We all know that school is a haven where we can not only learn about the world but also ourselves. School is the first place where we formally exercise our independence, voice our opinions, and access leadership opportunities. It is one of the first places where we overcome challenges which push us to become the best possible versions of ourselves. However for many children around the world, school is nothing more than an unattainable luxury.
Did you know that there are 796 million illiterate people in the world? An alarming ⅔ of this population is comprised of women.
Every day, girls around the world face many obstacles in their lives that prevent them from obtaining an education. This in turn creates yet another obstacle: the inability to become independent and successful.
PLAN International works with children, their families, communities, wider society and governments to advocate for deep-rooted change that will ensure that every child has access to safe, high quality education. There are three especially prevalent barriers to girls’ education. The first one is poverty. Education, as well as the cost of uniforms and supplies, is not affordable in all countries; some countries do not even have the means to provide the infrastructure required for building schools. The second barrier is the absence of a safe environment. In many schools, there are no girls-only bathrooms and the long distances to school render girls increasingly vulnerable to instances of abuse and assault. The third barrier is child marriage and teen pregnancies. In many countries, cultural norms command girls to stay at home, obey the male leaders of their household, complete their chores, and eventually get married off. Because they were not allowed to seek education, they must depend on their husbands for the rest of their lives for income. This vicious cycle then repeats intergenerationally when these girls have children of their own because the way that things have always been done is thought to be the right way - the only way things should be done.
But it’s not the only way and it’s definitely not the right way.
Providing girls with an education will ensure that they learn the foundational skills they need to achieve their full potential and also improve the future of their families, communities, countries, and the world. Girls who receive an education are more likely to marry in adulthood and make well-informed decisions when choosing a life partner rather than relying on their parents, who may have chosen a partner for them based on superficial characteristics like status and dowry. Girls who receive an education are more likely to be formally employed, and earn a living for themselves which allows them to live a purposeful, independent life. Girls who receive an education are more likely to foster an environment where education is a feasible entity for their children. As a result, their children can go on to be successful and capable of transforming their dreams into a tangible reality.
Education empowers girls. It gives girls the right they should have and need - the right to be contributing members to our society, the right to share their ideas with the world, to create new norms, and to speak up for what they believe in.
Written by:
Gurreet Bhandal & Mantash Brar
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