By: Yann Doignon

New data webpages for 29 countries with thousands of education data points

Only few insiders know that the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is gathering vast amounts of data and education indicators from dozens of GPE developing-country partners. There are thousands of precious data points representing all aspects of a country’s education sector – unfortunately often buried in lengthy documents.

GPE is a unique partnership dedicated to getting all children into school for a quality education. To achieve education results, we rely on the expertise and support of a vast network of partners comprising developing countries and all development actors.

All these partners produce large amounts of all kinds of data traditionally presented in the usual panoply of education sector plans, joint sector reviews, aide memoires and financial reports. All too often, the data is stacked away in these reports and not easily accessible.

Comparing education results against national targets
This past year a small team from GPE, the World Bank Development Data Group (DECDG) and the aid data organization Development Gateway has worked hard to unearth this data and bring it back to light!

The GPE Open Data project provides instant access to 29 country profiles (with a second batch of 25 countries coming later this year) and presents data from a large variety of documents.

These country profiles are unique as they compare actual education results against national targets and reveal whether or not the government and GPE partners have made progress in getting more children into school, improving girls’ access to education, or increasing the number of teachers.

All indicators are thoroughly referenced and refer back to the original sources. Extensive notes and definitions also specify the context and, if applicable, the methodology used to capture the data.

You can browse 57 indicators in 6 education categories encompassing key elements of each country’s education sector, including domestic and external financing, learning outcomes and aid effectiveness indicators.

All data is freely accessible and currently downloadable in Excel or PDF formats. All data visualizations can be embedded and shared on a variety of social media channels.

GPE Open Data Project is an agent of change
By putting data out in the open, GPE partners signal how serious they are about meeting their commitments to ensure that education aid brings measurable results. Free use and distribution of data brings change and helps improve performance and inform decision-making. It is also a powerful incentive to strengthen national statistical systems as inconsistencies and data-deprived charts indicate information gaps and the need for country governments and their development partners to redouble their efforts to provide accurate data.

The GPE Open Data project is about encouraging and facilitating this ongoing dialogue among all education partners. Developing-country governments have played a central role in collecting and validating data with support from donor and CSO partners based in the country. This process ensures these countries use their national statistical capacity and provide data in line with their own education strategies.

There is no going back to old rules once the lid of the data box is cracked open. In the next year, GPE will continue to innovate and use open data to promote knowledge exchange among our partners. In the meantime, we invite you to visit our data goldmine and send us your feedback and suggestions.

This documentary film explores the importance of clean, hygienic toilets and safe drinking water in Indian schools to ensure that girls are empowered to exercise their right to education. It has been said that India is the open defaecation capital of the world, where people have more mobile phones than toilets. In the film, the non-profit organisation HEEALS (Health Education Environment and Livelihood Society) communicates about and advocates for the need to address the fact that only 44 per cent of schools in India have separate toilets for girls, and some schools only have a single toilet that is so unclean – and that carries not only the risk of disease but the risk of sexual harassment – that girls opt to drop out of school.

This is particularly the case with adolescent girls, who may lack access to a vending machine at school with sanitary napkins during menstruation. (According to HEEALS, there is a lack of knowledge among the girl community in rural areas about basic menstrual hygiene; the organisation is working to address this and the other issues highlighted in the film through its “Sanitation, Water, Girl Education & Menstrual Hygiene Awareness Project”.)

The 10-minute, 21-second documentary features some quotations from organisations like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) with data about the problem. Also, it includes the voices of many girls and women talking about their experiences at school (as students and teachers) with regard to sanitation and hygiene. Many discuss the importance of hygiene in the context of girls’ education; for example, teachers can spark behaviour change about sanitation if there are clean toilets, and a clean environment heightens awareness about sanitation amongst women and girls – in turn possibly leading them to push for change in their own neighbourhood and later, when they have children of their own. Suggestions include advocacy: demand that school authorities provide clean and separate toilets. There are also examples included of the work that HEEALS is undertaking to create awareness among students about why hygiene is so crucial; several events show girls speaking out in public fora about the importance of education for girls.

To learn more about HEEALS, please click here.

By Sumaya Saluja, Youth Advocacy Group member of the Global Education First Initiative

In December 2012, civil society, with the technical support of the United Nations began an intensive process of planning national consultations on the post-2015 agenda in both developed and developing countries. Nine global constituencies (civil society, women’s associations, industry, trade unions, farmers associations, research institutes, government, elected officials and youth) were tasked with carrying out countrywide discussions across the eleven thematic issue areas laid out by the United Nations:

1. Education
2. Health
3. Growth and employment
4. Environmental sustainability
5. Inequalities
6. Conflict and fragility
7. Food security and nutrition
8. Population dynamics
9. Governance
10. Water
11. Energy

In India, five region-based consultations for youth constituencies were carried out by the following youth-led organizations: Pravah, Josh, Restless Development and The YP Foundation. Together, these organizations reached 237 young people by February 2013. Given below is the process conducted by The YP Foundation, a youth-led organization based in New Delhi.

© The YP Foundation

The process of coming to consensus
The three day consultative process involved youth from different regions, sects, religions and castes coming together to give their input and analysis on the various thematic areas. The intention behind the consultation was to create a non-judgmental space for young people to discuss the different topics, ensure each participant understood the post-2015 process, discuss the context of other young people from across the country, and critically analyze their local realties.

Understanding the Millennium Development Goals
Many of the youth participants had never heard of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) before. In order to make the MDGs relatable to participants, the facilitators encouraged them to reflect on local, national and international events that have impacted their rights and opportunities available to different communities and individuals. Some of the Indian events mentioned included the 2002 India-Pakistan Partition Godhra Riots, India hosting the Common Wealth Games in 2010, the 2005 Right to Information Act and the 2009 Right to Education Act.

Identifying local/national events and linking them to the global environment laid the groundwork for understanding the role of the MDGs. It also facilitated a discussion on the implications of international charters and declarations from the United Nations and their effect on local realities.

Mapping young people’s levels of information
The youth were asked to identify, from the perspective of the Indian government, what the top 10 issues facing youth were. Issues of safety and security, gender, sexuality and disability emerged as strong and clearly defined themes.

The facilitators conducted an activity on understanding power and privilege to help participants build an analytical lens on how different identities give or take away access from individuals and communities. Participants were encouraged to shape their recommendations in light of these disparities. Activities included a mapping of the various contexts young people live in throughout India, taking into consideration environmental barriers and enablers such as access to education, economic opportunities, food security, health, and security (conflict and migration). As part of the discussion on the MDGs, youth were asked to think about what groups were left out of the original set of goals and to identify the implications of the MDGs on Indian policy.

The youth also created community relationship maps that identified current services available to youth, assessed the quality of service providers, identified barriers to access, and assessed community member attitudes. Most participants mentioned that services were available, but that many were of poor quality, with corruption being a major issue, especially with respect to education. Participants repeatedly stressed the importance of education and the need to revise the curriculum to make it more relevant. For each of the different thematic areas, the recommendations presented by youth were all linked to a broader need for education.

Youth recommendations
Despite technological advancements and increased exposure, youth continue to feel there is a lack of access to both information and services at the community level. They requested to be involved in decision-making processes, including the design, implementation and monitoring of programs in their communities, and to be engaged meaningfully in influencing decisions and polices that will ultimately impact their rights and lives.

Below are the collective recommendations for the post-2015 development agenda from 284 young people across India. There was overarching agreement across all thematic issues on the need for quality services, participation and inclusiveness.

1. Increase youth participation and leadership. Youth at the consultation recommend that young people be given leadership and participation opportunities beyond the Ministry of Sports alone, to which they are currently limited. The recommendations also include the need for a safe and non-judgmental enabling environment for young people to develop skills, take responsibility and access information and resources.
2. Ensure opportunities for growth and entrepreneurship with access to local and relevant opportunities. Youth also recommend increased access to financial support and mentorship.
3. Ensure accountable and responsive governance, where young people are engaged across all levels of design, implementation and monitoring.
4. Universal access to comprehensive, inclusive and relevant education from early childhood to higher education (currently the 2009 Right to Education Act in India only covers children ages 6 to 14). This includes access to comprehensive sexual education within and outside of the school context (the current Adolescent Education Program remains banned in 5 states).
5. Investment in, and the security of, young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights in and outside of the school context, especially for unmarried youth, youth with disabilities, and sex workers.
6. Access to youth friendly health services and counseling.
7. Reduced gender inequalities and gender-based violence by engaging adults, men and boys in prevention, and empowering girls and women. Youth also recommend acceptance for individuals with multiple gender identities and sexual orientations.
8. Scaled up comprehensive sexuality education through peer education programs in order to build young peoples’ ability to negotiate relationships, make informed choices regarding their health and bodies, reduce gender-based violence and discrimination, and increase their access to youth-friendly health service.

Like most processes, this consultation also had its limitations. Some of the challenges included creating common recommendations that were comprehensive and that responded to the needs and challenges mentioned by participants. Specific barriers the facilitators are still struggling with include: how to ensure the essence of the recommendations remain in tact once they are combined with regional, national or international youth recommendations; how to ensure the youth who attended the consultation continue to participate in the post-2015 process; to what degree can youth hold agencies accountable for including their recommendations? Additionally, while the intent during the process of consensus building was to ensure it was democratic and reflected the voices of all participants, it remained a challenge with consistent pressure to be concise.

Ultimately, the youth consultation that took place in India is just one of many similar consultations taking place throughout the world. These consultations are part of a considerate effort to ensure the voices of the global south – from youth to the disabled, minorities to women, and many more – have a valid and meaningful opportunity to
influence the next set of development goals.

A call to action to promote gender equality in education
This is a joint blog by Nora Fyles, Yona Nestel and Koli Banik

What are key challenges that prevent gender equality in education? What evidence do we need to make an investment case for girls’ education and gender equality – at the global and national level? What actions should be taken now to accelerate progress in the 1000 days left to the Millennium Development Goals deadline?

These were some of the questions discussed at the ‘gender equality in education’ roundtable held during the recent Learning for All Ministerial Meetings in Washington, DC. The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) and Plan International convened gender and girls’ education experts to discuss the emerging trends and challenges in girls’ education, progress made to date, and the necessary actions needed to achieve gender equity and equality in education in the run-up to the 2015 deadline of the Millennium Development Goals and beyond.

Nora Fyles, Head of the UNGEI secretariat, set the stage by assessing the trends and gaps in girls’ education in the 8 countries that participated in the Learning for All Ministerial Meeting: Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen.

“These countries have general strategies and/or policies in place on gender equality, and in most cases these include an education-specific policy on gender. But only a few of these countries have specific policies on girls’ education.” Fyles said. Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Sudan, for example, either have a policy or commitment on girls’ education planned or ‘in progress’. But there is insufficient evidence in terms of implementation of these policy commitments, and little if any reference on how these strategies will be funded.

Gender parity versus equality
In many of these countries, specific objectives for achieving gender equality were missing entirely from Education Sector Plans. In others, a narrow and unambitious articulation of gender equity goals meant issues of quality were falling off the track. It shouldn’t be a choice between parity and equality. Christine Beggs, Senior Education Advisor at USAID commented that one has to look beyond gender parity. “There is a need to examine gender equality, education opportunities, and learning outcomes. Also, what is enough? What should the global ask be?

“Is getting girls through lower secondary school enough, or should we be targeting secondary school completion and viable economic opportunities?”

Getting girls into secondary school and having them complete it is an issue in all of the 8 countries, except Bangladesh. There has been a successful expansion of primary education for girls. But a significant gender gap persists in secondary enrolment. In most countries, the transition between primary and secondary school sees girls’ enrolment drop sharply. Specific barriers, especially relevant to girls in the age and stage of adolescence are the biggest challenges to gender equality.

Barriers to adolescent girls
School related barriers faced by girls identified by the 8 countries are common across the developing world. These include fees and other direct costs, gender-based violence in and around the school, distance to schools, and the lack of trained female teachers. Other barriers have a direct impact on girls’ access to school and achievement in school lie outside of the school and the education system. Poverty, for example remains the primary reason why girls drop out of school. Girls from minority language groups, living in remote areas and girls with disabilities are also excluded in these countries as in many others. Early and forced marriage was also seen to be a particular issue with strong links to girls’ continued participation in school. In order to ensure girls succeed in school, these barriers need to be addressed through comprehensive, well-funded, policies and strategies. These strategies then need to be integrated into country Education Sector Plans.

For example, financial incentives for girls to attend and stay in schools have proven successful in many countries. Building new schools to reduce distance, improving toilet facilities, and sensitizing the larger community are other strategies that have shown to be effective. Sumaya Saluja, a Youth Advocate with the Global Education First Youth Advocacy Group added that, “There is evidence on the positive impact that comprehensive sexuality education has in engaging boys, empowering girls and raising awareness on issues of gender based violence, early and forced marriage and early pregnancy.”
“Much more needs to be done to ensure that education is truly gender transformative. Gender sensitive curricula and pedagogy and a focus on 21 century skills that support girls’ economic, social and civic aspirations are necessary” said Yona Nestel, Senior Education Advisor at Plan International Canada.

The ‘Call to Action’ for gender equality in education that was issued after the meeting puts forward a new standard for girls’ education, including a minimum of 1 year of early childhood education and a minimum of 9 years of primary and lower secondary school with opportunities for life-long learning. It calls for strategic efforts to combat gender-based violence including early and forced marriage and other forms of abuse faced by girls. The Call to Action also requested that the Special Envoy support the UN Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) and the Global Partnership for Education, with their partners, in working together to create a platform for advancing girls’ education.

No country should be left behind—the new standard is all girls learning and achieving in a safe and supportive learning environment.

By Blair Christie, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer & Worldwide Government Affairs, Cisco Systems

Girls and careers in information communications technology (ICT). A contradiction?

Unfortunately that is the case in so many classrooms and companies around the world. Teenage girls use computers and the Internet similar to boys — they text, they take pictures on their phones, yet they are five times less likely to consider a technology-related career. In fact, in the OECD countries, women account for less than 20 per cent of ICT specialists. Today, on International Girls in ICT Day, I’m wondering how we can reverse that trend.

Blair Christie talking to girls at Fairmont Heights High School ©Cisco/2013

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon at Fairmont Heights High School in Capitol Heights, Maryland. I had the privilege of talking to dozens of young women who are passionate about technology and are getting trained and certified in IT skills through Cisco’s Networking Academy program. I also met Ashley Covington, a Networking Academy graduate who is currently a systems administrator for the City of Baltimore public schools. Ashley told us that she loves her job and “I take pride in my data center.” That is music to my ears.

The program at Fairmont Heights is unprecedented with 50 per cent of participants being female compared to most programs with about 20 per cent female participation. These young women, ranging from 9th-12th grade, are gaining hands on experience and technology certificates that put them on par with, if not surpassing, some college graduates. They recognize that the world in front of them – their future – is about technology. They want to become 3-D animators, scientists and network designers. They want to be pioneers.

The challenge before us is to figure out how to inspire more young women like those as Fairmont Heights. The program at this school has flourished under the tutelage of a passionate young teacher, Mr. Cullen White, and under the leadership of Principal Nakia Nicholson. How do we recruit more young men and women into the education system so that kids can be exposed – and challenged – by people they can relate to? How do we use the success stories of women like Ashley to inspire other girls to enter a program like NetAcad? How do we get them to stay in?

International Girls Day in ICT is a good time to think about these questions. Today, Cisco is running local events at more than 80 offices around the world with senior executives and female employees. More than 1,000 girls of the age between 14-18 will visit our offices and see first-hand about the opportunities in front of them. Together, they will discuss how to enter a career in the ICT sector and why it is a good thing for women to think of technology as a key to their future career.

The young women I met yesterday told me that the NetAcad program is challenging their minds and broadening their horizons. When was the last time you heard a young women utter those words regarding science and technology? Hopefully with more instructors like Cullen White at schools like Fairmont Heights, we will get to a point where we no longer need “girls days” in the future. A future that includes a diverse workforce and girls flooding the market with skills in technology. After what I witnessed yesterday, I’m betting the next killer app might even be created by one of these girls.

By Monique Morrow, Distinguished Consulting Engineer, Cisco Systems

April 25 2013 is a super day for girls and women in technology and Cisco was very present! I am so energized by the fantastic people I met throughout the day commencing with a breakfast session Women2020 platform hosted by DIGITALEUROPE with the topic of Women In Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for Smart Growth of the pillars of the European 2020 Strategy.

The morning session included a panel chaired by Ms. Cheryl Miller, Founder of Women2020, and Dr.Hamadoun Toure’, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union; Ms. Eva Fabry, Director European Centre for Women and Technology; Ms. Marietje Schaake, member of the European Parliament for the Dutch Democratic Party; Dr. John Higgins, Director-General Digital Europe; Ms. Patricia Reilly Member of the Cabinet-Research, Innovation and Science; Ms. Linda Corugedo Steneberg, Director for Cooperation-DG Connect; Ms. Sabiine Everaet, CIO Europe Group at Coca Cola and a packed room of participants including myself.

Dr.Toure’ appealed to private-public sectors for a 50-50 aspirational target to include women in ICT. There was so much to say in such a short period of time from sustainable STEM education; to pipelining and retaining technical talent most notably women to values from the family that encourage young girls to pursue a technology career track. The group then moved to a location featuring a Brussels youth tech agora with robotics; using technology to create music and so on. European Union Vice President Neeli Kroes along with ITU’s Dr. Hamadoun Toure’ greeted the youth technologists.

Lunch featured the Tech for Girls winners where Cisco and Intel were sponsors. Cisco Belgium and Luxembourg Manager Pol Vanbiervliet presented the awards along with ITU’s Secretary General Hamadoun Toure’.

It should be stated that Cisco is a staunch supporter of Girls in ICT, an initiative of ITU (International Telecommunication Union). In 2010, ITU members agreed to organize Girls in ICT Days on the 4th Thursday of every April.

Cisco wants to encourage girls to consider ICT as a valuable career option.

Almost 80 Cisco offices in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas joined initiative this year to run local programs under the global ITU umbrella.

Additionally, Cisco’s Network Academy is doing a fantastic job with its flagship program in training young men and women globally. Cisco Networking Academy is the world’s largest classroom: with more than 1 million students participating in the program at present.

The afternoon session at the EU Parliament included members from the parliament along with EU Vice President Neelie Kroes, ITU’s Dr. Hamadoun Toure’ and participants from private industry.

I presented in the first panel entitled “Women in ICT Careers: How to Explore Female Talent?”

Other panel members included Ms. Gianna Martinengo, President of DidaelKTS and President of Women and Technology and Ms. Sakia Van Uffelen, CEO at Bull and CSB Consulting, and Digital Champion for Belgium.

The emphasis indeed is that we do have a way to go in order to not only attract BUT to retain women in technology.

Why is this topic so important?

The top jobs of the future: What will be the hottest jobs of the 21st century; which jobs will be most in demand in 10, or 15 years time?

Hybrid jobs: combine ICT with business in every imaginable field

Examples for hybrid jobs: bioengineering, power grid informatics, digital media, social and mobile application development, telemedicine, remote learning systems, developing smart applications for buildings, transport, energy or production.

New job profiles: business analyst, data scientist and so on…

The second panel entitled, “Nourishing the Pipeline: ICT Skills for ICT Jobs” included Ms Kicki Stridh, Board Member, the European Association for Women In Science, Engineering and Technology Sweden; Ms Ruthe Farmer, Director of Strategic Initiatives, National Centre for Women and IT; Ms. Donna Metzlar, Community Advocate, The Genderchangers, and Ms, Nidhi Tandon, Principal Consultant and Trainer, Networked intelligence. The message was clear: Girls when given the confidence to do so can and do pursue technical careers.

The afternoon ended with a live video exchange with Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook and a few members from the Parliament.

I have always advocated walking the talk and remember: “If YOU can’t see it, YOU can’t be it!”

By Chemba Raghavan, Regional Focal Point for the East Asia and Pacific Regional UN Girls’ Education Initiative

Last month, Dr. Cliff Meyers (UNICEF’s Regional Education Advisor) and I visited Papua New Guinea (PNG) as part of a country support mission. My role was to offer a regional perspective on gender in education and early childhood policies, initiatives and activities in the country.

Chemba with students from Gavuone Adventist Primary School. ©Chemba Raghavan

One of the most enriching parts of this trip was a visit we made to two schools in the Kupiano District of Central Province, a picturesque four-hour drive from Port Moresby. One school was a government school and the other is church run. In schools such as these, UNICEF is helping train teachers to run weekly child friendly school clubs. These clubs are supported by parents and community members.

The school clubs are particularly attractive to children because they are fun, relevant and help build children’s skills. As I chatted with the school administrators I saw that these clubs had great potential to bring children currently not in school back into the education system.

As the UNGEI Regional Focal Point, I was also looking around me with a “gender lens”. This made me more aware of the potential of school clubs to promote gender equality. At Gavuone Primary School it was heartening to see both boys and girls taking part in the Creative Arts club, and to see girls participating actively in the carpentry club – a stereotypically masculine profession. The cooking club was also run by a male teacher. Nonetheless, as in many other countries, cooking remained a favorite activity for the girls while boys opted for fishing.

Students from the farming club give Cliff a coconut sapling to plant as a gesture of collaboration between UNICEF and Gavuone Adventist Primary School. ©Chemba Raghavan

It occurred to me that, while these clubs can provide a context for promoting gender equality, they also involve the notion of choice. The challenge for UNICEF is to work out how to develop the clubs and use them as a strong medium for dialogue on gender equality without preventing children from choosing the activities that they find most interesting and relevant.

Many of us living in industrialized countries take school clubs for granted. It’s easy to view them as an extra-curricular luxury. Yet, particularly in the contexts of disadvantaged remote areas, and for marginalized groups such as ethno-linguistic minorities, investing in low cost programmes like school clubs can boost student motivation, community involvement and create a pressure-free environment for children to pursue their talents. They can also serve as a powerful platform for advancing gender equality in education.

By Jessica Aumann, Communications Officer, East Asia and Pacific Regional UNGEI

Women take part in the One Billion Rising flash mob in Bangkok ©UNICEF EAPRO/2013/Jessica Aumann

Jessica Aumann, Communications Officer for the UN Girls Education Initiative, attends a commemoration of International Women’s Day in Bangkok and dances in a flash mob as part of the One Billion Rising movement to end violence against women.

A year ago I swapped British drizzle for a country famous for its mythical beaches, golden temples and delicious street-food – Thailand. With all that in mind I was expecting to have a good time. What I hadn’t expected was how safe I would feel here. A huge reason for this is that it feels so easy to be a woman. At home in London, and when travelling to other parts of the world, I take it for granted that I will need to fend off sexual aggression from men. Here, it just doesn’t seem to happen.

Since coming to Thailand I have worked for the United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) – a network that promotes gender equality in education. This has given me a greater insight into some of the issues people face in this region and challenged my perceptions.

Gender inequalities and gender-based violence persist here, as they do around the world. According to World Bank data, women aged 15-44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, car accidents, war and malaria. In East and Southeast Asia, UNWomen has found that domestic violence and marital rape, child marriages, and trafficking in women and girls are widespread issues.

On 8 March 2013, I attended the Asia-Pacific Commemoration of International Women’s Day at the UN Conference Centre where I heard powerful stories from survivors of violence. These women got up in front of an imposing audience and spoke about rape, forced sterilisation, and exploitation as domestic workers. As one speaker noted, this is the reality check.

In the evening I danced in a flash mob organised as part of the phenomenal ‘One Billion Rising’ movement to end violence against women. One Billion Rising has been described by founder Eve Ensler as: “a call for the one billion women and all the men who love them to walk out of their jobs, schools, offices, homes…and strike, rise and dance!”

The movement has created a song and easy-to-learn dance, and on V-Day (Valentine’s Day) 2013 it staged dance events around the world drawing huge numbers of people. In Bangkok, the rising was extended to International Women’s Day. Check out this video!

Violence against women and girls happens everywhere. It’s appalling, and opposition to it unites women and men across the world. We saw this in the international outcry following the shooting of Malala Yousafzai for demanding girls’ education in Afghanistan, and again in the mass demonstrations following the brutal rape and murder of Jyoti Singh in Delhi last year. A global movement has been re-ignited. We’ve seen it once again in the success this year of One Billion Rising.

The Twenty-first Century is going to be the Asian century. Maybe it’s also going to be the century for women.

International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March 2013. This year’s theme is ‘action to end violence against women’. UNICEF’s gender specialist for East Asia and the Pacific, Chemba Raghavan, explains what this means for girls and women in the region.

Earlier this year, I read an interview with a secondary school girl about her experiences commuting to school in rural Uganda. Her message has stayed with me, as an example of the “everyday” reality of violence in girls’ lives.

Interviewer: What is the biggest problem or difficulty that you have in your life right now?
Student: The biggest problem–is these men who disturb us–begging for sex when walking to school.

Around the world today, International Women’s Day, attention is focused on the issue of violence against women and girls, the theme of the 57th Commission on the Status of Women. For millions of girls worldwide, violence is more than the “topic of the day,” it is part of their everyday reality. Girls face violence and discrimination due to their sex and age, in many contexts, including on the way to school, in the school yard, and in the classroom.

There is no doubt that gender-based violence is a major and critical barrier threatening the education of girls in many countries of the world, with far reaching consequences: poor performance, irregular attendance, dropout, truancy and low self-esteem not to mention physical harm and pregnancy. In a consultation jointly hosted by UNGEI, UNICEF and the Ethiopia Ministry of Education, participants reported on issues faced by girls. One country representative reported that, “Girls at secondary education levels increasingly face sexual violence including forced marriage, abduction and sexual exploitation, taking advantage of the fact that girls have limited financial and material means.”

Surprisingly, given the impact of violence, school-related gender-based violence is often unremarked upon and taken for granted. Thus, one of the biggest challenges is to recognize that social norms prevent girls from attending school in a safe environment, and to place girls’ education within the broader discourse of women’s rights.

Focus on Girls in GPE’s Strategic Plan
The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) has drawn up a Strategic Plan for 2012-2015 which provides an opening for dialogue and action by focusing on girls’ access to and achievement through school, including schools as safe spaces for girls. The GPE Plan identifies five thematic priorities, including one relating to girls, which states: “All girls in GPE endorsed countries successfully complete primary school and go to secondary school in a safe, supportive learning environment”.

For UNGEI, this is a transformative statement which:

• Recommits the Partnership to an agenda of equity and rights;
• Defines quality education as a safe and supportive environment for learning, and recognizes the potential (and the reality) of the opposite: violence, including gender-based violence; and
• Puts forward a new vision of education that includes adolescent girls and their social context.

GPE proposes a holistic approach, with a focus on gender responsive education sector plans, strategies to ensure school safety and supportive learning for girls, including female teachers, the collection of evidence and sharing of good practice, and the tracking of enrolment, progress and learning of primary and lower secondary girls.

It is this country-led and holistic approach to ensure that schools are safe and supportive spaces that will allow girls to become advocates for their own rights.

Plan International Report: Education Reduces Violence Against Women
We know that education can serve a protective role for girls and young women by making them aware of and confident to exercise their rights. A recent report by Plan International indicates that women who are educated to secondary level or higher are less likely than their non-educated or primary-educated counterparts to experience violence, and men who are educated to secondary level or higher are less likely than their non-educated or primary-educated counterparts to perpetuate violence.

This blog post originally appeared in the Education for All Blog of the Global Partnership for Education.