Every Girls Right to an Education

By: Lauren Fenenbock

Figure 1. A girl in school in Kenya. Credit: J.

Otieno/UNESCO EFA Report, 2015. Retrieved
from
http://www.ungei.org/news/index_5963.html

Although education is widely viewed as a

basic human right, many children around the
world still do not have access to it. In places such
as sub-Saharan Africa, the quality of the
education that is available to children is
lackluster. To make matters even worse, fewer
than one in five girls in sub-Saharan Africa
attend secondary school (Gibbs, 2011, para. 3). It
does not matter if the student is a boy or a girl,
greater access to education helps to ensure a
higher quality of life for all (Gallagher, 2015,
para. 4).

I believe that governments need to make sure that all students have access to
free, quality education. Expanding childrens access to education is one of the best ways
to break the endless cycle of poverty. Therefore, governments need to invest more
money into their educational infrastructures. By investing in education in sub-Saharan
Africa, girls are more likely to marry four years later, less likely to die in
pregnancy/childbirth, more likely to have an average of 2.2 fewer children, more likely
to have healthier children, and more likely to send their children to school (Women
Deliver, 2014).
Government officials should not blindly dictate the rules and regulations on the
future of education. Instead of designing a nationwide implementation plan on how to
improve and expand
access to education,
government leaders
should first consult with
local pre-existing
institutions, like chiefs,
schools, churches, and
mosques whom already
have a strong foothold
within the community
(Shapiro, 2015, p. 2).
These local entities know
the specific needs of their
own communities and
are better able to solve
the problems that impact Figure 2. A schoolgirl solving a problem on a chalkboard. Credit: I. Sanogo via
Getty Images. Retrieved from
local children.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/22/women-world-waterday_n_6910758.html?utm_hp_ref=world&ir=WorldPost

Although lack
of money is the main
reason girls are
unable to attend
school in subSaharan Africa, there
are many other
factors that come into
play. Some of the
factors that prevent
girls from attending
school include:
distances from
school, school safety,
child marriage,
gender bias within
the culture, lack of
sanitation facilities,
and political or ethnic
violence. While it is
extremely important
to respect the
traditions and beliefs
of the local culture,
teachers and
community leaders
need to extoll the
benefits of education
to parents. Girls
enrollment in school
will not increase
unless parents
understand the
benefits education
provides for their
daughters and their
families.

Figure 3. Invest in girls education. Credit: Women Deliver, 2014. Retrieved from
http://www.womendeliver.org/knowledge-center/facts-figures/girls-education/

As you read this, you might be thinking to yourself, why should I care if a girl in
sub-Saharan Africa is able to receive an education? Or what does this topic have to do
with me? As Americans lucky enough to be born in a prosperous democracy, it is our
duty as citizens of the world to help advocate for those who are unable to advocate for
themselves. There are many easy ways to help advocate for girls access to education in
sub-Saharan Africa. One option is to write a letter to your Senator or Congressman
requesting them to support the continuation of educational funding to sub-Saharan
African countries through the United Nations and/or direct aid. Another option is to

sign an online petition. One.org is currently collecting signatures for their Poverty is
Sexist campaign at http://www.one.org/us/take-action/poverty-is-sexist/.
Change will not happen overnight, but each small step towards providing greater
access to education worldwide is a step in the right direction. After all, who doesnt want
every child to be able to receive an education?

References
Gallagher, B. (2015, April 22). Shaping a post-2015 global education agenda
[Web log]. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/briangallagher/shaping-a-post2015-global-education-agenda-_b_7109612.html
Gibbs, N. (2011, February 14). To fight poverty, invest in girls. Time. Retrieved
from http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2046045,00.html
Goldberg, E. (2015, March 22). The water crisis creates a gender rights problem.
Heres whos solving it. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/22/women-world-waterday_n_6910758.html?utm_hp_ref=world&ir=WorldPost
Otieno, J. (2015). A girl in school in Kenya [Photograph]. Retrieved from
http://www.ungei.org/news/index_5963.html
Shapiro, J. (2015, February 27). To fix U.S. schools, consider Camfeds work in
sub-Saharan Africa. Forbes. Retrieved from http://onforb.es/1DYT9v7
Women Deliver. (2014). [Info graphic designed from UNESCO (2013, 2012), Girls Not
Brides (2013), and PMNCH (2013) source material.] Invest in girls education.
Retrieved from http://www.womendeliver.org/knowledge-center/factsfigures/girls-education/