NEWS AND EVENTS
Discussing the importance of achieving universal quality education for all children
The Global Partnership for Education has helped more than 19 million children go to school for the first time. A campaign to renew support for these efforts will culminate in a pledging event in Copenhagen on 7-8 November.
2011 World Teachers' Day
World Teachers’ Day is a global observance to acknowledge all teachers for their contributions to society. The joint East Asia and Pacific and South Asia Regional United Nations Girls’ Education Initiatives join the international community in celebrating the important role that teachers play in realizing this year’s theme of ‘Teachers for Gender Equality’.
In Zimbabwe, school grants provide equal learning opportunities to girls
After completing the fourth grade at the top of her class, 13-year-old Ellen Mbedzi was forced to drop out of Mafeha Primary School in Bulilima, a district in south-western Zimbabwe. Her unemployed father did not see the value of spending the family’s limited resources on a girl.
Education in a world of 7 billion people
The impact of education on demography is widely known and acknowledged. Education for women and girls, in particular, translates into lifetime benefits including higher incomes and lower child and maternal mortality.
A primary school becomes a model for increasing girls’ enrolment
Access to education is one of the key priorities for the government of the world’s newest nation, South Sudan.
A new government program aims to provide a free education for all Haiti's children
Lucien, 11, is the only child in his class not wearing a uniform. Sporting a t-shirt and jeans, he looks out of place amid throngs of children wearing neatly ironed, identical blue and white uniforms.
Education for All: Zambia’s Stunning Success
Ensuring girls go to school and mobilizing their local communities to help keep them there are vital strategies to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of ‘education for all’.
Summit participants join efforts to educate and empower girls
Representatives from United Nations agencies, governments, the private sector and civil society recently gathered at the Women & Girls Education Summit in New York, to explore linkages between girls’ education and economic development.
Joint Message from UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, ILO and Education International on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, 5 October 2011
Today, on World Teachers’ Day, we honour the millions of educators all over the world who devote their lives to teaching children, youth and adults.
In Yemen, one female student is speaking out for girls’ education
There is a spirit of harmony in one classroom packed with teenage students at the Al-Hussein Ben Ali School in Al-Mazahin; where the boys happily take their place on the floor, leaving the few available desks for the girls.
Forum on Gender Equality in education
UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) will host a High Level Policy Forum on “Gender equality in education: Looking beyond parity” on 3 and 4 October in Paris.
FAWE Research initiative 2011/2012 Call for Proposals
The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) announces a call for the second round of research proposals from research institutions for its Strengthening Gender Research to Improve Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa Initiative.
Governments urged to build on innovations, speed up inclusive education reforms for children with disabilities
Some 1.1 million children with disabilities in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States are hidden away at home or in institutions.
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah meets with Head of UNGEI Secretariat
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan met with Cheryl Gregory Faye, Head of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) Secretariat, and Maria Calivis, UNICEF’s outgoing Chief of Staff and incoming Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, on 20 September, to discuss how UNGEI is contributing toward the progress in girls’ education and what needs to be done to bridge the gaps.
Mildred makes history
Last month, 28-year-old Mildred from western Zambia became the first person in her village to graduate from university. Mildred grew up in a family of nine children in Shangombo, a remote district off the electricity grid where poverty runs deep.
Women and the 2012 World Development Report
For 23 year old Nguyen Thu Hie from Toan Thang, Vietnam, making a decision about employment is not easy. It’s not the question of what to do that preoccupies her, but the prospect of paid employment itself - whether to work or to stay at home.
Educating one million girls to tackle poverty
Britain will help up to a million of the poorest girls in the world go to school, the Deputy Prime Minister announced today.
Kenyan schools struggle to cope with influx of children displaced by drought
Dekha Mohamed Noor, 15, has not seen her family for more than a month. At the end of July, after schools closed for the August holidays, they sent her to live with a relative in Garissa, a bustling commercial hub 165 km west of her home village, Modogashe.
Camfed film premieres around the world
Three years ago, Camfed launched an innovative program to empower young women entrepreneurs in Zambia, in partnership with the 10,000 Women initiative and the University of Cambridge.
Stimulating dialogue on gender and education in Africa – FAWE launches new African research series
Gender equality in education is a primary concern of the World Declaration on Education for All.
Viewing Guide for To Educate a Girl documentary film
To Educate a Girl, a documentary film supported by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), introduces a pressing global issue: the struggles girls around the world face daily to get an education. To Educate a Girl looks at just a few children and youth in two countries, Uganda and Nepal, but the issue is present worldwide
New ARTF Grant Aims at Further Improving Education Quality and Infrastructure
Today, the Afghan Ministry of Finance signed an agreement with the World Bank for a grant of $50 million from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF).
Consultant, Development of Knowledge Management Strategy for UNGEI
The consultant, in dialogue with the KMWG and UNGEI Secretariat, will be responsible for proposing and developing an overall knowledge management strategy for UNGEI, including budget and timeline for implementation.
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In Kabul, the Government of Japan funds new classrooms to improve education
New classrooms, chairs and desks mean better education at Shirino High School, one of the schools renovated and refurbished with funds from the Government of Japan as part of its ‘1,000 Classrooms’ initiative
New education initiative targets hard to reach girls in Cameroon
Cameroon’s national efforts in accelerating progress in girls’ education got a major boost with the launch of the “My Education, My Future” initiative on 4 May.
Indigenous Indian children thrive in child-friendly residential schools
Krupasindhuv Pangi knows the challenges that indigenous communities face. At the age of five, his family lost their land when it was taken from them to build a factory.
World Parliamentarians Appeal for Investing in Girls
A group of parliamentarians committed to population and development issues have called on governments meeting at the G8 summit in Deauville, France, to invest substantially in protecting girls, addressing the challenges posed by the world’s population dynamics, and fulfil existing financial pledges, particularly in the areas of health, population and human rights.
ASPBAE Basic Leadership Development Course
The Basic Leadership Development Course, or the BLDC, is a significant learning event hosted by ASPBAE for its members on the 12 - 17 September 2011 in Medan, Indonesia.
UN Girls’ Education Initiative calls for girls’ education to be a top international priority
As the world celebrates Global Action Week for education, the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) called for greater efforts at both national and international levels to make education for girls and women a priority.
In Côte d’Ivoire, schools re-open slowly in wake of post-election violence
This week schools have slowly started to re-open in Côte d’Ivoire’s largest city, Abidjan, and across the country. But many challenges remain.
“Yes She Can!” 2011 Global Action Week on EFA (2 - 8 May): mobilizing millions for girls' education
“It is a Right, Make it Right! Education for Girls and Women Now.” Citing the slogan of the 2011 Global Action Week (GAW) on Education for All, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova delivered a strong message in support of the campaign: “We can get it right with strong political will, smart policies and adequate resources.
Schools shut as fear drives teachers away
The local school in Wana, the main settlement in Pakistani’s South Waziristan tribal agency, has been closed for several months, and the children only come to play games in the compound.
Pakistan’s first female football club breaks down cultural barriers
On a scorching, early morning in Karachi, a dozen girls - some wearing shawls and burqas in the blistering heat - arrive in a large walled field, ready to practice football.
In Benin, new monitoring tool engages illiterate parents in their children's education
Bana Lafia, 12, can do something her parents cannot - read.
UNICEF reports on changing attitudes towards education for girls in rural Pakistan.
Pakistan’s catastrophic flooding last summer is leading to a change in attitudes towards sending girls to school.
UNESCO partners with GEMS Education to bolster teacher training
UNESCO and GEMS Education, owner and operator of over 100 international schools worldwide, have joined forces to tackle looming teacher shortages in developing countries
20 Years Jomtien: Education for All
Some 40 global leaders met at the 10th Meeting of the High-Level Group (HLG) on Education for All (EFA) from 22 to 24 March in Jomtien, Thailand.
Global Action Week will take place from 2 to 8 May
The 2011 Global Action Week (GAW) on Education for All (EFA) will take place from 2 to 8 May
Education Ministers commit to achieve Education for All
During the 10th High-Level Group Meeting on Education for All, Ministers and high-level representatives from 34 countries reaffirmed their commitment to achieve the six Education for All (EFA) goals by 2015
High Level Group to stress urgency of achieving Education for All by 2015
Progress made so far towards the internationally-agreed Education for All (EFA) goals, and the short period left for countries to reach them, will be the focus of the Tenth High-Level Group Meeting on Education For All (EFA) in Jomtien (Thailand) from 22 to 24 March.
World Day - 12 June 2011: Warning! Children in hazardous work - End child labour
The ILO’s most recent global estimate is that 115 million children are involved in hazardous work. This is work that by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm children’s health, safety or morals.
History is making a new republic in Southern Sudan. Education will build its future.
With formal independence ahead in July, the world’s soon-to-be newest nation, the Republic of South Sudan faces a daunting state-building task.
'If You Want To Be A Doctor, You Need School'
One of the benefits of school meals programmes is that they encourage parents in poor countries to send young girls to school. This means they get an education and, hopefully, the means to pull themselves out of poverty. Without that incentive, school may not be an option – as Salama and Naima found out recently.
Making strides in closing the gender gap in education
Burkina Faso has come a long way in addressing the education needs of its children. In 2000, just 44 per cent were enrolled in primary schools. By 2010, this had increased to almost 75 per cent.
Sponsoring scholarships for the most vulnerable girls
Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. This year’s theme – ‘Equal Access to Education, Training and Science and Technology: Pathway to Decent Work for Women’ – focuses on promoting the education of women and girls worldwide.
The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative reaffirms its commitment to empower girls on International Women's Day
On the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative reaffirms its commitment to empower girls through quality education to realize their full potential and contribute to transforming societies.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's message on International Women's Day
One hundred years ago, when the world first commemorated International Women's Day, gender equality and women's empowerment were largely radical ideas.
Two Girls Demonstrate Power Of School Meals
As the world marks International Women’s Day this week, two East African girls called Fatuma and Nyipher are working hard to ensure they get the education they need to become the sort of women who won’t need food aid in the future. Both of their life stories involve the timely arrival of nutritious school meals.
20 Years Jomtien: Education for All, 22-24 March 2011, Jomtien, Thailand
Some 40 global leaders will meet at the 10th Meeting of the High-Level Group (HLG) on Education for All (EFA) from 22 to 24 March in Jomtien, Thailand.
Left Unchecked, Violence against Girls Will Morally Doom Efforts to Reach Millennium Development Goals
UNICEF Says Girl Victims of Violence Still Treated as Criminals; Panellists Tell Harrowing Stories of Turning to Prostitution, Trading Sex for School Grades
Invest in the Future: Empower Girls Now
UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin's remarks at a ministerial meeting hosted by the UN Adolescent Girls Task Force during the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
Partnering with the philanthropic community to promote education for all
The United Nations Economic and Social Council is meeting at UN Headquarters in New York this week on partnering with the philanthropic community to promote education for all children.
ECOSOC global philanthropy event to boost funding for education
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will convene a special event, “Partnering with the philanthropic community to promote education for all” on 28 February 2011, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Advancing girls’ secondary education: obstacles and opportunities
Irina Bokova, Director-General UNESCO, will open a high-level panel discussion on girls’ secondary education organized by UNESCO and the International Federation of University Women on 28 February at the UN, New York.
UNGEI event highlights importance of technology in girls' education
As the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women takes place in New York this week to promote women’s and girls’ access to education, training, science and technology, the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) brings together a diverse group of partners from governments, civil society, private sector and girls themselves to explore how technology can empower and promote girls’ development.
Kenya: School Meals Help Girl Rise To Top Of Class
Nyipher remembers having to fight to keep her eyes open in school. Even when she could stay awake, she says it was a daily struggle to keep her mind on the lesson and off her empty stomach.
Empowering Girls: Education and Technology CSW side event
In conjunction with UNICEF and Plan International, the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) is hosting a side event during the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women to explore how technology can empower girls and promote their development, discuss the opportunities that the information technology sector offers young women, and present new cutting-edge findings from Plan’s 2010 Because I am a Girl Report: Digital and Urban Frontiers.
FAWE contributes to Packard Foundation/UNESCO consultation on reduction of secondary school drop-out
FAWE presented perspectives on achieving lower drop-out rates for secondary schoolgirls in Africa at a consultative meeting on girls’ education in Africa organised by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation Regional Office and UNESCO in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 5 January 2011.
UNGEI Calls for Increase in Investments to Educate Girls, Especially in Conflict
A two-day meeting of the UNGEI Global Advisory Committee concluded in Paris, France, on Tuesday with a call to the world community to continue its investments in educating girls.
UNGEI Consultancy Opportunity
UNGEI seeks to engage a consultant to conduct a review and provide an overview of the current knowledge on how to improve access to and quality of sport and physical education for girls.
FAWE and CODESRIA launch phase II of FAWE-Norad gender and education research initiative
FAWE has partnered with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) to launch phase II of an initiative that aims to support gender research by African women to enhance girls’ education in sub-Saharan Africa and facilitate the integration of gender into education policy and practice in the region.
Request for Proposals to Design and Implement the Evaluation for Cross-national Evaluation of the Girls’ Education Program
Room to Read is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to design and implement a crossnational evaluation of our Girls’ Education program. The period of performance includes 2011 as a planning year as well as 2012-2014 for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
Christine's story: A 14-year-old Haitian student braves the aftermath of the earthquake
Last month a UNICEF communications team met up with Christine, 14, outside her family’s tent in a displacement camp near the Port-au-Prince airport. Five months earlier, the team had followed the young earthquake survivor for several days to see how she managed to achieve top marks in school while living in a cramped shelter with her mother, brother and sister.
Food Makes Learning Possible For Ambitious Haitian Girl
Marie Anika, 8, wants to work in a bank when she grows up. At the moment, however, she lives in a tent where her house used to be before the earthquake. But that hasn’t stopped her from going to school or dreaming about the future thanks to the hearty meals she eats everyday in class.
FAWE welcomes Oley Dibba-Wadda as new Executive Director
FAWE has welcomed Ms Oley Dibba-Wadda as its new Executive Director, effective 1 January 2011.
Returning to become a nurse; the dream of a southern Sudanese returnee girl.
With the Southern Sudan referendum scheduled for January 9, hundreds of thousands of southerners are heading back to southern Sudan by road, rail, barge and planes. While some are assisted to return by the South Sudan government, many others are coming on their own.
UN declares October 11th as “International Day of the Girl Child”
The United Nations General Assembly on Monday voted to designate 11 October as the ‘International Day of the Girl Child’ following a two-year campaign spearheaded by Plan International with the support of the Canadian government and supported by a coalition of partners.
Google grant to fund groundbreaking use of technology to keep girls in school
Google announced its support of a groundbreaking initiative to empower girls and young women in Tanzania by merging education and technological innovation.
Lacking Sanitary Pads, Girls Miss School in Dadaab Refugee Camp
Braving the scorching sun and feet-baking sandy soil, with a torn schoolbag hanging precariously on her back, Halima, a 16-year-old Somali girl, walks to school in the camp where her family has sought refuge.
‘Techno Girl’ programme tackles skills shortage
An innovative public-private partnership, seeking to reverse the growing skills shortage in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in South Africa, is encouraging girls to pursue careers in these fields by giving them first-hand, real-world experience.
UNICEF-supported initiative aims to make girls’ education a priority in Kenya
Lowa Lokopu, lost her husband four years ago after he fell ill. Forced to take up the responsibility of running a family alone, she struggles to provide for her five children.
Leading donors promise US$1.5 billion over the next three years to put millions more children in school.
Leading donors at the first-ever Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Pledging Conference promised an initial US$1.5 billion over the next three years to put millions more children in school.
Building a solid foundation for a brighter future in Afghanistan through education
In a neat, well designed classroom in the Panjshir Valley, 30 girls listen intently as their female teacher instructs them in grammar and writing. Although common today, this was largely unheard of only a decade ago.
