Access to Education
The Right to Education Act
RTE (Right to Education Act), was enacted on 4 August 2009 by the Parliament of India.
It describes the various reasons that free and compulsory education for children ages 6 to 14 is important and necessary.
This became law under Article 21a of the Indian Constitution.
India is now 1 of 135 countries where education is a fundamental right.
The act came into force on April 1, 2010
picture from youthspeakindia.org
Countries Where Women Are Lacking Access:
Afghanistan
historically poor, but worsened under Taliban rule
3% girls received primary education under Taliban rule
some girls have been attacked with acid on their way to school to deter them
Bangladesh
Child marriage creates a loss of opportunity for many girls and women
only 5% of adolescent girls can continue to study after marriage
under 19, more than half of girls are married
under 19, 58% are pregnant or mothers
Benin
poor educational facilities and lack of schools are just the beginning
preference usually given to boys' schooling
girls' attendance rate is very low
80% women between 15 and 49 years were illiterate in 2005
image from Global Fund for Girls (globalfundforgirls.com)
Bhutan
many children travel far distances to attend schools
some children live away from home during the week in order to attend school
boys often sent to school instead of girls when families can not afford to send all their children
47% enrollment for girls
image from the Literacy Program created by the Women's Association of Bhutan
sourced from UNESCO (unesco.org)
Cambodia
women struggle to find safe refuge to live
In the 1970s, most of the educated class was wiped out by Khmer Rouge
Most women stop their education either when begining or before starting puberty
women are 15% of the students in higher education
Chad
poor children, orphans, and child laborers unable to attend school
at secondary school age, 10% girls have completed elementary school
Ethiopia
16.7% of the 30 million women in Ethiopia are considered literate
education open to women
but women face negative social attitudes
many textbooks and lessons are "discriminatory and gender insensitive"
pregnancy, early marriage, and sexual harrassment all force women to leave school
women here attend school an average of 2.2 years
image from Pathfinder International
Gabon
women usually responsible for manual labor in families
(raising children, household chores, collecting water, growing food)
only about 2.44% secondary education is girls
image from UNESCO
Ghana
estimated 23 million girls not in school in 2000 in sub-Sahara Africa, particularly Ghana
500 million typically start primary school
but nearly 100 million will drop out in the first 4 years
Orphans and women in Gbawe, Ghana
sourced from Global Giving (globalgiving.org)
Guatemala
less than half girls have the opportunity to enroll in elementary
1 out of 8 girls will complete the 6th grade
urban areas are slightly better due to increased safety and shorter walking distances between home and school
some girls must stay at home to help cook or care for siblings, particularly in rural areas
Women reading the education standards manual
sourced from USAID (usaid.gov)
Haiti
25% women in urban areas have finished secondary school
less that 2% in rural areas
from Women of Vision (womenofvision.org)
Iraq
47% women partially/fully illiterate
differences between regions, specifically north and south, create issues for women's education
lack of security also leads to decreased teacher and female student attendance
La'Onf Iraqi nonviolent group dispersing fliers at the College of Education for Girls in Najaf, Iraq
sourced from www.warresisters.org
Liberia
there are projects for women in education, but access is poor
girls drop out to cook and clean for family or to do small jobs like selling water and food
prostitution to earn money for school is common, which may lead to pregnancy and dropping out
3 out of 5 Liberian women are illiterate
Literacy program for women in their 30s through their 50s in Liberia
sourced from Voice of America
(read the article at www.voanews.com/content/liberia-literacy-program-reaches-women-in-mid-life/1725157.html)
Malawi
most girls do not make it to secondary school
67% miss out
some girls at school age are domestic workers instead
many employers deny these women their education
Mali
compulsory primary education to age 12
only 49.3% girls attended 2005-2006 school year
povery (distance to school, lack of transportation) and early marriages are just a few of the obstacles
Komba Dumbia, 58, with two grandaughters on International Women's Day in Mali
the sign says "thank you for bringing the light"
Read the full article at www.buildon.org/2013/03/examining-gender-equality-in-mali/
Morocco
high overall adult literacy rate (40% in 2007)
3 out of 4 women illiterate in 2004
in rural areas, education is worse, illiteracy for women can be as high as 90%
sourced from UNESCO
Nepal
7% students reach 10th grade
nearly a 2:1 ratio of boys to girls in schools
girls sold into bonded servitude (slavery) keeping them from education
education of women regarded as less important than educating men/boys
Rural Women's Network Nepal
To read the full article visit jointings.org/eng/archives/258
Niger
women face education and employment obstacles
early marriage and domestic work are typical
15.1% literacy for women
women are 22.15% of civil servants
Kanazi, Niger sourced from NY Times (nytimes.com)
Pakistan
education for women here among the lowest in the world
dropout rate for girls is 50%
urban women have literacy rate 5x that of their rural sisters
Palestine
Child marriage means many women do not finish even required primary school.
Sexist "cultural" restrictions keep women out of colleges and universities.
Particularly women who choose to marry outside their faith.
These women are also often disowned by families, harassed, and have their lives threatened.
Women underreprsented in most parts of professional life
NO laws for women's rights in the workplace
9.5% women in Palestine are economically active
sourced from hopesforwomen.org
Papua New Guinea
60% illiteracy rate in women
in remote areas this is expected to jump to 85%
literacy is only the first step in education
Rwanda
97% girls attend primary school
but less than 13% attend upper-secondary schooling
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Akilah Institute for Women in Rwanda
sourced from the article below:
Tajikistan
Child and early marriage is very common
working in the fields or looking after siblings also keep girls from attending school
many times girls do not realize the value of education and have been brought up to value marriage instead
state education is free, but families can not afford uniforms and supplies, such as books
the requirement is 9 years, but 25% of girls leave before reaching 9th grade
Out of every 10 who do make it, 4 of those do not complete 2 more years of optional school
Turkey
about 500,000 girls do not go to school
parents sometimes do not understand (or "believe") their daughters need to be educated
some are even misled to say education will "spoil" their daughters for marriage
money, living too far, and security issues also prevent women from attending school
Yemen
nearly half of the girls are not attending primary school
2 out of 3 women are illiterate
Primary School in Yemen
Read more at www.sahledu.com/blog/category/education-in-yemen/women-education-in-yemen/
Numbers above from 2011 article from onlineuniversities.com
graphic from coolintl.com
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