Lack of Female Teachers Keeping Girls from School in Afghanistan
Local education officials in Afghanistan’s Takhar province say a lack of female teachers is one of the many factors preventing families from sending their daughters to school. Abdul Ghafar Saripuli, head of the education department in Takhar, says that social and cultural beliefs cause parents to keep their daughters home from school as male teachers are teaching the majority of classes. Read it here.
Higher Education Numbers Up for Women in Pakistan
The future looks bright for girls and women in Pakistan as the number of females in higher education continues to rise. In fact, the total number of women in universities for the 2009-2010 school year was 391,000, up from just 96,000 in 2004. This increase is in part thanks to the growing number of women universities throughout Pakistan–there are currently seven. Even more impressive, girls are even outnumbering boys at major coed universities such as the University of Karachi. Read it all here.
East African Legislative Assembly Gets First Female Speaker
For the first time in history the East African Legislative Assembly has a female speaker. Margaret Nantongo Zziwa, who won the position just last week, is described as a strong-willed and confident woman who has been a strong advocate for education. In addition to her long political career, she holds two master’s degrees. In her new role Zziwa will be a key player in the East African political community and will be consulting closely with the region’s presidents throughout her five year term. Read more here.
More Participation and Creativity Needed to Educate Girls
In the world today there are still 35 million girls who are not in school. While the benefits of educating girls are well-known–educated women marry later in life, have fewer children, invest in their children’s education, earn more income and are less vulnerable to disease–the task of keeping girls in school remains difficult. In order to create significant change and increase learning opportunities, more active and creative participation is needed on behalf of governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. Read more here.
