The world celebrated International Day for the Girl on 10th October. Eleven years after the first International Day of the Girl, the world is celebrating the many ways in which girls are transforming how we live, learn, communicate, and create. As a sign of progress, UNESCO data shows that there are 50 million more children in school today than there were when the global education goal, Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) was set in 2015. This means that 50 million more girls have the opportunity to get an education, which is essential for their personal development and for the betterment of society as a whole. We must continue to support girls’ education and empowerment so that they can reach their full potential and contribute to building a better future for all.
When girls are educated, they are more likely to be employed, earn higher wages, and live healthier lives. They are also more likely to delay marriage and have fewer children, which can help to break the cycle of poverty. UNESCO is working with its partners to ensure that all girls have access to quality education, regardless of their background or circumstances. This includes addressing the root causes of girls’ exclusion from education, such as poverty, child marriage, and gender-based violence.
On International Day of the Girl, the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM) has released new data showing that 50 million more girls have been enrolled in school globally since 2015. There are also 5 million more girls completing each level of education from primary to upper secondary education. This progress is significant, but it is important to note that there are still 122 million girls out of school around the world today. This means that there is still much work to be done to ensure that all girls have the opportunity to get an education.
New data drawing from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics shows that there are 22.5 million more girls in primary school, 14.6 million more in lower secondary and 13 million in upper secondary education now than in 2015. Completion rates of girls increased from 86% to 89% in primary education, from 74% to 79% in lower secondary and 54% to 61% in upper secondary education. That means that 5 million more girls are completing each level of education from primary to upper secondary education now than there were in 2015. As a global average, girls are now outperforming boys in reading across all education levels and country income groups. They are also performing the same as boys in mathematics.
In sub-Saharan Africa, girls remain far less likely to go to school at any education level. Over half of all children out of primary and secondary school are in Africa. While the situation of girls and young women has improved dramatically overall, some remain trapped in pockets of disadvantage due to location and poverty but also due to other social and cultural characteristics. In Afghanistan, the mass exclusion of girls from education means that 60% of girls are not in primary (compared to 46% of boys) and 74% of girls are not in lower-secondary school (compared to 50% of boys).
In 2022, countries around the world came together to commit to transforming education for the world of today, with a renewed focus on leaving no one behind. UNESCO and its partners are tracking action on the Transforming Education Summit commitments, including the commitment to promote and ensure gender equality in and through education. This is a critical step in ensuring that all girls have the opportunity to get an education and reach their full potential. Gender equality in education is essential for building a more just and equitable world.
Post-Transforming Education Summit, the Global Platform for Gender Equality and Girls’ and Women’s Empowerment in and through Education was set up. The Global Platform aims to drive transformative leadership, accountability, innovation, data and financing to advance gender equality and girls’ and women’s empowerment in and through education. The Platform is a multi-stakeholder forum that includes and is open to all government representatives, leaders, partners, champions, stakeholders and activists.
If we want to keep making progress on girls’ education, we need to keep working hard. There are still too many girls who can’t get the education they deserve because of poverty and child or domestic labor. 122 million girls are still out of school. We need to make sure that all girls have the chance to go to school and get the education they deserve. This means investing in education and making sure that schools are safe and accessible for all girls. It also means that we have to continue to address the root causes of girls’ exclusion from education such as poverty and child marriage.
