Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power underscores the importance of education for women and girls on International Women’s Day
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Department of Foreign Affairs Press Release
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Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power underscores the importance of education for women and girls on International Women’s Day
Minister of State for Overseas Development, Peter Power TD, today launched the Education for All 2010 Global Monitoring Report, the UNESCO report which tracks progress on the number of children being educated around the globe.
The report highlights progress on the number of children attending school. The number of children out of school has fallen by 33 million since 1999, and the gender gap in primary education is narrowing in many countries.
The launch, which was hosted by Irish Aid, the Government’s programme for overseas development, in its Limerick headquarters, marks International Women’s Day (8th March).
Speaking at the launch of the report, "Reaching and teaching the most marginalized, Minister Power stressed the importance of sustained investment in education, in particular for women in the poorest communities in Africa:
“This important report shows that while there has been progress in narrowing the gap between the numbers of girls and boys that attend school, being born a girl still carries a significant educational disadvantage in many countries.
Women still account for nearly two thirds of the world’s adult illiterate population. In sub-Saharan Africa, where much of Ireland's aid is targeted, almost 12 million girls are unlikely ever to enroll in school, compared to 7 million boys.
As we know in Ireland from our own experience, education is key to sustainable social and economic progress. I am very pleased to note that in eight of the African countries in which Irish Aid works, primary enrolment increased by 34 million children between 1970 and 2005, a fivefold increase.
But these figures are only indicators that we’re on the right road. We still have a significant distance to travel. We know that most of the 72 million children who are still out of school are in what is termed the ‘hard-to-reach’ group: AIDS orphans, child laborers children living in remote areas, children with disabilities and those of ethnic and linguistic minorities.
Irish Aid provides vital support to one such group in the Karamjoa district of Uganda. Irish Aid works with the Government to improve access to basic education for the children of pastoral farmers. Over the last decade, Uganda, with support from Irish Aid and others has increased the number of Ugandan children at primary school from two million to over seven million.”
Minister Power also launched ‘Teachers in Anglophone Africa – Issues in Teacher Supply, Training and Management, published as a result of collaboration between Irish Aid and the World Bank. It was written and researched by Dr. Aidan Mulkeen of National University of Ireland Maynooth.
Minister Power said:
“This is a testimony to the expertise that Ireland is bringing to the international education arena – particularly in the area of improving quality of education.
In advance of the Millennium Development Goals’ Summit in New York in September; we must remember that it is not enough to get girls into school. We must ensure that they get a good quality education. Improving the quality of the education will not just help us reach the education related Millennium Development goals but will underpin progress on all the other Millennium Development Goals.”
*Photos will be circulated by Press 22 after the launch
Notes to the Editors
Irish Aid is the Government’s programme for overseas development. It is a division of the Department of Foreign Affairs. For further information visit http://www.irishaid.gov
The launch coincided with a discussion entitled ‘Advancing Girls’ Education’, which was attended by a number of leading education and gender experts from the World Bank, Global Monitoring Report, academic institutions, development NGOs and teachers unions.
The Education For All Global Monitoring Report 2010, outlines progress to date with ensuring that all children have access to good quality education. Irish Aid contributes, along with other donors, to the publication of this annual seminal monitoring tool used by governments and donors alike to measure progress with achieving internationally agreed education goals. The report highlights include:
Progress to date
· The number of children out of school has dropped by 33 million worldwide since 1999.
· The percentage of girls out of school has declined from 58% to 54%, and the gender gap in primary education is narrowing in many countries
· Over the course of the last 25 years, adult literacy rate increased by 10%, to its current level of 84%. The number of adult women who are literate has increased at a faster pace than that of males.
Challenges that remain
· Malnutrition affects around 175 million young children each year. Malnutrition seriously impacts not only children’s health, but also their education prospects.
· There were 72 million children out of school in 2007. At current rates, it’s expected that this number would drop to 56 million by 2015
· Two thirds of the worlds 759 million adults lacking literacy skills are women
International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. The first IWD was run in 1911. Next year is IWD Global Centenary 1911-2011
Irish Aid has nine partner countries, seven of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Irish Aid’s education programmes are focused on Lesotho, Zambia, Uganda and Mozambique, but programmes in Ethiopia and South Africa also receive support.
For further information, please contact Maggie Collins, Irish Aid, the Department of Foreign Affairs on 01-4082653 or 086-0659630. For further information on Irish Aid, visit www.irishaid.gov.ie
ENDS+++
Press Office
8 March 2010
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