BEST PRACTICES FOR GIRL’S ACCESSING EDUCATION

Mona Ahmed Hassan Zaki Badr

Abstract
Education is an essential right for every individual in any part of the world. However, some critical issues may face the educational process in many countries specifically poor countries; one of the critical issues is girls in access to education. With reference to the report of the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda (2013) which declares that the barriers that face females in Uganda were having sexual harassment in schools, deteriorating the value and importance of girl’s education, having inadequate infrastructure or lack of school facilities, lack of child friendly schools. Also, Bista (2004) highlighted some other barriers that could face females specifically in Nepal. Bista (2004) asserted that females could face social and culture barriers, economic barriers, psychological barriers, institutional barriers, barriers that is caused by having poor teaching and learning conditions in schools, family circumstances, geographical barriers and mental and physical barriers. Bista (2004) highlighted that one of the reasons of not sending girls to school is due to gender discrimination and norms   that is against female gender. Also, concerning the economic barrier Bista (2004) declared that in Nepal agriculture and farming plays a vital role in family’s earnings for living; that is why child labor is essential for families to earn living as well as having high costs that would hinder sending girls to schools. Also, Bista (2004) declared that families do fear sending their daughters to school because of not having girl-friendly schools. As those schools do not guarantee privacy and safety for females for example not having a latrine that is dedicated for girls only. In addition, Bista (2004) highlighted  that having female teachers at schools would also share in families  not allowing females to be enrolled in schools, due to their fear of sexual abuse and harassment on behalf of boys and male teachers as well.  Another main reason behind not sending girls to schools is that having a low quality of education in schools, parents argue that school curriculum is too theoretical. Also, due to the fact  that  having low quality of education and unqualified teachers in public schools, parents tend to send their male children to private schools and sending girls to public schools to let their males children perceive high quality of education that would increase the gap among male and female children and increasing gender inequality in education. Adding to this, Bista (2004) viewed another barrier to not send females to get educated is due to the fact that Nepal is a country that is famous for having mountains which hinder the process of sending girls to school, as school a remote and no transportation available as well as not having schools that is close to girls home.

On the other hand, Girls should have their right to get educated, as their education would probably help in many aspects of life. Girls access to education would share in the enhancing the economic, social and political status of the family. This was clear in the words of Ban Ki-moon as cited in the United Nations for Girls Education report (2010) “Investing in girls’ education delivers well-known returns. When girls are educated, they are more likely to earn higher wages and obtain better jobs, to have fewer and healthier children and to enjoy safer childbirth.” The purpose of this paper is to highlight the best practices that promote girls accessing education in different countries. The focus of the paper is to covers the best practices that served in overcoming girls in access to schools specifically in the basic and early childhood education in the light of the theory of change.

Keywords: Gender disparity, barriers in educating females, Best practices in girls education