When it comes to changing the behavior and attitude of individuals or groups regarding gender equality and equitability, there is no question that education will play a constructive role in bringing a radical change. This is especially true in most African societies where traditional beliefs and value systems restrict the role that girls and women play in their communities.
That is why policymakers and women’s rights advocates agree with the fact that investing in women’s and girls’ education is not only a matter of basic rights but also a strategic imperative for Africa`s development. By empowering women and girls through education, Africa can unlock its full potential, drive economic growth, and build more inclusive and equitable societies.
Seeing education’s many-sided benefits, the First Pan African Conference on Girls` and Women`s Education was recently held here in Addis Ababa.
At the event, several high-level AU and African countries officials, representatives of various agencies, including the United Nations and other development partners, civil society organizations, representatives of African girls and women, and academicians took part.
The conference, themed “Prioritizing Girls and Women’s Education: A Strategy for Increased Access to Inclusive, Lifelong, Quality, and Relevant Learning in Africa,” discussed ways to provide education opportunities for African girls and women and served as a platform for fostering collaboration and innovation in advancing girls and women’s education in Africa. During the conference, participants shared insights, experiences, and strategies for overcoming barriers to access, improving quality, and promoting gender equality in education.
Speaking at the event, African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson, Monique Nsanzabaganwa, underscored the importance of ensuring equitable access to quality education. According to her, accessing quality education is not an option for African women and girls. Education is key to eliminating gender inequality and gaps in many spheres, she added.
“Education is instrumental in eliminating gender inequality and closing the gaps in social, economic, and political spheres. In this regard, the conference provides an opportunity to focus on promoting and protecting girls’ and women’s education in the continent.”
Nsanzabaganwa also indicated that ensuring better and more equitable education opportunities for African women and girls is not only about creating a better world for an individual woman or girl but for the whole continent. Ensuring better access to education and skill development for African girls and women will help to create an inclusive continent while boosting women`s role in the socioeconomic and governance fields, she added.
“Education, as a resource, is a game changer in our daily lives, particularly for women’s empowerment. Education helps to eliminate gender inequality, closing the gaps in social, economic, and political spheres,” Nsanzabaganwa said.
According to her, the AUC has been taking numerous initiatives to spearhead the processes of the promotion and protection of girls’ and women’s education on the continent, as it considers education a key driver for development.
Mentioning the fact that continental crises and conflicts are affecting the well-being of Africa, Nsanzabaganwa said that providing all necessary educational opportunities to African women and girls is not something to be compromised.
“We know that the ongoing crisis, geopolitical tensions, and conflict on the continent have also taken us some steps backward, so we want to see how we are going to come back and accelerate, even more, the outcomes for girls’ and women’s education. And as we do, we also look at the boy because it will need to be sustainable for both girls and boys.”
Speaking on his part, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation within the African Union, Mohamed Belhocine, said that education has a crucial role in ensuring sustainable development in Africa.
In this regard, there is a need to strengthen continental commitments to harness the potential of education as a critical enabler in addressing Africa`s development bottlenecks and realizing major development aspirations.
As a means to realize this goal, Mohamed also called on African countries and concerned actors to redouble efforts toward ensuring improved access to quality education and skills development, with due emphasis on girls and women.
No doubt, educating girls and women provides an opportunity for them to be equipped with the needed knowledge and skills and transform themselves. It enables them to break the traditional cycle of exclusion that compels them to end up in marriage and keeps them out of the decision-making process. Several studies have shown that educating girls is directly correlated with improving the health of populations, in particular reducing infant mortality; as an educated woman reacts more quickly and rationally to a health problem, according to him.
Indeed, as the African proverb goes “If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” In this respect, accessing quality education for African girls and women is a wise decision for African leaders to make poverty a history and advance the socio-economic development of the continent.
In this regard, the First Pan-African Conference on Girls and Women’s Education can be taken as a landmark in terms of reawakening African leaders to give more attention to girls and women’s education, invest more, and facilitate the platform to achieve sustainable development and gender equality in Africa.
Empowering girls and women through investing in education and creating the future generations of Africa requires a collective effort, from Africa’s leaders, politicians, and policymakers. By coming together to share knowledge, experiences, and solutions, they can pave the way for transformative change that will benefit societies across the continent. Through strategic investment in girls’ and women’s education, African leaders can unlock the immense potential of their populations, drive economic growth, social progress, and attain sustainable development.
Leaders in Africa should invest meaningfully and devise policies and programs that promote girls’ and women’s education and help them reach their full potential. By championing initiatives that address barriers to access, educational quality and foster gender equality in schools, they can drive systemic change that benefits entire societies. Through targeted investment in technical and vocational training centers, facilitating scholarships, and mentorship programs for girls, policymakers can ensure that girls and women have the support they need to succeed academically and professionally.
BY LEULSEGED WORKU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 28 JULY 2024
