Yemen being the worstGirls’ education in the Arab world: Challenges and difficulties [Archives:2006/949/Reportage]
Yasser Al-Mayasi
It is without doubt that education is the basis for development and change for any country wishing to develop. Having a special type of education for both sexes will enable the country to get rid of many problems and difficulties. Millions among the young generation, particularly girls, are deprived of education, especially in developing countries, including Arab ones.
As statistics show, this deprivation does not affect girls alone, but the whole society. In some Arab countries, those not having education represent about 23.3 percent of all children between ages 7 and 18, most of whom are females. Statistics also show that approximately 113 million children worldwide do not have any sort of education, most of which are females.
International reports indicate that the Arab world needs more than 450,000 teachers in order to reach the final goal of education for all for the year 2015. Thus, there would be 40 students for each teacher, especially given that millions of Arab children are not enrolled in primary education.
The existence of educated girls will prevent early marriage as well as decrease infant mortality and fertility rates. Additionally, educated mothers will seek to ensure high education levels for their female children and be less objected to exploitation and mistreatment. They also will have an early understanding of social justice, peace and democracy.
Due to the aforementioned reasons, UNICEF has made girls' education among its first strategic planning priorities. UNICEF also sees the importance of unifying and encouraging media efforts in projecting the issue of girls' education, as mass media will play a responsible role in designing general concepts and eradicating the poor image of women.
The second Arab forum on Media and Rights of the Child concluded its sessions in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with the participation of a large number of media personnel interested in the issue, including Yemen. The forum disclosed many facts regarding human rights and girls' education in the Arab world, aiming to learn enrollment and dropping of school percentages, educational inputs (buildings and premises, curriculums and teachers of both sexes).
Additionally, it focused on recognizing strategies and successful experiences at Arab and international levels and included the United Nations initiative for teaching girls. One forum revealed stunning facts about the decline in girls' education is some countries, particularly Yemen.
The forum provided a good opportunity, as a large number of academic and media personnel and those concerned about the issue gathered there. They shed light on the problem of the decline in girls' education and the reasons for it.
Mohamoud Qabeel ambassdor of goodwill to the UNICEF: assured that the best investment for the sake of development lies in teaching girls, as education enhances their protection against violence and discrimination. Facts indicate that the world did not reach the international goal regarding equality of the sexes, as expected by 2005. Qabeel further noted that 7.5 percent of Arab children are out of school, most of them girls, which is equal to five percent of the world's population.
He also confirmed that it is necessary to hasten achieving a group of development objectives by 2015, which include equality of the sexes in education. Qabeel pointed to experiences he has had in places like Darfur, Al-Saeed, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon and Qatar, mentioning numerous success stories in girls' education in these countries and how girls achieved such astonishing successes under difficult circumstances. In Darfur, he found approximately 200 students in one school, 80 percent of which were girls, which proves the will and ambition, despite difficulties for girls aspiring to get high grades.
For her part, Dr. Malak Zaalouk, regional education advisor for the Middle East and North Africa, affirmed that a conference has been launched several years ago according to the “Education to All” program, with 160 countries participating. The conference aimed to achieve many objectives for grading children's education according to set strategies and plans; unfortunately, they were not applied. Concentration was focused on the educational side, as it is the party responsible for development.
Another initiative was declared and hosted in Dakar, Senegal in 2000, with more than 164 countries participating. This initiative came up with many positive outcomes and was more fruitful than the previous one. More than 13 organizations working under the U.N., including the World Food Program and UNICEF, agreed to accelerate girls' education.
Zaalouk also referred to some of the most successful stories in the Arab world, particularly in some governorates and rural areas in Egypt. “The success of such a trial in teaching girls is attributed to collective efforts by official parties represented in 16 ministries and national and social associations, in addition to the private sector's role. Moreover, many international organizations within the U.N. participated,” she noted. She also called upon the government to follow the same policy.
When asked about the current situation in the Middle East and North Africa regarding girls' education, Zaalouk pointed out, “There is a 14 percent increase in girls' education and this is a good indicator in this respect. International and government efforts are being exerted, but they are not enough and they do not meet the level of world ambition.”
She added, “Djibouti is last regarding girls' education, as girls' enrollment is 30 percent. Yemen is next with 41 percent and then Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Oman respectively. Syria is considered first among Arab countries regarding girls' school dropouts.”
For her part, Dr. Nour Dajani Shehabi, coordinator of the Literacy for All program in UNESCO's regional office, confirmed, “Arab countries have many things ahead of them in order to reach Literacy for All by 2015. Applying the obligatory education principle requires factors other than children's primary rights, as the Arab world faces increasing student numbers.”
She added, “Many Arab countries are committed to international charters and commitments. However, 113 million school age children still are deprived of education and most of them are female.”
She also revealed many facts about problems facing Arab world females which hinder them from joining education, such as illiteracy and not joining school, turning to vocational education and few chances to obtain higher education. She mentioned some countries in need of special efforts to boost girls' education, such as in Sudan and Yemen.
According to Shehabi, mass media should do their best to improve women's image in society and get rid of wrong beliefs and concepts causing discrimination against them. Women should be supported in work in order to participate in development and be given more chances to participate in various aspects of life, whether political, developmental and the like. They also should be granted the right of decision making.
Safa'a Faisal, a reporter and girls' education presenter in the BBC's Arabic section, confirmed that the issue of girls' education is associated with many factors. She came to know about such factors via her reporting for the BBC “School for Girls” program telecast for the Middle East and North Africa.
She said, “The most important factor is poverty. Sixty percent of children out of school are girls. There are more than one million girls out of school in Yemen and Sudan.” According to Faisal, who has visited many Arab countries, one problem hindering girls' education lies in poverty and absence of awareness regarding girls' education.
Concerned authorities can prevent some problems and complexities by building walls for schools and activating social activities that bind girls to schools. Faisal also criticized some school textbooks which, according to her, draw certain roles for Arab world women to play. Women's roles assigned beforehand not only will affect girls negatively, but also will give them certain roles to play in society. She identified other problems caused by unsuccessful teachers delivering their lessons, reflected in girls' hating and escaping from school.
Mohammed Anees Salim, ambassador of UNICEF's regional Middle East and North Africa office, expressed another opinion. He affirmed, “Activating girls' education lies in constant efforts to adopt this issue. Media personnel should shoulder the responsibility of girls' awareness and development and they must do their best to elevate girls' education.” He asked each to apply this in his own country when returning home within a short six-month period. He also requested they make such issue primary in their media concerns.
For his part, Nassim Al-Rahman, Chief of Information and Communication for UNICEF-Yemen, assured that UNICEF's Yemen office works with various other parties to treat childhood issues. It also gives girls' education more importance, as the office has made many trips and field visits to various areas and many success stories have been found despite living under difficult and serious conditions.
Al-Rahman also affirmed that media personnel efforts have contributed much in presenting the girls' education issue. UNICEF has been able to monitor and document many reasons and hurdles preventing girls from education.
Teaching girls will have far-reaching positive effects on women themselves, as well as on society, as they will be less objected to exploitation and mistreatment. Such teaching also will secure a better understanding of social understanding and democracy. For these reasons and many others, UNICEF considers the issue of girls' education among its first priorities in future plans.
Al-Rahman assured that the best investment in the Arab world is to invest in education, particularly girls' education. He believes all should join hands to achieve this noble objective, which is considered part of Millennium Development Goals.
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