Education for girls

The question of access to education for girls remains one which is a challenge for the world with significant gaps still remaining between the educational attainment of boys and girls in the developing world. Most experts feel that the best way to bring girls into schools is to lower the costs of education and provide them better access to it.

We have seen over and over again in Pakistan that when girls from less privileged backgrounds are given aid to enter private schools of higher standing many choose to do so given the gains in both the costs of learning and in the quality of education. The issue of access also remains one which exists across the developing world. South Asia is among these regions even though it has taken big steps forward in ensuring education for girls. However, a significant gap remains and it will take time to bridge this. Strategies need to be developed to determine how this can most effectively be achieved. In the first case schools, notably those at the secondary level, must be within the reach of girls -- particularly those who live in rural or less developed areas with no means of transportation to school. It is also true that families consider spending money on the education of a girl a waste of resources given the constraints they face.

This needs to be amended by finding ways to offer girls and all children education that has meaning for them at costs that are manageable. We have in our country seen the shift from the public sector to private schools as the quality of public sector education declines; as a result, there is an added burden on families. Ideally, we should be rebuilding public-sector education. However, this is likely to be a long and difficult task given the decline we have seen. In this situation the mechanisms need to be developed to offer girls education at costs which are manageable for their families. This education should also be geared towards building their future and helping them meet the needs they will encounter in their lives. An entire plan would need to be evolved but given the findings in many countries of how much benefit educated women can bring families it is worth working towards this goal so that our needs can be met and that in the future the gender gap that currently exists in education can be closed.