Over 800 girls from around the world told us what they want from their education — our Girls’ Vision for Education report shares the findings and outlines actions for global decision-makers.
Today, 88 million girls are out of secondary school, and millions more are not receiving an education that equips them with the basic knowledge and skills they need to succeed. Gender inequality in education still pervades in lower-income countries, and too many girls face discrimination and abuse in school. Unsafe routes to and from school are some of the primary drivers of girls’ dropout: an estimated 60 million girls experience sexual assault on their way to school each year.
To understand what girls need for their education, we asked them. Through our Girls’ Vision for Education consultation, more than 800 girls in 30 low- and middle-income countries shared their needs, priorities and ambitions for education with us. Ahead of this year’s 69th U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), Malala Fund is launching the findings and laying out actions for global decision-makers in Girls’ Vision for Education: Delivering on girls’ needs and priorities for education.
Girls know exactly what they want from their education — governments and global institutions must listen to them, act to advance gender equality in schools and realise the right to secondary education for all girls.
Our vision of education allows girls to have a better quality of life, respect, be prepared for more things and discover their place in the world. – Vision statement from workshop with girls under 13 who are in school in Brazil.
Through Girls’ Vision for Education, we heard that:
Girls want an education that supports their independence and empowerment. They seek to gain knowledge, skills and opportunities through education to help them be independent and confident and drive change in society.
Girls want to learn in schools fit for the 21st century where they receive respect. They envision an education that is free from discrimination, supports their creative expression and offers opportunities to learn topics that interest them and equip them to actively participate in social, economic and political life.
Girls want governments to deliver on promises to reduce barriers to their education. Governments should prioritise action to tackle financial barriers, gender-based violence and inadequate menstrual health and hygiene provisions that prevent girls from accessing and completing school.
Next week, Malala Fund will head to CSW69 — the annual review of progress on girls and women’s rights — to share the Girls’ Vision for Education with young women, partners and other important stakeholders. CSW69 marks an important moment in this year’s milestone reviews of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, key global frameworks for measuring gender equality in education.
With only five years left before the SDG deadline, the promise of 12 years of free, safe, quality education for all girls feels increasingly out of reach. Progress on gender equality indicators has stagnated or declined in nearly 40% of countries, home to 1 billion girls and women.
At the 2021 Generation Equality Forum, we committed to working directly with girls to articulate a new vision for education grounded in their needs, rights and priorities to build awareness of girls’ perspectives in global policy forums. We took this commitment forward through the Girls’ Vision consultation process, prioritising the voices of marginalised girls and partnering with girls throughout the process.
My dream about education will give girls the opportunity to seize their rights, to be good parents for their children, and something to be proud of for the community. – Vision statement from workshop with 14-16 year olds who are out of school in Nigeria.
Governments and international institutions are falling short of their commitments to girls and must take action to improve girls' access to education. These powerful actors should also make space for girls in national and global decision-making processes relating to education, and resource girls who are driving change.
Find out what girls shared, how global decision-makers can deliver on girls’ needs and Malala Fund’s efforts to unlock resources for girls’ education in our report. A short summary of the report is also available here.
