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African First Ladies Discuss Girls' Education   
Sept. 19, 2006—First ladies and education ministers from more than a dozen sub-Saharan African nations gathered at the Sept. 19 Africa Education Forum for a frank discussion of the challenges in improving girls’ education in their countries. These African leaders noted that girls today are still less likely than boys to get a basic education in their nations, despite the fact that investing in girls’ education delivers huge returns not only for economic growth but also for the health and well-being of individual families. “Education for women and girls is the foundation of a modern society, a foundation for health, peace and democracy,” said First Lady Azeb Wxo. Mesfin of Ethiopia (pictured above). The forum was held in conjunction with the first ever White House Conference on Global Literacy hosted by U.S. President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the New York Public Library on Sept. 18. Leaders at the African Education Forum identified common challenges in keeping girls in school, especially at the onset of adolescence. Most noted that while their nations were doing better in getting girls into primary school, the largest gap in school enrollment for girls was in secondary school.
Families may also keep girls out of school to care for sick relatives or earn incomes, particularly in areas hit hard by poverty. And in the case of conflict-affected countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, families keep girls at home because of the threat of ongoing violence, according to Congo’s Education Minister Paul Musafiri Nalwango. CEDPA President Yolonda C. Richardson, an invited expert to the meeting, noted that a successful strategy implemented in countries including South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria has been to increase educational opportunities for girls through non-formal education programs. These programs reach girls who are not in school to build skills and confidence. Programs have been shown to increase literacy, life skills, decision making, health knowledge and self-esteem. (Read more about CEDPA’s approach to improving girls’ education.) The African Education Forum was sponsored by the U.S. State Department and included first ladies and high-level government representatives from countries including Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. |
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