Breaking Free From Prejudices of Girls' Education
“An educated girl has direction, she has hope. She will become a mentor to other girls. SHE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD!”
Education is one of the important phases in a person’s life. It provides everyone with an opportunity to grow socially as well as academically. Educating every individual is not only important for the economic development of a country but also leaves an impact on the economic empowerment of an individual. Children living in poverty face many barriers to education but the stakes are high for girls and that shows the prejudice in education. Globally, there are more than 129 million girls who are out of school. Investing in their education and providing them opportunities to come forward and seek what they deserve has the potential to uplift their families in society.
Receiving quality education benefits females in all spheres of their lives. Some factors restrict girls in many areas of the world from receiving a quality education or sometimes even going to school. It has been years since they are not getting an equal platform to learn and express their rights. All the complex and intersectional factors not only create barriers to education but make the girls of underserved areas invisible.
Fighting Reasons for Being Out Of School
The most dominant reason for financial cost as the biggest barrier to education is something that should not be considered a reason now. There must be actions against it to resolve this forever-growing problem and efforts are required from all individuals. Eliminating money as a barrier is not just an overnight process in a child’s learning. It takes trust and understanding to acknowledge and improve the situations of underserved children. Organizations like Educate Girls are constantly working towards children’s learning, especially girls.
As per a report published by the World Bank, it has been verified that poverty or less economic stability is the major reason for restricting girls from attending schools. Sometimes, parents manage to afford the school fees but it gets difficult for them to keep up with the added expenses like uniforms, notebooks, stationery, etc. Low earnings force girls to stay back and take care of the other siblings so that both parents could earn their living. So, poverty leads to household chores instead of quality education.
Families select other things over their girl and her necessities and no one should bear this. In turn, they should indulge in between and fight for what they deserve. Sanitary napkins and supportive inner wears are the supreme demand of every adolescent girl. But parents living in poor areas are often not able to afford these and choose to marry their daughters as soon as they began to menstruate. Standing together by uniting with the activists and organizations working for the cause of advocating the importance of girls’ education can change things, encourage learning and help provide girls the opportunities they deserve.
Education Acts As A Vaccine to Violence
Gender-based violence has many forms including bullying, harassment, abuse, etc. Surviving rape, inequality, and emotional torture lowers the enrollment of children in schools and reduces their active participation in society. These reasons stand strong behind the increasing dropout rates every year. Many children are not able to complete basic primary education because the environment might not be feasible for them to adjust to.
This needs to stop by advocating a fair, equal, and respectful environment for all the kids irrespective of anything. It is estimated that 246 million girls and boys are harassed and abused on their way to school every year. Many countries reported bullying cases inside the school as well. Everybody has to understand that a person of the opposite gender with some special features, respect, level of opportunities, and the right to learn should be equal and fair for everybody. The practice of differentiating on any ground should be restricted; the sole aim should be to motivate a child to study. Teachers and mentors should plan interactive sessions in between school times so that they can have a chat and help the kids understand the normality of different lives easily.
Menstruation
The adolescent period of a girl’s body means that menstruation might act as a barrier to their education. In many marginalised communities all over the world, sanitary products are not economically affordable and are even not provided by schools. By simply not having the resources to manage their periods, they are left with no other choice than to skip school. This problem often provokes permanent dropouts in underserved areas.
In addition to this, many girls in rural areas are advised to use cloth instead of a sanitary pad. This should be strictly restricted as it can cause infection. This can have a detrimental effect on their health and it ultimately results in them staying back at home after their menstruation begins. Periods are something normal that should not be a restriction in gaining a quality education for an empowered life later. But all the hygienic essentials like sanitary napkins, and clean washrooms at schools must be ensured to maintain and somewhere allow for better children’s learning.
How to Eliminate These Barriers and Break Free From Prejudices?
Policy Level Changes
New policies should be introduced and the existing ones should be refined to focus on sending more girls to school and ensuring not only their enrollment but regular attendance as well. There must be reinforcements for families of underserved areas on sending their daughters to school and supporting their higher education. Furthermore, policies should be designed on restricting practices of child marriage, gender-based violence, etc. to eliminate these barriers to encouraging their education.
Creating Awareness
Communication, campaigns, and advocacy at all levels of society should be practiced as it is very important to change the editing of gender and social norms in backward communities. This is a very slow process that requires intervention from all educated individuals. Creating awareness at the grass-root level is important because it is to educate the state, community, and religious leaders.
Encouraging More Women Teachers
Evidence of the number of girls’ enrollment in backward communities demands more female teachers as girls suffer from a problem but every solution before them is to drop out of school and stay back. If there would be more female teachers then the environment might push the girls to talk to their teachers and discuss the problem. Together they can come to a common solution by applying the problem-solving approach. Curriculums should also be reflecting gender equality within educational resources such as textbooks, presenting girls and boys equally.
As always, we must focus on dismantling the patriarchal beliefs which oppress women and girls and prevent them from reaching their highest potential. Girls and boys should be valued equally and encouragement in education should be provided, regardless of gender. We must create awareness surrounding the benefits of educating girls as well as informing communities and parents about the harm of child marriage and gender-based violence in the long run.
These conversations are crucial to have within a community so a larger support is required to penetrate through the patriarchal mindset and help spread the word of educating girls within. Stand strong with Educate Girls – a non-profit working closely with and helping thousands of girls in getting a quality education to build an empowered life. A small effort would count and will make a difference.
