equity acceleration

Volume 6 Issue 1, 2003 GIRLS’ EDUCATION ACCELERATION STRATEGY In This Issue: A new look for the Education Update. Articles on how to accelerate progress for girls’ education. Feature countries include Afghanistan, Eritrea, Kenya, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Turkey. Education Update MAKING WAVES WITH GIRLS’ EDUCATION Cream Wright Chief, Education Section UNICEF New York I n recent years there have been exciting developments in the form and substance of what we do in girls’ education, as well as in the rationale for giving top priority to this area. As such, UNICEF and its partners can seriously talk, in a positive sense, of “making waves” in development thinking with girls’ education! If we consider girls’ education as a major innovation, we need to be aware of at least three critical things that scholars of innovation generally agree on. First, innovations do not work unless you can shake up the status quo….. hence we hear a lot about thinking outside the box and not doing business as usual (is there a danger these might become status quo rhetoric?). Second, an innovation can change in quite unexpected ways (good and bad) as new supporters and enthusiasts get on board and make it their own…..we need to embrace the visionaries and be mindful of the “crazies”! Third, those who innovate should not be taken in by acclaim and cannot afford to rest on their laurels….as with riding a tiger, once you get on top you need to stay on top and keep going. Long ago, the American educator and curriculum innovator Jerome Brunner cautioned that acclaim is difficult to cope with if you have serious business in mind….for once something has been acclaimed, it can then be dismissed in a noble way. We cannot change the world with girls’ education simply by making it this year’s headline and then watch it disappear into the foot notes and off the pages of history. UNICEF/HQ98-1084/ GIACOMO PIROZZI Making waves; worthwhile learning can transform lives. With these three cautionary notes in mind, let me share some thoughts on the vision of girls’ education as an innovation and on the strategy for accelerating progress towards the gender-related MDGs and EFA goals. You recall that these call for elimination of gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005. tion. This gender disadvantage is sufficiently systematic to be regarded as a denial of the right that girls (and indeed all children) have to a quality basic education…..it is a violation of the inherent compact that exists between Governments and their citizens, and between parents and their children. When we advocate for the rights of girls to basic education we are in fact advocating for the rights of all children (both boys and girls), but in a manner that highlights the fact that girls tend to be more disadvantaged than boys. The innovative dimension of these rights arguments for girls’ education is that they shift the emphasis from the economics of scarce resources that need to be efficiently distributed, to one of a moral imperative relating to good governance and social justice. In practice this means that the economics of resource distribution needs to be continued on page 4 It is critical to target girls as a means of leveraging success for all boys and girls The first set of arguments for prioritising girls’ education cluster around treating it as a rights issue. These arguments typically centre on the fact that it is fundamentally unfair and unacceptable that in so many countries girls/women are consistently and persistently disadvantaged when it comes to access, completion and performance in quality basic educa- ACCELERATING PROGRESS FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION In This Issue FROM THE EDITORS Noala Skinner and Ellen van Kalmthout 1 Making Waves With Girls’ Education From the Editors Kenya: Free Primary Education Monitoring Learning Achievement in Eritrea Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools In Brief 2 3 T 6 8 he first issue of the 2003 Education Update focuses on UNICEF’s girls’ education acceleration strategy. The strategy was launched by the Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, in Tanzania in December 2002. It was first formulated by Cream Wright as a vision of how the organisations should work with governments, civil society, and the private setor to ensure a partnership that helps countries achieve gender equality as a part of the Millennium Development Goals and Education for All. This edition of the Update gives a flavour of how the acceleration strategy is coming to life at country and regional level. It also illustrates, through practical country examples from Kenya and Myanmar, that the reach of the acceleration strategy is not restricted to the 25 countries selected for the first phase of implementation. In the leading article, Cream Wright talks about “making waves” with girls’ education. He captures the mood of the acceleration strategy and shares his thoughts on the vision of girls’ education as an innovation, and on the strategies for accelerating progress towards the 2005 gender parity goal. The concept of “education on the move” is echoed in Patricia Moccia’s description of ongoing communication efforts around the acceleration strategy and Kathryn Rulon’s account of education in Afghanistan. Kamal Kamaluddin writes about the extraordinary events following the declaration of Free Primary Education in Kenya earlier this year and UNICEF’s role in providing a rapid response to the flood of excitement and action around primary education, and we have details of the launches and new strategies in Turkey and Pakistan. Sheila Wamahiu also describes the recent West Africa workshop on sector investments in girls’ education. This workshop was the first in a new series of Trends, Options and Priorities (TOPs) in Education and was followed in August by a second workshop to build capacity in the organisation to deal with Sector Wide Approaches (SWAps) as well as mainstreaming and scaling up in the education sector. One of the key pillars of the acceleration strategy is promoting an intersectoral approach to girls’ education. As the lead article states: “The experience of UNICEF and other partners indicates that addressing girls’ education barriers entails giving serious attention to a wide range of concerns that are not typically dealt with in the education sector”. Lizette Burgers and Vanessa Tobin of the Water, Environment and Sanitation Section describe the existing School Sanitation and Hygiene Education programme and use some of the key principles of the girls’ education acceleration strategy to articulate future plans for water and sanitation interventions. Lyn Henderson describes an exciting new initiative in Myanmar to promote healthy living and HIV/AIDS prevention through schoolbased activities. The Education Update has changed its look, but we hope not too much of its feel! We have introduced a few new features, including an Education Directory, and “Voices in Education”. At this time of change, there is also a chance for reflection. In her interview with Aster Haregot, Elaine Furniss, a former editor of the Update reflects upon her own professional transition towards applying a gender lens to all aspects of her work, including the pioneering expanded definition of quality. The acceleration strategy builds on the wealth of experience that UNICEF has generated in girls’ education over the years, complements the overall strategies of the Medium Term Strategic Plan and has helped to create an exciting “buzz” around girls’ education. We hope you enjoy this edition of the Update and look forward to your feedback. The next issue will deal with Education in Emergencies. ■ 9 10 Voices in Education: Interview with Elaine Furniss 11 Myanmar: School-Based Healthy Living and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Programme (SHAPE) 12 Communication Initiatives for Girls’ Education 13 Pakistan: Building on Lessons Learned and Accelerating Progress 14 Workshop: Addressing Gender and Other Disparities 15 Turkey: Launch of the Girls’ Education Campaign 16 Education Directory 18 Education Digitally 18 Education Resources 20 Afghanistan: Education On The Move 2 KENYA FREE PRIMARY EDUCATION A means to achieve universal access Kamal Kamaluddin, Education Officer, UNICEF Kenya J anuary 2003 marked a new chapter of hope and aspiration in the history of Kenya. The new Government’s bold political decision to make primary education free triggered unprecedented enthusiasm and excitement in Kenya and beyond. Over the last decade, primary education has been characterised by declining access, low retention and low completion rates. Widespread poverty, “unattractive” classrooms, old fashioned and gender-insensitive teaching-learning methods, inadequate teaching-learning materials and the absence of a teacher support system contributed to the poor quality of education. The situation was exacerbated by low teacher morale and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The Free Primary Education (FPE) initiative offered a challenge and opened a window of opportunity for disadvantaged and excluded children, especially girls. When the school year began on 6 January 2003, an estimated 6 million children returned to school. An additional 1.5 million children sought first time admission. These included streetchildren, children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, girls and youth-most seeking entry in grade one. UNICEF has supported the government’s FPE initiative through (i) advocacy and technical assistance through the National Task Force, and (ii) the launch of a rapid educational response in nine selected UNICEF-assisted districts, in partnership with other stakeholders. UNICEF interventions have included: • Development of a rapid response plan with the Ministry of Education; • Support from UNICEF New York, including an allocation of US$1.6 million by the Executive Director; • Formation of an internal taskforce to co-ordinate the rapid response; UNICEF/HQ96-1430/ GIACOMO PIROZZI Free primary education is opening up new possibilites throughout Kenya. • Appointment of UNICEF as member of the National Taskforce to identify strategies and provide technical assistance; • Provision of basic school materials and recreation kits to over 500 public schools in three districts. Distribution is underway in another six districts where the African Girls Education Initiative (AGEI) is being implemented; • Supply of construction materials for the rehabilitation of 200 additional classrooms for new school entrants, with active support and contribution from partners and communities; • Training of 3,500 primary school teachers and 1,500 head-teachers, educational administrators and community leaders in 9 districts in May. The training assisted teachers to create “stimulating classrooms” and provide child- and learning-friendly and gender-responsive environments; • Provision of learning opportunities for street-children and orphans in urban areas, with support from British Airways and the Swedish Committee for UNICEF; • Collaboration with the Ministry of Education to develop a public education strategy on FPE. UNICEF was the first to respond, which provided huge encouragement to Government. Media coverage made UNICEF “a friend in need” of Kenya and an example to others. The visit of UNICEF’s Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, and the Chief of the Education Section, Cream Wright, bolstered UNICEF’s image as a true partner. The World Bank, DFID, SIDA and the Government of Norway followed suit and pledged financial support. UNICEF’s technical assistance and advocacy ensured that the National Taskforce report included issues such as education of girls, street children, orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, children with disabilities, life skills, water and sanitation — along with a strategy to develop ‘school-clusters’ and stimulating classrooms with low-cost teaching aids. The Government is scaling up this approach in other districts. The school-cluster approach has generated enthusiasm among teachers, educational managers, teacher educators, community leaders, political leaders and senior government officials. Mobilisation of stakeholders and dutybearers forged effective partnerships and is generating local resources to improve physical facilities. Girls’ education in Kenya is on the move! ■ 3 ACCELERATING PROGRESS FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION MAKING WAVES WITH GIRLS’ EDUCATION continued from page 1 mediated by rights considerations, such that Governments do not put parents in a situation where they have to make difficult choices about sending some children to school and keeping others away because of school fees and other costs. In other words, Governments have an obligation to ensure that every child has access to (and is able to complete) a defined cycle of quality basic education without cost impediments....free education in most cases. This obligation should be reflected in the share of the national budget that goes to education as well as in the percentage of the education budget that is allocated to the area of basic education. Interestingly, the World Bank uses efficiency arguments to arrive at the same conclusions and has recommended appropriate budget allocations as part of the Indicative Framework that underpins its Fast Track Initiative. Just as Governments have obligations, parents and communities also have an obligation to ensure that all children access and complete a defined cycle of quality basic education. This is why basic education not only needs to be free but also compulsory, so that rights of children can be legally upheld in the face of those parents who would deny them the chance of accessing and completing their education. In the stark reality of poverty and rural remoteness in which many children live out their lives, all this might appear too idealistic. In any case, should we not give more attention to rights in terms of the poor, those in rural areas and ethnic minorities, etc? tions are inspired by idealism, success in the real world depends on pragmatism. So even as we advocate for the ideal we must be alert to the opportunities for harvesting all available fruits that blossom from the seeds of change that we have planted with the notion of girls’ education as an innovation. For instance, once our advocacy has convinced parents and Governments to send girls to school, we should seize the moment and simply get the girls in by whatever means possible. This can be messy, sometimes with makeshift facilities, temporary teachers and minimum supply of materials. Critics will cry foul and some may even use our own words against us “Poor quality education is no education at all”! Yet there can be no turning back once the children are in some form of learning space. They become a visible problem, instead of remaining a hidden problem at home and in the streets. The challenge for us then is to fight the rearguard battle for quality with all urgency and diligence … this we know how to do, or we should not be in the business of education and development. It is a battle we must win, because ultimately the promise of education is not simply about getting children into school, but about delivering worthwhile learning that will transform lives. The second set of arguments for girls’ education are more pragmatic and centre on the beneficial multiplier effects of addressing barriers facing girls in access, completion and performance. The experience of UNICEF and other partners indicates that addressing girls’ education barriers seriously entails giving attention to a wide range of concerns that are not typically dealt with in the education sector. Hence taking action in support of girls’ education invariably impacts on various facets of quality of life for girls (and boys), their households and their communities. Safety and security for girls in school and on the way to school need to be addressed if concerned parents are to be persuaded to send their daughters to school in what are sometimes hostile environments. We face the risk of succumbing to reversals in education and development efforts due to new threats such as HIV/AIDS Certainly the statistical evidence shows that generally disparities in rural/urban and poor/rich categories are more significant than gender disparities when it comes to school attendance. However, within the rural populations and the poor, girls and women tend to be more disadvantaged than boys and men. Thus while gender on its own might not be the most acute form of disadvantage, it represents a complex form of compound disadvantage for girls from poor rural backgrounds; and these are the majority of children currently denied their right to basic education. This is why it is critical to target girls specifically, as a means of leveraging success for all boys and girls in accessing and completing a good quality basic education. Realists would argue that while innova- UNICEF/HQ95-0675/NICOLE TOUTOUNJI “Count me in”: Governments, parents and communities all have an obligation to ensure education for every child. 4 deliver on the promise of the MDGs and EFA goals for 2005, at a time when so much hope has been placed on education by world leaders. We also face the risk of succumbing to reversals in education and development efforts due to new threats such as HIV/ AIDS, for which education (and empowerment), especially of girls, is the main social vaccine that we have at present. In addition there will be lost opportunities to help restore normalcy to crisis-ridden societies where erosion of rights have pitted citizens against each other. There will also be lost opportunities to harness the vital potential of the young girls and boys who should help build a better future. Importantly also, we would fail yet again to reach that critical mass of educated population that is needed to shift a nation from survival mode into development mode. Most of all we know that it is possible to achieve these goals if we simply pull out all the stops and treat the issue of girls’ education with the urgency and importance it deserves. Repeatedly, in emergency situations, we have seen that we know how to get millions of children into school…..so why can we not do this in non-emergency situations? UNICEF/HQ03-0016/ SHEHZAD NOORANI The ‘25 by 2005’ Girls’ Education Campaign is UNICEF’s intensive effort in 25 countries to get as many girls as boys into school by 2005. Working with governments and other partners to achieve robust and sustainable gains towards gender parity in primary education worldwide, lessons learned in these 25 countries will be applied in othercountries. Which 25 countries? Standing up for education: An Iraqi girl in her fourth grade class. Adequate water and sanitation facilities for girls can determine if they enrol and complete school. The nutritional status, particularly of older girls, can be a key to them learning in school or wasting time. Promoting girls’ education means dealing with these and other cross-sectoral issues. In the process, households and communities can benefit from increased security, introduction of water and sanitation facilities, nutrition programmes and much else, all because of a focus on what it takes to get girls into school and ensure they complete and achieve to their best. Apart from these cross-sectoral benefits, there are the well-known inter-generational benefits that result from educating girls. These include the quality of care they can provide for their children as educated mothers, the greater likelihood that they will make informed use of social services in health and education, and that they will be more productive members of society, able to make a key contribution to household income and quality of life in their communities. So why do we need to accelerate progress in girls’ education? The reasons are varied, but compelling in most cases. We face the risk of failing to It is possible to achieve the goals if we treat girls’ education with the urgency and importance it deserves The reasons are clear and compelling, but success is not guaranteed. We need to harness all possible support from children, parents, communities and donors to help Governments accelerate progress in this vital area. Governments need to allocate resources and make more strategic investments that will address gender and other disparities in education. As we make progress we need to be mindful of the support we attract. Girls’ Education for us in UNICEF is gender-centred and rights-based, not a bandwagon, as some might argue. It represents a unique and sober opportunity to leverage the greatest prize for education and development….we cannot afford not to take a chance on it! ■ Afghanistan Bangladesh Benin Bhutan Bolivia Burkina Faso Central African Republic Chad Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Guinea India Malawi Mali Nepal Nigeria Pakistan Papua New Guinea Sudan Turkey United Republic of Tanzania Yemen Zambia Why these countries? These countries were selected because of some combination of these factors: • less than 70 per cent of girls in school • significant gender disparity in enrolment • high risk of HIV infection, civil conflict or other emergencies • selected for Fast-Track Initiative • over 1 million girls out of school “2005 is the first credibility challenge of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Education for All (EFA) goals. Failure to achieve results in this area will perpetuate entrenched inequities and condemn yet another generation of children (majority girls) to a life of ignorance, poverty and misery”. Cream Wright, Chief of Education, UNICEF 5 ACCELERATING PROGRESS FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION Monitoring Learning Achievement in Eritrea Yeshi Haile, Education Officer, UNICEF Eritrea MAIN FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This summary attempts to feature the main survey findings along some of the key dimensions of quality education. Quality content is linked to the curriculum, intended and learned, gender sensitivity, relevant materials for successful acquisition of literacy, numeracy and other skills for life. The survey revealed that overall performance was below expectation. In Mathematics 40.5 percent in grade 3 and 32.2 percent of students in grade 5 attained MML. Children did not understand fundamental operations with whole numbers, decimals and fractions. In General Knowledge learners demonstrated a better understanding in health and environment, but performed poorly on science and mathematics related questions. Application and problem-solving was difficult, indicating that learners are limited to classroom experiences. Even in Mother Tongue languages where achievement was better, learners were wanting in reading and writing skills. The same was noted for English. There are disparities in achievement among students using different learning languages. Quality Processes include system issues from national to classroom level. The findings include: • School directors: most directors were from one ethnic group. In some schools they were placed in areas where the community language was different. 60 percent had taken courses in school administration, just 5 percent graduated with degrees. Out of 52 directors only one was a woman. • Age of teachers: 85 percent of the teachers were aged between 20 to 39 years. 74 percent of village teachers were under 30 years compared to 30 percent of urban teachers. • Sex: 65 percent of teachers were male. The zones with the lowest girls’ enrolments indicated 11 percent and 18 percent of female teachers respectively. BACKGROUND E ritrea has been selected as one of UNICEF’s “acceleration countries”. The complex web of factors mitigating against girls’ enrolment, attendance and achievement make it an important participant in the first phase of the additional efforts to achieve gender parity by 2005. Only 37 percent of primary school age children are enrolled in school. Gender and geographic disparities persist. Survival rates at grade 5 are low. The aftereffects of war and drought have further aggravated disparities. In such complex situations the girl child is most affected. It is against this backdrop that the 2001 Monitoring Learning Achievement (MLA) survey findings should be viewed. • Experience: 74 percent of teachers served over 3 years in their current school. About 36 percent of the most experienced are in urban settings, about 60 percent who have 3 to 10 years of experience are in rural areas. • Academic qualification: Almost all completed secondary school. 67 percent of teachers completed the oneyear teacher training course. The Learning Environment should be inclusive of all children, safe, secure and healthy, protective and successful in helping children learn. The survey showed that schools situated in towns, endowed with better school facilities, performed better than village schools. This reinforces the positive impact that a conducive school environment has on achievement. • Class size: Class size was not found to affect achievement. Average class size in Eritrea is 43. In towns like Asmara classes average 60, in rural areas it is mostly below 40. • School governance: Learners do better in town schools where there are more directors, assistant directors and school committees. MONITORING LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT The 2001 MLA survey conducted in 60 sample elementary schools covered all 8 languages of instruction1. 2747 grade 3 students and 2075 grade 5 students participated. These grades mark the end of the foundation and intermediate phases in the basic education cycle. Students were tested in four learning areas and information was gathered on school-learning environments through questionnaires and interviews of school directors and teachers. The overall MLA objective is to obtain information on the ‘effectiveness of basic education provision in terms of actual learning achievement’ (EFA 1998). Key features are development and strengthening of national capacities with the aim of self-sufficiency, and strengthening information and monitoring systems through test development, to measure learning achievement of students through minimum (MML) and desired (DML) mastery levels. ERITREA AT A GLANCE BASIC INDICATORS Under-5 mortality rank Under-5 mortality rate Infant mortality rate (under 1) Total population (thousands) Annual no. of births (thousands) Annual no. of under-5 deaths (thousands) GNI per capita (US$) Life expectancy at birth (years) Total adult literacy rate Net primary school enrolment / attendance (%) 41 111 72 3816 152 17 190 52 30 40 Source: The Official Summary of The State of the World’s Children 2003 6 Percentage of Minimum Mastery Levels and Desired Mastery Levels in Grades 3 and 5 learners by region 80___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MML3 70___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DML3 MML5 60___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 50___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 40___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 30___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 0___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DML5 Anseba Debub GB Maekel NRS SRS • Distance: 21% of learners travel more than 4 km (one way) to school. In Southern Red Sea and Gash Barka with the lowest student performance, it is 28% and 24% respectively. Combined with distance is the low nutritional level of learners, especially in drought-affected areas, which aggravates the situation unless measures like school feeding are in place. • School security: This focused only on the availability of guards and fences. Schools with guards and fences do better than those without. Anecdotal evidence indicates that girls are harassed in schools and on the way to school. • Sanitary conditions: Water and sanitation facilities are still a problem in most schools. Just over 50% of town schools have drinking water nearby, against only one-fifth of village schools. Learning outcomes are linked with national targets for education. The national MoE target relates well with the Jomtien targets for learning achievement to improve so that “a defined percentage of an age group for example 80 percent of children of 14 years - must reach their fullest potential required and even go beyond.” (Article N°4, Framework for Action Jomtien, March 1990). In both grades the highest percentages of school children who attained MML is in Mother Tongue literacy. The percentages for grade 3 and 5 were 72.8 and 73.3% respectively. Attain- ment fell short of desired targets. Results for the combined tests of literacy, numeracy and general knowledge are: grade 3: MML = 58.3%; DML = 11.9%; grade 5: MML = 32.7% and DML = 2.4%. While none of the zones reached the targeted 80%, Debub and Maekel reached above 65% (see chart above). Southern Red Sea, Gash Barka and Northern Red Sea remain the most disadvantaged. Only Debub and Maekel were able to get close to the 80%, and only in Mother Tongue. In all other areas none reached the target. Overall results in General Knowledge and Mathematics were very low. Disparities among the six zones were inconsistent in the two grades, which calls for closer investigation, as the variables that might have had an impact, such as policy and curriculum changes did not happen in the last three to four years. The survey also indicated that male learners outperformed female learners. The difference was not significant in Mother Tongue learning and General Knowledge, but significant in Mathematics and English. areas such as home environment and gender, it pointed out valid and important policy, systems and curriculum issues. In the end, what matters is how best to meet the global and national goals and targets set to ensure quality basic education for all boys and girls. MLA II will be conducted soon. The following are some shortcomings in the previous survey, presented as challenges for the next assessment. 1. Learners achieved higher on schoolbased assessments. This raises the issue of the assessment methods and the need to strengthen capacity in continuous assessment. 2. The importance of including gender as a variable. 3. The inclusion of special education needs as part of MLA. 4. Relevant national and international initiatives need to be incorporated. 5. An important component of MLA is strengthening information exchange and dissemination. Study results need to be more widely distributed and discussed, to ultimately improve learner achievement. ■ 1 Eritrea is host to nine ethnic groups and 9 languages. Primary education (1-5 grades) is provided through the 8 Mother Tongue languages (Afar, Arabic, Bilen, Kunama, Nara, Saho, Tigre and Tigrigna) as medium of instruction. Middle (6-7 grades) and secondary education (8-11 grades) are provided in English as the medium of instruction. CONCLUSION Learner outcomes are the result of complex interactions between teachers, students, content, instructional setting, home learning background and socio-economic status. Although the survey is lacking information in 7 ACCELERATING PROGRESS FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools “Achieving truly sustainable development means creating a world that is fit for children, and that means a world with safe drinking water and clean sanitation and hygienic facilities in schools. That is why UNICEF is today calling on national leaders to ensure that in the course of this decade every primary school in the world be equipped with separate facilities for boys and girls – and that every school, without exception, have a source of clean and safe drinking water.” Carol Bellamy, Executive Director UNICEF, World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Johannesburg, 30 August 2002 hygiene education package focusing Lizette Burgers and Vanessa Tobin, WES Section, UNICEF New York on the needs of girls. National school sanitation policies have been strengthened in Malawi, Mozambique, ISSUE Nicaragua, Uganda and Nepal. In the More than two billion people do not Gambia, Burkina Faso and Haiti, have access to sanitation facilities and UNICEF efforts have led to the mainare unable to perform basic hygiene streaming of inter-sectoral approaches practices such as washing their hands to girls’ education, involving the eduwith soap and water. Millions of schoolcation, community development, age children are affected by common water, health and agricultural sectors. infections such as helminths (worms), Life skills-based hygiene education is flukes and parasites. Far too many included in programmes in Vietnam, schools have broken, dirty and unsafe Colombia, Burkina Faso, Nepal and water and sanitation facilities. Many Senegal. schools lack facilities altogether. All of these factors have a negative impact on the health and nutrition of school-age children, their learning capacities, and school participation and attendance. Girls are particularly hard hit. In addition, UNICEF and the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre started a school sanitation and hygiene education (SSHE) initiative in 2000 in six countries (Burkina Faso, Zambia, Vietnam, Nepal, Colombia and Nicaragua), which has resulted in a wealth of advocacy tools, case studies, and training materials. (http://www.irc.nl/sshe/). 1. Invest in Inter-Sectoral Actions for Safe, Secure and Empowering Environments Too often programmes are initiated by specialists from outside the education sector and are “added on” to regular education programmes. By linking water, sanitation, hygiene and health specialists with the education sector, pressure can be put on schools and education systems to design and build child-friendly water, sanitation and hand washing facilities and educate children about hygiene. 2. Empower children through life skills-based hygiene education Reducing the incidence of diseases related to unsafe water and poor sanitation requires behavioural change leading to proper hygiene as well as the correct use of the facilities. A lifeskillsbased approach to hygiene education helps focus on the development of knowledge, attitudes, values and skills children need to make the most critical and appropriate hygiene/health related decisions. Gender equity is integral to this approach. 3. Focus Intensive Interventions in Selected Countries While country programmes continue to integrate water, sanitation and hygiene into their girls’ education programmes, there is a need to concentrate additional resources and intervention measures in selected countries to achieve robust and sustainable outcomes. Criteria include: • countries with low coverage in water and sanitation, or high numbers of unserved people; • high-risk countries where water and sanitation related diseases have a heavy impact on the health and nutritional status of children, including countries facing emergencies; • leadership or example countries with a high level of political will and potential; • countries which are part of the “25 by 2005”acceleration campaign. 4. Adopt a proactive approach This requires accelerating gender- ACTION The need to invest in water, sanitation and hygiene services in and around schools is reflected in several internationally agreed goals and instruments, including the Education for All Dakar Framework for Action, Vision 21, and the Millennium Development Goals. Currently, UNICEF promotes water, sanitation and hygiene education at schools in about 50 countries, including the construction of separate facilities for girls. In Pakistan 1,400 schools have been provided with water and sanitation. In Bangladesh, UNICEF supports the government and NGOs in providing water, sanitation and hygiene in more than 4,000 schools, while in India over ten thousand schools are being reached with an integrated water, sanitation and THE WAY FORWARD The increased interest in water, sanitation and hygiene in schools programmes is a positive development, and the lessons learned from the different initiatives and programmes provide a valid basis to build upon. However, the limited scale of many projects as well as the fragmentation in planning and implementation has led to a concern that the MDG and WSSD goals may not be reached, unless steps are taken to accelerate progress on water, sanitation and hygiene in schools. The following steps are suggested: 8 lifestyles? Are gender issues addressed? • What are the conditions in schools? What are the main features of water, sanitation and hygiene in school programmes? Who is doing what, with which means? 6. Pay Specific Attention to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Schools in Emergency Situations Water, sanitation and hygiene in schools are critical as part of an emergency response to the immediate needs for drinking water and prevention of water and sanitation related diseases. It can also help to establish children’s routines of critical behaviours and add to or even create a sense of security if private unexposed facilities are available. In Brief... EFA Week on Girls’ Education Girls’ education was the theme for the third Education For All (EFA) and Global Campaign for Education (GCE) Action Week, held from 6 to 13 April. The main event of the campaign which took place on 9 April was a synchronised lesson on the need to give girls a fair chance to learn. Attended by a spectacular 1.8 million people in over 90 countries, “The World’s Biggest Lesson” sent a resounding global message to world leaders to open the doors of learning to the millions of girls out of school. The millions participating included children from Albania, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, Kenya, Liberia, Nicaragua, Peru, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and many more. UNICEF and the US Fund for UNICEF organised the lesson at the UN in New York. For UNICEF, the day was also part of the wider girls’ education acceleration campaign in 25 priority countries “25 by 2005”. Mrs. Nane Annan hosted the event. She appealed to the 350 New York City school children to stay involved with the issues of children’s rights and girls’ education. Angelique Kidjo, Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF lead the lesson. Kofi Annan welcomed the children. He stated, “Let this be not only the world’s biggest ever lesson, but a lesson that the world will never forget”. Carol Bellamy led the group in a pledge of Go Girls! Education for every child. More information, highlights and country reports on the events for 2003 EFA/Action Week at: www.campaignforeducation.org, www.globalmarch.org, www.netaid.org, and www.unesco.org/education/efaweek UNICEF/HQ98-1110/ GIACOMO PIROZZI Providing separate latrine facilities is an important part of a child-friendly approach. focused interventions through: • advocating with partners and national counterparts to give priority to safe, secure and healthy schools and include this in sector plans (SWAPs, PRSPs, SIPs, etc.); • mobilising communities and institutions to work on acceleration measures; • safeguarding the quality of the interventions — are facilities child-friendly, gender-responsive, sustainable? • planning for the resources required — for facilities, staffing, recurrent costs, etc. 5. Create Partnerships to Advocate for a Joint Vision Visioning is about taking a bold stand and aiming for a clear and shared vision at national and international level, with ambitious targets. We need to answer questions such as: • Where are we now, and where do we want to be in the next five, ten and fifteen years? • What are the constraints to ensure access to safe drinking water and separate latrines for girls and boys in schools? Are those most at risk of opportunistic infections, being empowered and getting the skills to avoid the risks and improve their A CALL FOR ACTION In line with the six key principles of acceleration outlined above, UNICEF launched a water, sanitation and hygiene education initiative at Johannesburg. The overall goal of this initiative is to contribute to improved health and well-being of an estimated thirty million people in twenty-five of the least developed countries. The project will focus on the health and well-being of children. The project is comprised of three interrelated and mutually supportive components in rural communities: 1. Water and sanitation facilities, and hygiene education for primary schools 2. Community outreach with a focus on accelerating rural water and sanitation coverage rates 3. Creating an enabling environment through policy development and capacity building. The proposed countries are those where girls’ enrolment rates in primary schools are the poorest and water supply and sanitation coverage rates are low: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chad, D.R.Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Lao PDR, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Rwanda, Tanzania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia.■ 9 ACCELERATING PROGRESS FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION FOCUS Voices in Education: Interview with Elaine Furniss Elaine Furniss has worked in the Education Section in UNICEF as the Senior Advisor for Quality Education in New York since November 1997. She is taking a one year leave of absence and is living in Australia. By Aster Haregot UNICEF/HQ-2002 learning achievement. This is where our emphasis should be now. I also think it is time to go back and revisit the task that we set ourselves in 1998/9 of reviewing the research relating to quality, but this time to look at it through a gender lens. We need to redefine defining quality. We need to do tracer studies of girls and find out what their pathways have been as they follow through with quality education, to learn the lessons from individual students as well as from successful programmes. ASTER: After having been with ELAINE: Considering the three MTSP ASTER: Now that you are leaving New York, can you give us your reflections on your particular input and commitment to girls’ education? ELAINE: When I first came to the Elaine Furniss discusses girls’ education with Maida Pasic (left) and Michelle Cervantes (right). Education Section my focus was really on management of programmes. My work in the past had focused on education for ethnic minority children in Vietnam. I could see that just as it was important to put more resources for children who were out of school in populated areas of Vietnam, it was important to put resources for those out of school in isolated areas. At that stage, my focus was not specifically on gender but we had worked hard to develop a teacher training module on gender for teachers in ethnic minority areas. The experience of working with women in microcredit demonstrated to me the importance of women’s empowerment. But as I worked in the Education Section, I could see that gender really was an issue responsible for lack of access or inability to attend school for many. I think you, Aster, and Mary Pigozzi, actually provided good foresight in the work done in the African Girls’ Education Initiative, showing all of us in the Section the way forward to the work we now do in girls’ education. ASTER: You have made an important contribution to the Education Section’s focus on quality. Would you like to comment? targets for girls’ education, we do have some very good strategies for working towards access; and we are building some strategies for working on quality. It is really good that we have accepted a broad view of quality; we are looking for quality in effective programmes, quality teachers, quality materials, quality contexts and environments that will support what happens for girls in school and out of school. But I think we need, in developing a broader view of what quality is, not to take the emphasis off what happens within schools, if we are not to miss the boat. We have to be careful to still focus on teachers, and make sure that we are training good teachers and support them through the length of their professional life. One-off, short courses may make a splash and look good in a report but they won’t help to change children’s education long term. We have to make sure that we are focusing on getting girls not only into school, but through it and finishing it, and continuing onto purposeful lives for themselves. And we also have to know more about assessing their achievements. As we move forward through the MTSP and beyond towards 2015, we really have to put more of an emphasis on quality and UNICEF for 10 years, what would be your message to Education Officers? ELAINE: I would say to all of you who are in the field, that it is important to keep up with good research on education. Do not put all your emphasis on the management aspects of UNICEF work, but understand well the issues that relate to education. We have to be careful to still focus on teachers, and make sure that we are training good teachers and support them through the length of their professional life. You need to understand education as it develops and changes in your particular educational and wider social context and you need to be able to advocate for that very well where you are. Learning about the context from a background of understanding education is imperative for more astute investments in educational programmes. I think every education officer needs that background. ■ 10 MYANMAR SCHOOL-BASED HEALTHY LIVING AND HIV/AIDS PREVENTION EDUCATION PROGRAMME (SHAPE) Lyn Nguyen Henderson, Education Section, UNICEF New York T he issues facing children and young people in Myanmar today are complex and challenging. Myanmar is experiencing a rapid increase in HIV/AIDS infections, with one of the largest and fastest moving epidemics in Asia. Young people are at the centre of this epidemic. In addition to HIV/AIDS, youth are faced with many challenges including other sexually transmitted infections; alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; sexual and other forms of exploitation; and discrimination in its many forms. Children and young people need to have adequate knowledge, attitudes and skills to solve problems, make informed choices, and protect themselves from harm as they maneuver through adolescence into adulthood. Educating youth about HIV/AIDS, and teaching them skills in critical thinking, decision-making, conflict resolution, communication, negotiation, and coping with emotions or stress, can improve their self-confidence and ability to make informed choices. Life skills-based education refers to an interactive process of teaching and learning which enables children and Education is a key for young people to make informed choices for healthier lives. change in attitudes and behaviours. The Government of Myanmar recognises the importance of life skillsbased education for the advancement of good health practices among youth. Thus, the Government with support from UNICEF has developed the School-Based Healthy Living and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education (SHAPE) project. The implementation of the SHAPE project began in 1998 as a non-formal, co-curricular programme for children. However, the Ministry of Education has adopted SHAPE as the official curriculum for life skills-based education. It has evolved into a school subject taught in primary, middle and high schools which uses student-centred, participatory teaching and learning methods, and encourages students to practice what they have learned at home and in their communities. Through the active participation and involvement of teachers, students, school principals, education officials, parents and other community members, SHAPE promotes healthy living and the prevention of HIV transmission. The content of the programme focuses on a range of health and social issues relevant to children and young people, including HIV/AIDS, personal health and hygiene, growth and development, alcohol and drugs. Every lesson incorporates activities designed to develop skills that can be applied to these issues such as communication, coping with emotions and stress, critical thinking, decision-making, and problem solving. Life skillsbased education is one of many strategies required for behaviour change and behaviour development. It works best in conjunction with other strategies such as policy development, access to appropriate health services, community development, and supportive and positive media coverage. With support from UNICEF, the Myanmar SHAPE programme has been expanded – both geographically and to key groups outside of the formal education system – in order to make a broader impact throughout the country. During 2002-03, refresher training for secondary teachers on revised curriculum helped to strengthen the HIV/AIDS and drug abuse components, and improve the student-centred teaching and learning methods. SHAPE PLUS was also formulated to extend the reach of the programme to out-of-school youth (age 10-14+) and pre-service teachers in training. A predominantly qualitative assessment of SHAPE conducted during 2002 concluded that there were positive changes in youth behaviour that can be attributed to the programme activities. UNICEF will continue to be a key player in the acceleration and ongoing quality improvement of SHAPE, and is working to disseminate best practices and lessons learned. For additional information on SHAPE see UNICEF Life Skills-Based Education “Case Studies” and “Reference materials” at http://www. unicef.org/lifeskills/ ■ UNICEF/HQ95-0130/ FRANK CHARTON Traditional ‘information-based’ approaches to education are generally not sufficient to yield change in attitudes and behaviours. young people to acquire knowledge, attitudes and skills which support the adoption of healthy behaviours such as: taking greater responsibility for their own lives; making healthy life choices; gaining greater resistance to negative pressures; and minimizing harmful behaviours. Traditional ‘information-based’ approaches to education are generally not sufficient to yield 11 ACCELERATING PROGRESS FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION COMMUNICATION INITIATIVES FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION Patricia Moccia, Division of Communication, UNICEF New York UNICEF/HQ98-1108/ALISON QUALTER-BERNA The Division of Communication is working with offices across the organisation on several communication efforts to raise the profile of girls’ education around the world. Highlights are: “25 BY 2005” GLOBAL CAMPAIGN The “25 by 2005” communication campaign, focusing on policy makers and donors and supporting the acceleration strategy for girls’ education. UNICEF’s commitment to the 2005 date is tied to achieving EFA and the Millennium Development Goals, including the particular goal of gender parity in primary school enrolment by 2005 as well as the 2015 goals related to poverty reduction, universal primary education, child mortality, gender equality, maternal health, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. The acceleration strategy and the “25 by 2005” campaign are part of our ongoing efforts in girls’ education. First presented to the Secretary-General’s office, UNESCO, the World Bank, donors and some 50 other partners in a series of meetings at the end of 2002, it was officially launched by Carol Bellamy in Tanzania at a meeting of African education ministers. Country launches have been held in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey, and a West Africa regional launch was held in Burkina Faso in June. Go Girls! Kids at the Fox Kids Cup sported the UNICEF logo on their team shirts. public support and mobilize resources for the “25 by 2005” Girls’ Education Campaign. Partners include governments, families, teachers, children and religious leaders. Popular sports, such as soccer and cricket, provide us with the opportunity to promote the campaigns. FIFA, football’s international governing body and the multimedia entertainment company, Fox Kids are two of our current partners. spokesperson Kalusha Bwalya alongside Alison Qualter-Berna from UNICEF’s Sports and Development Section (winners of fair play awards were the Spanish girls’ and the German boys’ teams). Footage of the finals was aired by Fox Kids Europe in June, and the UNICEF video profiles promoting girls’ education are still being aired on local channels reaching 30 million homes in 56 countries. The UNICEF/Fox Kids partnership will continue next year and we will be working with them to maximize our cooperation. UNICEF AND THE FOX KIDS CUP Dedicated to girls’ education, the Fox Kids Cup (FKC) Football Finals were held in Rotterdam, Netherlands in June, with 400 young people from 20 countries, playing in stadiums festooned with UNICEF’s banners, “Go Girls! Education for every child!” The young finalists, wearing country team shirts with the UNICEF logo on their right arm, represented some 200,000 boys and girls under -13 who participated in local and national games from February to June in 20 countries. Messages and information about girls’ education as well as Go Girls! pledge materials were distributed throughout the 2003 competition. Fox Kids Cup hosted the UNICEF girls’ education pledge on their website www.foxkidscup.com A girls’ and a boys’ team were awarded the ‘UNICEF Fair Play Trophy’, handed out by Zambian footballer and UNICEF THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2004 – GIRLS’ EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT The topic of the 2004 State of the World’s Children (SOWC) report is girls’ education and development. This publication will argue for investing in girls’ education as a means of advancing development. With a launch date of 11 December, SOWC will present UNICEF’s unique approach to girls’ education – rights-based and multi-sectoral. Carol Bellamy’s messages will be of the kind, “If I had only one chance to effect change and advance development, I would place my efforts in girls’ education.” And “Investing in girls’ education is an investment in human rights, in the prevention of HIV/AIDS among young people and in protecting them from violence and abuse.” ■ GO GIRLS! AND FAIR PLAY FOR GIRLS! Go Girls! Education for Every Child, and Fair Play for Girls! Education for Every Child are public outreach initiatives to raise awareness, generate 12 PAKISTAN Building on Lessons Learned and Accelerating Progress P akistan is one of six countries in South Asia where UNICEF is intensifying efforts in girls’ education. Carol Bellamy launched the Pakistan initiative on 21 May with the Government of Pakistan. During the visit, she addressed the South Asian Ministerial Meeting for the EFA forum meeting in Pakistan, urging immediate action to achieve the MDG and EFA goal of gender parity in primary and secondary schools by 2005. She also met a select group of political and social leaders who will form the nucleus of a national movement for girls’ education in Pakistan. The challenge in South Asia is daunting: there are 43 million children out of school, over half of which are girls. Evidence-based planning at district level, including surveys to locate out of school children, will help to get more children into school for a full primary cycle. School management committees will be supported in school monitoring, to promote access and reduce drop-out rates for girls and boys. A process has been initiated to identify individuals who have either made outstanding contributions to girls’ education or could serve as role models. They will be supported to ‘champion’ girls’ education in Pakistan via the media and through advocating directly with key stakeholders such as government and private sector. As the issue of gender gap in education is closely linked to gender-based discrimination, Pakistan’s strategy will include support to promote positive socio-cultural practices for girls at community and family level. What is different in UNICEF’s new strategy? • A more holistic approach to enhancing enrolment and retention using the ‘child-friendly’ schools model; • Better data on the gender gap for more informed planning against key targets and indicators; • Closer coordination and intersectoral collaboration to strengthen linkages and capacity for replication; • Greater emphasis on capacity building to support devolution of responsibilities for human/financial resource allocation and management; • Stronger emphasis on partnerships and advocacy. The plan is in its initial stages of implementation, but strong communication and advocacy messages are already circulating at the highest levels. UNICEF will continue to strengthen its partnerships around girls’ education and build on the rich array of experience gained over the years to bring the hardest to reach into school. ■ UNICEF/HQ03-0290/ASAD ZAIDI Taking turns at hopscotch in a school yard in Punjab province. schools that are child-friendly and sensitive to needs of girls and boys alike; • Ensure learning achievement goals and targets in literacy, numeracy and life skills, and capacity towards ensuring equal opportunities for girls and boys; • Increase resource allocations for scaling up successful interventions. To accelerate progress UNICEF aims to create a groundswell of demand and support for education. This includes advocacy with government for increased budget allocations for education, and advocacy for more ambitious education targets, particularly for girls, in national plans. Based on lessons learned on the ground, UNICEF will work to demonstrate an integrated approach to increase enrolment, retention, completion and improve learning achievements. This model focuses on the childfriendly approach, including promotion of a safe school environment, elimination of corporal punishment, and access to clean water and private latrines, especially for girls. Local training and support for teachers, an enhanced curriculum, and increased community participation are other components. Capacity support for improved planning in the context of devolution is another important supporting component. “Each one of these girls is an asset to her country, but their prospects are dwindling by the day. Every day spent outside a school is a tremendous loss not only for the girl but for the future of her country.” Carol Bellamy, at the launch of the Pakistan Acceleration Initiative, 21 May 2003 Out of almost 43 million children not in school in South Asia, Pakistan is home to nearly 9 million. Of these, almost 5 million are girls and 4 million are boys. Half of those children who enrol drop out before completing the primary cycle, the majority girls. For those who complete primary school, learning achievements are low. Girls’ education is the priority in UNICEF’s programme with the Government of Pakistan. Over the next five years UNICEF will support Education Sector Reforms and work with other partners to: • Reduce the number of girls out-ofschool by at least 30 percent, particularly in rural districts where gender disparity is greatest; • Promote effective, quality learning in 13 WORKSHOP ADDRESSING GENDER AND OTHER DISPARITIES Joint UNICEF/World Bank Regional Workshop for West and Central Africa on Investment Options in Education for All Sheila Wamahiu Education Section, UNICEF New York simultaneously address problems for all children in obtaining good quality basic education. There was some consensus that to effectively address these disparities, countries need to explore new options for investment paying attention to disparity reduction in access, retention and completion. The importance of investing in early child development was underscored, as was the importance of focusing on the ‘whole child’, with investments in the learning environment as well as learning processes aimed at enhancing the quality of education. Among the key investments in quality teaching and learning processes examined during the workshop were issues related to teachers – including their training, employment and working/living conditions – and learning materials/textbooks, with the suggestion that a ‘minimum package’ of quality textbooks and other materials for every child be defined nationally to guide investments. light of standard setting for national adaptation and application. Challenges and opportunities linked to decentralization processes were also reviewed, with an emphasis on the need for resources to reach the classroom level and the strengthening of local capacities. Partnerships were discussed and the varying roles of different external partners examined in terms of technical and financial support to complement governments’ efforts to reach EFA. Several of the case studies demonstrated successful approaches, for example child-friendly/girl-friendly school initiatives in the Gambia and Mali and satellite schools in Burkina Faso. Case studies of the ‘bisongo’ in Burkina Faso and mothers’ clubs in the Gambia illustrated the potential for low-cost, community-based interventions. The workshop was significant in several respects: • It acted as “launching pad” for stronger partnerships between senior government officials in education and finance, World Bank task managers, and UNICEF education officers to choose the best investment options. • It offered participants a menu of investment options. It drew attention to the need for selecting investment options and strategies that aimed both at general coverage (such as the abolition of school fees) with specific measures targeting the most vulnerable and marginalized. • It successfully gained the support of government ministers towards accelerating the reduction of gender and other disparities in education and treating education as a ‘positive emergency’ around which to rally stakeholders and intensify action. • It noted the importance of mainstreaming and consolidating successful strategies and experiences in order to bring them to scale. ■ B etween 25- 27 June 2003, senior policy makers, representatives of civil society organisations, World Bank Task managers and UNICEF Education Programme Officers from twenty-four countries in the Western and Central African region (WCAR) gathered in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to deliberate on strategies to reduce gender and other disparities in education. The workshop explored investment patterns that promote access and quality, identifying the most successful. This workshop was the first in a series through which UNICEF intends to work with key partners like the World Bank in strengthening policies and practices for increasing access and completion rates as well as improving quality in education. The series is part of on-going efforts to accelerate progress in girls’ education. The workshop had four main components: (a) advocacy; (b) presentation of evidence-based arguments; (c) identification of investment options for addressing disparities; and (d) prioritisation of investments for eliminating disparities in education. Mr. Mathieu Ouedrago, the Minister of Basic Education and Literacy in Burkina Faso opened and closed the workshop. Carol Bellamy delivered the keynote address, describing the four main threads running through the workshop as hope, action, resources and partnerships. Research and experiential evidence presented at the meeting highlighted disparities in education linked to gender, rural-urban residence and poverty. Poor rural girls tended to be the most disadvantaged. It was acknowledged that addressing the barriers affecting girls’ participation in education would The four main threads running through the workshop: hope, action, resources and partnerships The workshop emphasised the importance of integrating inputs from outside the education sector, including appropriate water and sanitation facilities, health services and nutrition, without which the returns on investment in education would be diminished. Issues related to safety and security of children in schools and in their surrounding environment were also stressed, with particular reference to girls. Other investment options identified included the introduction of life skills education. The workshop reviewed various measures needed to promote quality and sustainability, examining the indicative framework and its challenges in the 14 TURKEY LAUNCH OF THE GIRLS’ EDUCATION CAMPAIGN I n June 2003 the Turkish Minister of Education, Minister of the Interior and Carol Bellamy launched an advocacy campaign for girls’ education as part of the Go Girls! “25 by 2005” acceleration campaign. The education system in Turkey has been undergoing major changes in recent years. The most important change has been the extension of the number of years of compulsory primary schooling from 5 years to 8 years in 1997. The implementation of the eightyears of compulsory primary education led to an increase of over 30% in the enrolment ratio during the 1998-1999 school year and a reduction in overall gender differences in enrolment. Also, there is some evidence to suggest that extending compulsory education to eight years has had some impact on reducing early marriage, especially for girls, as well as on employment at very young ages. However, gender disparities in education in Turkey are still significant, particularly in southeastern regions, and in eastern Anatolia. In some provinces over 50% of girls between 7 and 13 do not attend school, while over 60% of all girls in Turkey from 11 to 15 in rural areas have never enrolled. The indirect costs of schooling are high, and often unmanageable for poor rural families, and children are often required to work in order to contribute to household income. UNICEF plans to support the government to move beyond traditional methods of service provision and involve the service users in the process, that is the family and the community, based on the assumption that learning begins at birth and takes place within the family, neighbourhood, play groups, school and within all areas of life. ALMOST 6 MILLION WOMEN, AGED FROM 14-44 ARE FUNCTIONALLY ILLITERATE 40% OF GIRLS HAVE NOT COMPLETED PRIMARY SCHOOL 13% HAVE NEVER ENROLLED OVER 42% OF GIRLS HAVE NEVER ENROLLED IN SECONDARY EDUCATION The Advocacy Campaign for Girls Education is complemented by two other sub-projects of the Government of Turkey and UNICEF: the Child-Friendly Schools Project, and the Open Primary Education Learning Centres for Girls Project. The Child-Friendly Schools project aims to improve the quality of education by moving the system forward in line with international standards and practices. Better quality schools which follow the childfriendly schools’ characteristics including gender-sensitivity will also make school a more attractive option for parents who are inclined to keep their children at home. STRATEGIES • Identify barriers to girls’ access to education in project provinces • Raise awareness on the importance of girls’ education and promote active involvement among provincial authorities, community leaders, and parents • Advocate for implementation of compulsory education laws • Increase the commitment of provincial, village and community leaders to girls’ education • Raise awareness that child labour can damage the child’s intellectual development due to her/his missing out on education • Promote establishment of community networks for children in need • Ensure increase in birth registration at least 60% in project provinces • Provide technical assistance to provincial authorities and communities to ensure increased access for girl children • Build the capacity of provincial authorities (including governors, mayors, muhtars, imams, etc.) through organising local trainings • Use mass media and programme communication strategies. GOAL: By the end of 2005, to achieve gender equality in primary school enrolment through the provision of quality basic education for all girls in 50 provinces where the schooling rate of girls is lowest The expected outcomes are as follows: • The schooling rate for girls will be increased at leats 80% from the baseline in project provinces • The attendance rate for girls will be increased at least 80% from the baseline in project provinces • Literacy rate will be increased • Communication between local authorities and parents will be improved • The capacity of local authorities in planning, communication, and interpersonal skills will be strengthened. ■ 15 ACCELERATING PROGRESS FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION EDUCATION DIRECTORY UNICEF HQ Education Section In this issue we provide brief profiles of the staff in the Education Section in New York. In the next issue, we will feature the Regional Office education staff. Pilar Aguilar Programme Officer, Education in Emergencies paguilar@unicef.org Pilar moved to New York from the UNICEF Emergency Office in Geneva in July 2002. In the past years she has assisted with rapid response, stabilisation and reconstruction of education in many emergencies. She develops information and training resources on education in emergencies, and participates in key partnerships and networks such as the InterAgency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). She contributes to the development of a minimum education package to support acceleration, with Supply Division and the Division of Policy and Planning. Pilar is focal point for linkages with EMOPS and regional focal point for the Geneva Regional Office for Europe. She is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Refugee Education Trust. Megan Cornwell Programme Assistant mcornwell@unicef.org Megan is responsible for assisting organization and collection of documents pertaining to the African Girls’ Education Initiative. She supports organization and creation of the section’s Knowledge Bank, and aids in research of Safety and Security in Schools. She also provides general administrative support including drafting documents, taking notes at meetings, and making travel and appointment arrangements. Cooper Dawson Senior Adviser, Quality cdawson@unicef.org Cooper joined the Education Section in August 2003 from the Mozambique Country Office where he was head of the education section for five years. His primary area of responsibility is for policy and programming issues related to quality education with a particular focus on educational content, classroom practices and systems’ performance. He is the focal point for the Middle East and North Africa region. Snigdha Fitch Programme Assistant sfitch@unicef.org Snigdha provides overall organizational and supervisory support in the smooth running of the Education Section, provides leadership to the support staff and direct support to the Chief of Education. She acts as the Administrative Budget focal point. In this capacity, she is responsible for preparation of budget documentation in consultation with the Chief of the Education Section. Amaya Gillespie Senior Adviser, HIV/AIDS and Education agillespie@unicef.org Amaya Gillespie has been the Education Section’s Senior Adviser on HIV/AIDS since 1999. Prior to moving to New York Amaya worked extensively in East Asia as a specialist on life skills-based education. She has primary responsibility for providing technical support and guidance to UNICEF programmes related to HIV/AIDS prevention and life skills-based education. This includes UNICEF’s support for formal and non-formal life skills-based education initiatives across sectors. She also collaborates with partners on guidelines for education for orphans and other vulnerable children. Amaya is the focal point for collaboration on the FRESH Initiative (Focusing resources on effective school health), with the inter-agency task team (IATT) on HIV/AIDS and Education, and with the IATT on Young People and HIV/AIDS. She is regional focal point for the Caribbean. Andres Guerrero Programme Officer, Adolescents aguerrero@unicef.org Andres has been a member of the Education Section for over 5 years since he moved from the Geneva Regional Office for Europe. He has primary responsibility for technical advice and support on issues related to quality education, with a focus on adolescent development and participation and peace education. He is also involved in the work of the section on life skillsbased education. Andres co-manages the section’s webpage “TTAL” (Teachers Talking about Learning) and provides technical advice to UNICEF’s website “Voices of Youth”. He is the focal point Latin America, for collaboration with UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education (IBE) and represents UNICEF in the inter-agency group on secondary education reform and youth affairs. Aster Haregot Programme Officer, Girls’ Education aharegot@unicef.org Aster has worked on the African Girls’ Education Initiative since its inception in 1996 and is currently working closely with the Evaluation Office on the 2003 evaluation of the Initiative. Aster is the longest serving member of the Education Section. Prior to coming to New York, she worked for UNICEF in Ethiopia and also served in the Ministry of Education. Aster is focal point for Human Resources, early childhood and East and Southern Africa. Ellen van Kalmthout Programme Officer, Capacity Building ekalmthout@unicef.org Ellen joined the Section in April 2002 from the Afghanistan Country Office. She is focal point for the partnerships for girls’ education through the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), and member of the Steering Group for the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). She coordinates inputs into the girls’ education site on the UNICEF Intranet, and is co-editor of the Education Update. Ellen supports the development of a minimum education package for acceleration, and is regional focal point for East Asia and the Pacific. 16 Lyn Henderson Project Officer, HIV/AIDS lhenderson@unicef.org Lyn joined the Education Section in February 2003. Prior to becoming a member of the education team, Lyn was a consultant to the Division of Policy and Planning working on issues relating to children in armed conflict. Lyn provides support to UNICEF’s Life Skills-Based Education programmes related to HIV/AIDS and educational change. This includes developing intersectoral links and capacity for life skills-based education, peace education, and education in emergencies. She documents case studies, lessons learned and teaching/learning materials for life skills-based education. Nicole Merritt Programme Assistant nmerritt@unicef.org Nicole provides administrative support to the ongoing work of a number of staff members, including travel arrangements, as well as administrative support for activities related to the UN Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI). She acts as Budget Backup for the Section and certifies and monitors travel requests. Kathryn Rulon Senior Adviser, Education and Gender krulon@unicef.org Kathy is a consultant to the Education Section, working on the girls’ education acceleration strategy and the development of a “legacy series” on girls. Kathy became a member of the education team in January 2003. Maida Pasic Assistant Programme Officer mpasic@unicef.org Maida returned to the Education Section in April 2003 after a year as Assistant Executive Officer in the Executive Office. She has primary responsibility for supporting and strengthening the management and administrative processes essential to the implementation and functioning of the girls’ education acceleration strategy. She participates in activities related to programme design and implementation, evaluation of programme/project activities, data analysis and progress reporting of girls’ education. Maida is the focal point for the Office of the Executive Director. Flora Sibanda-Mulder World Food Programme Partnership flora.sibanda-mulder@wfp.org Flora is a member of the education team based in Rome at the World Food Programme. She is responsible for the liaison on school feeding, health, nutrition and quality issues in girls’ education between UNICEF and WFP. Noala Skinner Programme Officer, Knowledge Building nskinner@unicef.org Noala joined the Section in April 2001 from UNICEF Kosovo where she was an Education Officer. She has primary responsibility for the knowledge building function in girls’ education. This includes maintaining and updating the content of the girls’ education pages of the UNICEF website, developing country highlights, presentations and technical papers on aspects of girls’ education, and responsibility for the creation of an emerging knowledge bank for girls’ education. She is the co-editor of the Education Update, focal point for child protection issues, in particular safety and security in girls’ education, and regional focal point for Central and Eastern Europe, CIS and the Baltic States. Sheila Wamahiu Programme Officer, Gender and Pedagogy swamahiu@unicef.org Sheila joined the Education Section in January 2003 from Nairobi where she was an independent consultant specializing in gender and education and girls’ participation. She has primary responsibility for providing technical support to UNICEF programmes, and capacity building and analysis related to gender, quality and pedagogical issues. She is also involved in the work of the section on religion and education. Sheila co-manages the website on Teachers Talking about Learning (TTAL), and is the regional focal point for South Asia and for child labour issues. Carol Watson Senior Adviser, Policy Analysis cwatson@unicef.org Carol joined the Education Section in February 2003 from the Division of Policy and Planning. Prior to moving to headquarters, Carol had various field assignments in the Middle East and in West Africa. Carol is responsible for policy-related analysis and contributes to reporting and documentation of UNICEF’s experiences in education. She is the focal point for quality assurance, linking with Division of Policy and Planning on monitoring and data issues. Carol is also the focal point Water and Sanitation, and for West and Central Africa. Betty Wilson Programme Assistant bwilson@unicef.org Betty provides administrative support to the Chief of the Education Section and to a number of other staff members. She assists the Chief of the Section and Senior Advisors with travel arrangements, preparation of contracts and various other administrative and secretarial duties. She acts as Computer and Telephone Focal Points for the Section and coordinates travel/leave plans. Cream Wright Chief cwright@unicef.org Cream took over as Chief of the Education Section in April 2002, and is the main architect of the Girls’ Education Acceleration Strategy. Cream provides overall leadership and direction for the Section and for implementation of the organistional priority of girls’ education. Prior to joining UNICEF, he acted as Director of the Human Resource Development Division (Education and Health Departments) of the Commonwealth Secretariat, London. He also served as Special Adviser and Head of Education Department in this Division from February, 1997. ■ 17 ACCELERATING PROGRESS FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION EDUCATION DIGITALLY LINKS TO COALITIONS IN EDUCATION Global Campaign for Education www.campaignforeducation.org The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a coalition of international, national and regional groups active in the field of education, human rights, social justice and the eradication of poverty. Its mission is to promote education as a basic human right, and mobilise public pressure to provide free, compulsory public basic education for all people; in particular for children, women and all disadvantaged, deprived sections of society. The website provides information about the Global Campaign for Education, its advocacy activities, and contains useful documents and a list of GCE country level coalitions. The site has French and Spanish portals. An especially interesting advocacy feature is the chronicle of events for the 2003 Global Action Week, which had girls’ education as theme. More than 1 million children around the world took part in a synchronised “Biggest Lesson Ever” on the need for gender equality in education – a record breaking event that will make the Guinness Book of World Records. Another is the GCE and NetAid petition to the G8 leaders to keep their promises to support universal education. Basic Education Coalition www.basiced.org The Basic Education Coalition (BEC) is a group of US-based development organisations that advocates for greater priority to early childhood and primary education in US foreign assistance programmes. The website includes information about BEC, advocacy documents and some good practice examples from member organisations. Recent postings are the compelling testimonies made on 14 May 2003 before the House Committee on Appropriations, Foreign Operations Subcommittee in Washington D.C. in support of concerted international action to achieve universal education, with due attention to gender. Cream Wright, Chief Education Section, testified on behalf of UNICEF at this hearing. RESEARCH LINKS ID21 www.id21.org/education/index.html id21 is a fast-track research reporting service funded by the UK Department for International Development (DfID). It aims to bring UK-based development research findings and policy recommendations to policymakers and development practitioners worldwide. It has a segment on education with as categories Education for All, access and inclusion, skills and training, ICTs, EDUCATION RESOURCES ■ A Fair Chance: Attaining Gender Equality in Basic Education by 2005 Global Campaign for Education, April 2003 This report analyses what it will take to get girls’ into school and achieve gender equality by 2005. Based on the evidence of ‘success stories’ around the globe, the report argues that a few simple interventions, pursued in an integrated and comprehensive manner, can make an enormous impact on girls’ enrolment and completion. These include creating more primary and secondary school places and training and hiring more teachers, making schooling free, introducing targeted subsidies to help girls in the poorest families, and improve conditions for teaching and learning especially in rural and slum schools. The report calls on rich countries to deliver on their promise to increase aid to education.The full report and a report summary can be downloaded from www.globalcampaignforeducation.org ■ The Effects of Active Learning Programs in Multigrade Schools on Girls’ Persistence in and Completion of Primary School in Developing Countries Prepared for USAID by Juarez and Associates, Inc., January 2003 Multigrade schooling strategies that involve community participation and active learning strategies are increasingly being recognised by policy makers as key to improving quality and access to primary school in isolated rural areas. This report presents evidence from analysis of historical data and ethnographic assessments in Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Philippines on the effects of partici- pation in multigrade schools with innovative learning programmes, especially on girls. The study found that active learning programmes have been effective in changing the classroom environment in multigrade schools. In each country, there were decentralised and diversified discourse and interaction patterns that were designed to facilitate greater verbal communication, small group cooperation, and student involvement in instructional and extramural activities when compared to multigrade schools without such programmes. The greater decentralisation of the classroom environment and emphasis on student participation was particularly successful for girls as manifested in increases in female completion rates in all three countries. In all three countries the programmes appear to be sustainable. In Guatemala, it also seems to be cost-effective in terms of eliminating development cost over time with greater internal efficiency than 18 Health and HIV/AIDs, plus a sub-segment on gender violence in schools. Recent research is listed and a function allows, a search of the entire id21 database. The main education page has helpful links to DfID Education research papers, another resource worth exploring (www.dfid.gov.uk) and current DfID education research projects. Girls’ Education Pages on the UNICEF Website www.unicef.org/girlseducation/index.html The UNICEF website www.unicef.org has undergone a complete overhaul and has been reorganised around the five organisational priorities (girls’ education, early childhood, HIV/AIDS, child protection and immunisation plus) and other key or cross cutting areas of UNICEF’s focus including, adolescence, emergency interventions, nutrition, gender, child rights and supply. The new girls’ education pages are the latest step in the transformation of our information sharing practices via the internet. Building on the content developed in recent years around UNICEF’s organisational priority of girls’ education, the new pages provide varying levels of detail on many aspects of our work to follow the vision of Education for All children. Girls’ Education on the Intranet http://www.intranet.unicef.org/IMU/libweb/girlseducation/index2.htm Designed for and accessible to UNICEF staff, the Girls’ Education Site on the UNICEF Intranet has been running since June 2002. It is updated every month with new publications, research, reports, news and other resources related to girls’ education collected by education and information management officers at HQ and in the field. The site has recently been revised to better meet user needs. One new feature is “Country and Regional Information”, with space for UNICEF Country and Regional Offices, to encourage increased sharing of country and regional information resources and materials. Furthermore, additions have been made to the thematic page covering “Cross-Cutting Issues”. This page now features education as it relates to Conflict and Emergency Situations, Adolescent Development and Participation, Integrated Early Childhood Development, HIV/AIDs, Child Protection, and Health and Hygiene in Schools. Lastly, with the help of the Strategic Information Section, the “Situation and Statistics” page has been reorganized. If you have not yet visited the Girls’ Education site (or have not done so in a while) please take a look. We hope you find the changes to be improvements! Please send feedback and/or contributions to Ellen van Kalmthout (ekalmthout@unicef.org) in the Education Section. ■ found in more traditional multigrade schools. In the Philippines, the generally positive perception of teachers and parents supports its viability in meeting the needs of isolated rural areas. (the report can be accessed at www.educategirls.com) ■ Primary Schooling in subSaharan Africa: Recent Trends and Current Challenges Cynthia B. Lloyd, Paul C. Hewett, Population Council Policy Research Division Working Paper, 2003, No. 176 The aim of this paper is to highlight the value of consistent and comparable populationbased data on educational participation and attainment among youth in sub-Sahara Africa, and identify major challenges. It compares DHS data (based on household surveys) with UNESCO data (derived from national management information systems) for selected indicators including net enrolment ratios and net attendance ratios, grade four completion rates, and primary school completion rates, and analyses gender and wealth gaps. The DHS data point to a steady growth in attendance and attainment for girls over the last 20 years leading to a decline in educational disparities between boys and girls, but stagnation in educational progress for boys, and suggests that more research is required to understand the reasons for these disparate trends. Wide remaining disparities in schooling relate to economic status. The report therefore suggests that strategies to reach the poorest parents and their children are required, as well as new investments in data collection and evaluation. The full report can be downloaded from www.popcouncil.org ■ HIV/AIDS Education: A Gender Perspective UNICEF, 2003 This booklet has been compiled through a joint effort of the Education section, the Gender Unit, and the HIV/AIDS Unit in New York. It is based on a series of regional reviews conducted in West and Central Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa, East Asia and The Pacific, and The Americas and Caribbean, which analysed the treatment of gender within HIV/AIDS prevention education materials. In each case, the reviews found a need to strengthen the focus on gender issues as central to HIV/AIDS prevention. This publication provides a synthesis of the lessons learned, and some tools for addressing gender issues as part of HIV prevention programmes. Available in English, French, and Spanish, and soon downloadable from the UNICEF Life Skills-Based Education website, it is hoped that this material will be helpful as part of an overall toolkit to support moving forward on the joint priorities of Girls’ Education and HIV/AIDS prevention. For further information on HIV/AIDS and education, please visit the related websites of http://www.unicef.org/ programme/lifeskills/index.html ■ 19 ACCELERATING PROGRESS FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION Education On The Move Afghanistan after 18 months Kathryn A. Rulon, Education Section, UNICEF New York books was critical, since most people can not afford to purchase them. The Afghan Government along with donors, UN organisations and NGOs address the demand for education on several fronts. Old schools are being rehabilitated and new ones built, all with water sources. In many villages this will be the sole source of water, so families will have to walk to school to get their water creating a secure, welltravelled path that will help influence parents’ decision to send their daughters to school. Teachers are incorporating landmine awareness into their lessons and UNICEF plans to conduct immunizations and birth registration at schools to encourage their use as centres for social change. In 2002, when schools were reopened to girls, the focus was on creating access to education, but even before the second academic year, Ministry officials began outlining strategies for improving quality. During the winter school break nearly 20,000 primary school teachers were trained in childcentered teaching methodology. Development of a new curriculum and gender-sensitive textbooks are underway and a new policy for children’s promotion to the next grade level has been communicated to schools around the country. The advancements in education that have taken place in Afghanistan in 18 short months are commendable and reflect true acceleration on the ground, particularly in girls’ education. But Deputy Minister of Education, Mr. Marastyal, is concerned about future donor support. The education budget is 27 percent of Afghanistan’s total budget, but as he explained, this does not come close to meeting the current demand of the Afghan population for education. “Last year, we stood outside the schools asking the children to come in,” he said. “We can’t stand in front of the schools next year and ask them to leave. We must deliver on our promises”. ■ GIRLS’ EDUCATION IS: A CORE DEVELOPMENT ISSUE Every year a girl is in school is a step towards eliminating poverty, advancing sustainable human development, promoting gender equality, and stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS. C hildren, parents, teachers, school administrators and Ministry of Education officials in Afghanistan are demonstrating their recognition of the role that education plays in the reconstruction of their country. The Afghan people are claiming their right to education, as evidenced by an enrolment of 3.6 million children, from a projected enrolment of 1.5 million primary school students just 16 months ago. The Government, school administrators and teachers are racing to meet the demand. Learning spaces are at a premium. In many schools temporary shelters such as tents cover school grounds and corridors are transformed into learning spaces. In others, children and teachers gather in rooms without windows and doors or around a chalkboard outside, as children hold umbrellas in one hand and a pencil in the other. Classes are run in two or three shifts, with children in the early grades attending in the morning and older children in the afternoon. There are currently about 7,000 schools in Afghanistan and Ministry of Education officials estimate the need to be at least double. What has created this overwhelming demand for education, particularly the increased demand for girls’ education? Demand for education grew during the years of conflict and intensified when the education of girls was proscribed by the Taliban. A young Afghan woman who secretly worked for an NGO during the Taliban period explained that “…prior to the Taliban, Afghans sent their daughters to school up to the age of 10 but after that, the majority were kept at home to work and then get married. Now, people are reacting and are sending their girls to school, even to secondary school.” She thought that extensive publicity and advocacy for education also contributed to the interest and that the provision of school supplies and text- A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE Every year a girl is denied her right to a quality education increases the chances she will be subject to violence and exploitation, and be more vulnerable to disease, including HIV/AIDS. AN URGENT ISSUE If significant progress in girls’ education does not happen as quickly as possible, every international development effort including the Millennium Development Goals is in jeopardy. The Education Update is the newsletter of the UNICEF Education Section, Programme Division, and is issued 2-3 times a year. It seeks to disseminate substantive information regarding topics related to UNICEF’s priority area of girls’ education and share good practice examples from UNICEF country programmes around the world. The Update is aimed at UNICEF education staff and other parties interested in gender and basic education. For inquiries, comments or suggestions regarding the Education Update contact: Noala Skinner and Ellen van Kalmthout Editors, Education Section/Programme Division, UNICEF New York UNICEF H-7A 3 UN Plaza New York 10017, USA edupdate@unicef.org, nskinner@unicef.org and ekalmthout@unicef.org Fax: (+1-212) 326 7129