Girls’ education should be a priority in COVID response
By Letter to the Editor on June 4, 2021.
Editor:
As COVID-19 persists so does the education crisis that threatens the loss of learning for an entire generation of children. Rather than serving as an “equalizer” COVID-19 has highlighted the inequities and barriers faced by children in low-income countries regarding access to education. More specifically, this pandemic has taken a devastating toll of girls’ education, unravelling much of the progress that has been made in realizing a girl’s right to education.
As such, girls’ education should be made a critical priority in Canada’s global COVID-19 response. By removing roadblocks and ensuring that girls around the world can learn in a safe and supportive environment, we are ensuringa not only the health and well-being of these girls but also of their communities. Girl’s education undeniably generates huge dividends for economic prosperity, gender equality, public health and lasting peace and stability.
An educated girl will lift herself and everyone around her out of poverty and will stop the perpetual cycle of young girls being married off and becoming mothers before they are both mentally and physically prepared to do so. An educated girl will lead change within her community, helping to make the world a more prosperous, equal and safe place for all. To realize a girl’s right to health, more Canadians should be made aware of the anniversary of the Charlevoix Declaration (June 9, 2021), which is committed to closing the gap in access to education, especially for girls, during conflict and crisis; and removing barriers to gender equality and access to education. In addition, it is necessary for the government of Canada to pay more specific attention to girl’s education.
Specifically, Canada must invest CAD $500 million over five years in the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) so that all children around the world have access to quality education during and after the pandemic.
Daisy Hamilton
Ottawa, Ontario
-1
Interesting twist given the fact that its the boys who really need the helping hand now. Last I heard boys were dropping out of school at almost twice the rate that girls were. Close to two thirds of the degrees in University’s are awarded to girls.
Give your head a common-sense shake Daisy! And award your obvious anti-male bias a much needed break!
As the letter writer’s perspective is global is scope, I’d like to infuse some relevant data into the conversation. According to UNESCO, and as reported by the World Bank, among other organizations and agencies, on a global basis an estimated 130 million girls between the ages of 6 and 17 are out of school, and 15 million girls of primary-school age are likely to never enter a classroom. Most of the affected children are located in less developed parts of the world and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made the situation worse.
It is true that many boys also face inadequate access to education, but on a global basis the barriers to education disproportionately impact girls. Those barriers include poverty, social and cultural norms, violence and conflict, and forced marriage at relatively young ages.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that the right to an education in a basic human right. In many parts of world, girls are being disproportionately, systematically and systemically denied that right.
So sending $500 million of our money to those corrupt and backwards governments is going to solve the problem? Sending $500 million of our money to people that believe in witchcraft, voodoo, tribalism, etc is going to solve the education problem? I think not on both counts.
agreed. we hardly know where money goes here, until the shyt hits the fan and blows the cover off, anyway, let alone trying to account for where it ends up when we send it abroad. mind you, the gpe is not a foreign govt agency, but hard to believe most of the money doesn’t go toward pushing up the “daisy’s” income.
The cause is noble, but like you, serious alarm bells went up when the author ended the letter with the abrupt conclusion of, “Give them $500 MILLION dollars!” Like you, that conclusion told me that the author has no idea how the countries in question operate.
The government officials in those countries are notorious for pocketing donation money. Furthermore, the male populace in those countries treat woman like dirt, and they want to keep them at dirt level.
The problem in Africa and India is their governments, their core belief systems, and their religion (all three are kind of one in the same thing). Unfortunately, money isn’t going to change that. The only thing that’s going to change those things is time. More time for them to see that the rest of world understands that it is backwards, archaic, and cruel to treat woman like slaves.
which brings up another issue: interference in the social construct/culture of other nations. this always comes from without by countries holding a position of greater wealth and power than the country being infringed upon. we may love our ways on many things, and hate the ways of others on many things – but does that give us a right to force affect on others? while we should not do things that contribute to approaches we find repugnant in other lands, what right do we have to directly tell others what their values must be? moreover, it was not long ago that females here were far less formally educated than males; that they were not allowed to vote; that they had few professional options and hence, little opportunity for independence and freedom from male dominance…heck, there still is not actual equality. i prefer we focus on our own back yard, and if we have it right, others will wish to emulate. we did not come to our take on culture due to some outside nations looking to manipulate our values with theirs. so long as we have a planet of borders – which i think, in ideal terms, are a crime against humanity – nations will have a right to setting and attacking their own agendas.
forgot to note the sick hypocrisy of it all, as well. our govts often work hand in hand with the scum leaders of the very nations whose policies contrast significantly with what we value and define as ‘equality’ and ‘freedom’ and “decent’. the usa goes a full step further, typically using its economic, military and secret service powers to in fact prop up so many scum leaders abroad. this is to ensure access, with minimal obstructions, for the likes of mining cos and other multinationals, to conduct business with the least environmental and work safety ‘hindrances’…to ensure maximum profit for these operators that lack all social conscience. this is the reality; the nicety monies that come from our public purse are strictly for optics. indeed, if we really cared, we not be doing business with scum govts…we would not be doing business with china – let alone being woefully dependent on them, for example – either.