Safe Access to Quality Secondary School Education for Girls

Sitting at a desk listening to a teacher explain how to properly do multiplication or how stringing these letters together makes words is not a privilege, it is a right. Not one student should feel scared to be in a classroom. Gaining an education is a human right that should be safely accessed by all, girls and boys alike. That right does not stop when a student finishes primary school, it carries through to secondary and tertiary studies. The benefits of girls and women gaining an education past primary school are undeniable; for many girls this is unattainable, because there is not safe access to quality secondary education for girls.

Inclusive, equitable education is one of the main objectives in the 2030 development agenda, as articulated in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number four Graduate Women International (GWI) welcomes Global Goal target 4.1: to ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes (Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform). Access to education, at all levels from primary to tertiary, is a worldwide goal that has been articulated in many documents and organisations. However, this right is not always guaranteed for girls and women seeking secondary education.

Girls are often dissuaded from going to school by family members, or are simply prevented from attending due to dangerous barriers that stand in their way. Some parents worry about their daughters’ safety on the way to and from school. Sexual harassment and violence at the hands of a teacher, school administrator, or classmate is a concern for many girls (UNESCO From Access to Equality, 2012). Physical violence as a form of discipline is prevalent in classrooms around the world. In some places, even attending school is seen as improper and retribution for going to class can be violent (Plan International, 2013).

Girls’, or their family members’, concern for safety goes beyond physical threats. Many girls face discrimination and emotional harassment once they arrive at school. Textbooks and lessons are often taught in a way that reinforces gender stereotypes. Some teachers favour boys in the classroom and expect less of the girls (Brookings Institution, What Works in Girls Education, 2016). Worldwide, many people are of the opinion that women should not strive for higher education; they should instead follow cultural norms that tend to confine them to activities in the home (UNESCO From Access to Equality, 2012). Girls and women may have a hard time feeling safe or confident raising their hand in class and expressing their opinion if they feel they are not equalto their male peers. Verbal, online and physical bullying inside and outside schools is common, and many girls do not retaliate, feeling that to do so would be acting in an “unfeminine manner” (European Parliament, Empowering Women and Girls Through Education, 2015).

To try and tackle the plethora of issues that girls face over attaining secondary schooling, many organisations are developing strategies to provide safe access to education. At the primary level, the Child Friendly Schools model developed by UNICEF (UNICEF CFS Manual, 2009) has been used successfully. This model aims to handle all the factors facing children’s access to schooling while moving educators towards better standards. In Gambia, there has been marked success in the Child Friendly Schools for female enrollment. Part of their mandates included training teachers on gender-related factors, education about sexual harassment, and an “exchange of strategies through a girl’s education newsletter.” In the area where these programmes were implemented, female enrollment in primary school rose from 69 percent to 91 percent (UNICEF CFS Gambia Case Study, 2009). This model needs to be expanded to secondary schools too, because the issues that the Child Friendly School model addresses do not just stop at the primary level.

In addition to embracing models like the Child Friendly School, there are a number of other concrete steps that schools can take to make sure that women have safe access to secondary education. An increase in the number of female teachers could provide role models and encouragement for young women (UNESCO From Access to Equality, 2012). Having female teachers in schools can also protect female students from “unwanted attention from boys or male teachers, and even from sexual abuse and exploitation” (Kirk, Jackie UNESCO Bangkok, 2006). Civil society organisations can advocate for or assist in the promotion of safe secondary schooling for girls. Graduate Women International does just that with programmes supporting female teachers in Uganda, creating mobile applications for teenage girls in Rwanda to empower them to complete school and transition to university, further education or professional work, and many more avenues of support from our national federations and associations.

Engaging men and boys in the conversation and making them part of the solution will allow for support from the whole community and an overall understanding of the need for safe access to secondary education. However, that access can only become a reality if those in power — who are often men — are committed to the cause as well (UNESCO From Access to Equality, 2012).

Ensuring a safe and secure school environment for girls is critical because a girl is more likely to continue her schooling if she feels safe in her learning environment. The positive effects of providing secondary education for girls and women are clear. Evidence shows that educating girls has several beneficial effects for social and economic development. Girls who complete secondary education are likely to earn a greater income over their lifetimes, to have fewer unwanted pregnancies and to marry later. Future generations, their countries, and the world as a whole will also reap the benefits of girls’ education. There is no excuse for not making secondary schools a safe place for women to learn, as it is an investment in today and tomorrow, and most importantly, a human right for all.