Pregnancy, early marriage, school fees, risk of sexual violence? What are the barriers for girls and boys going to school? As the education community envisions post-2015 Millennium Development Goals, IREX surveyed its pool of teacher-leaders alumni around the world to get a better picture of the ways gender impacts education. What impacts girls’ participation in school the most? What particular factors affect boys? Over 200 secondary school teachers from 45 countries responded to our questions. Here are some of the findings from our snapshot survey [12].
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For girls’ education, across all countries, the barrier most frequently reported by respondents was related to early marriage and/or pregnancy. This was closely followed by the risk of sexual violence.
The most frequently reported barrier for boys’ education across all countries related to income-generation and/or household duties. The second most reported barrier related to school costs, such as fees and school supplies.
To better understand how these barriers differ around the world, IREX broke down the survey results to show what teachers in each region, from Africa to the Americas, thought had the highest impact on girl learners.
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We also asked teachers what they did to support girls’ participation in education. Numerous responders spoke of how they personally encouraged individual girls’ to stay in school and work hard at their studies. “We need to let them know that education is the bedrock of success,” offered one teacher. Many also went out into their communities to talk to parents about the benefits of education for their daughters. “Change the way parents think about the role of girls in society.” Female teachers noted the importance of being a good role model and several teachers spoke about sharing examples of successful women in their countries.
When asked what were the most effective strategies for encouraging girls’ education in their countries, many respondents mentioned free (and compulsory) education for all or reductions in school fees or “More scholarships for women” as important measures.
Of the respondents who identified barriers to education in their school some teachers didn’t feel that there were significant gender differences in education for boys and girls in their country.
IREX offers this brief snapshot as part of the ongoing discussion about education and gender around the world. What interventions are effective in reducing these barriers? And do they work equally well across different communities? We thank all of the teachers who participated in this survey. IREX experts will continue to analyze this data and engage with leaders around the world working to improve education for boys and girls.
Survey respondents are alumni of either the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA) [16] or the International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP) [17]. Both are programs of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs [18] and administered by IREX.