Written by Sophie Day
April 10, 2022
Through decades of work in developing and lower-income nations, the gendered education gap has shrunk. This work has resulted in more girls than ever not only enrolling in schools but also continuing their education. As a result, girls in developing countries have more opportunities than ever before. The impact of this is significant. For the first time, certain low-income countries not only eradicated a gendered education gap, some even reported a "reverse gap”; girls were succeeding in school to the same level as boys, if not more. The World Bank reports that in certain Sub-Saharan Africa communities the level of enrolment for girls surpassed that of boys (Diallo 2021). However, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of schools in 185 countries, these advancements have diminished. School closures have resulted in higher dropout rates and lower enrollment rates for girls. They have also promoted an increase in child marriage, teen pregnancy, and violence towards girls; UNESCO estimates that the pandemic will have caused an increase of teen pregnancy in Sub-saharan Africa of as much as 65% (Pfunye 2021).
In low-income countries, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on girls' education are much more noticeable. The school closures made accessing an education impossible for many, with at least ⅓ of the world's children unable to access remote learning (Writter 2021). While these restrictions on education due to the pandemic have disastrous effects on a child's education, they are even more severe for girls. Dropout rates are climbing despite the strides made to enroll girls in school and keep them in classes. These strides having begun with the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action signed in 1995 by 189 countries, over 180 million more primary and elementary aged girls were enrolled in school over the course of the 25 years before the pandemic. UNESCO estimates that 11 million will most likely not be able to return to school when it reopens (UNESCO 2021). These disruptions do more than solely impact a girl's access to education; the increasing dropout rates put girls, specifically those at an adolescent age, and their communities at risk. These girls who have lost their education will now be in greater danger of sexual exploitation, teen pregnancy, domestic and gender-based violence, and early and forced marriage (Diallo 2021). As girls lose their access to education, it perpetuates further gender gaps in all areas of life.
Organizations' must take action to mitigate these effects on girls in low-income countries. In many of these nations, remote learning is not a possibility; thus, schools, through masks and distancing, must be opened as safely as possible. Most importantly, governments must address the risk of dropping out and not returning to school immediately. Girls who are at risk of not continuing their education, and their families must receive support for their education to continue. The 'Keeping Girls in School Program in Zambia' exemplifies this aid by providing financial support to adolescent girls' families to afford their education (Diallo 2021). More governments, communities, and organizations must continue to support these disadvantaged families. It is necessary to increase both the services and support provided to girls and their families in order to mitigate the learning losses since March 2020 and their risk of not returning to school.
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred school closures in 185 countries, increasing gender gaps in education and the community in low-income countries. As a result, girls, specifically adolescent-aged, are suffering substantial learning losses and are at a far greater risk of dropping out than boys in their class. In addition, these girls are now at an increased risk of domestic and gender-based violence, teen pregnancy, and child marriage. School closures are putting decades of work to increase girls' education, opportunities, and quality of life in low-income countries in danger. To lessen the effects of the pandemic on adolescent girls' education and well-being, governments and organizations must take action now.
Sources:
Diallo, H.E Aïcha Bah et al. (2021 April 8). COVID-19: Bringing Girls Back to School. World
Bank
Pfunye, Ashleish & Ademola-Papoola, Iyunoluwa. (2021, March 9). The Effect of the COVID Pandemic on Girls’ Education. Global Partnership.
UNESCO. (2021, September 3). Girls’ Education and COVID-19: New Factsheet Shows Increased Inequalities for the Education of Adolescent Girls. UNESCO.
Twitter, Arielle. (2021, March 5). How COVID-19 is Threatening Girls’ Education. ONE.
Image source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/opinion-women-equality-education-1.5935791