Breaking Barriers

Advancing Education for the Girl Child in India and Beyond

- By Santanu Mishra

Ensuring education of girls does not merely involve getting children into the classrooms. We have to guarantee that girl children learn effectively, feel safe, remain comfortable and stay motivated while they pursue education.

The World Bank reiterates that the above mission involves the opportunity for the girls to complete all levels of education, acquire the knowledge and skills to compete in the market; gain socio-emotional and life-skills necessary to navigate and adapt to a changing world; make decisions about their own lives; and contribute to their communities and the world.

Educating a girl is a complete game-changer for the society. It not only enables and empowers a mere individual, but the society in particular and the nation in general, leading to prosperity and overall development.

Educated women, naturally, remain adequately informed about healthcare and nutrition, marry at an appropriate age, and have fewer children. Their children usually grow healthier, when they choose to become mothers.

Informed and educated women have better chances of participating in formal employment, enterprise or in income-generation avenues, thus leading to higher incomes. Besides their own empowerment, this benefits the smallest unit of the society – the family.

Scarce or limited opportunities for girls to go to school, and barriers to complete the schooling cost countries between USD 15 trillion and USD 30 trillion in lost lifetime productivity and earnings, says a new World Bank report launched ahead of the United Nations Malala Day.

Further, an UNICEF estimate, based on a study spanning across the globe, reveals that 122 million girls are out of school, including 34 million of primary school age, and 87 million of secondary school age.