit—to ensure that girls are able to attend school and receive a quality education.

Getting girls to school is just a first step. We must also make sure they stay in school, learn and complete their education. In Malawi, boys outnumber girls by around 2:1 in upper secondary school. Challenges such as lack of funds for school fees, early marriages and pregnancies as well as violence in schools are a real threat to the right of education for girls.

We must join our hands and put in place innovative actions for zero tolerance to early marriages and zero tolerance to violence in schools. Joint advocacy for the passing of the draft Marriage Bill is being supported and facilitated by the UN system together with key civil society organisations. The draft Marriage Bill which proposes raising the age of marriage to 18 years must be passed without further delay and punishment for the perpetrators of violence against girls in school must be ensured throughout the system.

Innovative solutions are in front of us and we should enhance them further. This can mean solutions as simple as finding creative transportation for girls to get to school.

The UN is providing support at various levels such as the Joint Programme on Adolescent Girls which is making a difference to girls’ lives in Malawi. Working together, Unicef, UNFPA and WHO are providing a holistic programme to girls in Mangochi and Chikhwawa. For example, through girls’ youth clubs, scholarship beneficiaries have access to information on sexual and reproductive health services and HIV prevention.

Through the UK DfID’s ‘Keeping Girls in School’ project, a wide range of partners are working together to address the large numbers of dropouts, such as building gender sensitive toilets and providing sanitary napkins for girls in order to reduce their monthly absences from school.

But the most important innovation of all is engaging young people themselves as an important catalysing force.  Girls and boys need to be at the centre of the solution making and implementation and this requires continuous training and support.

In short, if we, in Malawi, are serious about educating girls, then everyone must be willing to do things differently. To try new things, invest in what works and harness innovations that energise fresh, creative, effective and efficient solutions, especially those involving young people.

Only by doing so can we give girls—along with all community members—an education that prepares them for the challenges of the 21st century.

The author is the UN resident representative