Lack of Knowledge, Resources, Policies, Barriers to Girls’ Education, Says British Council
Uche Nnaike
The British Council has identified lack of knowledge, resources and, in some cases, policies as some of the barriers to the creation of inclusive schools and girl-friendly spaces.
In a recent report, ‘Challenging Barriers to Girls’ Education’ written by Bukola Oyinloye, Faith Mkwananzi and Patience Mukwambo, the council outlined the key barriers to equitable, inclusive, quality education in four key areas that influence children’s development and learning: the classroom; the school environment; households and communities; and the policy and legal environment.
The report stated that evidence from the research in Africa suggests that teachers have mixed views about the creation of inclusive classrooms.
“Most wanted to have an inclusive classroom and sought to create an inclusive atmosphere; however, some were unable to do so because their own attitudes and beliefs unconsciously reinforced gender stereotypes or because they lacked resources to enable different teaching and assessment practices,” it said.
According to the report, research evidence suggests that teachers and head teachers value the provision of inclusive school environments, but often this does not translate into practice. “Generally, teachers and head teachers were unaware of government sexual and gender-based violence guidelines and there was little training in gender mainstreaming. Budget was limited for provision such as girls’ sport and toilet facilities, while school documents rarely contained explicit gender equality statements. Teachers, head teachers and students all knew about school-related, gender-based violence, but there were limited mechanisms, such as safeguarding, in place to address it.”
The council added that research evidence revealed that girls’ schooling is constrained by a combination of intersectional challenges relating to poverty and cultural perspectives and practices, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“High poverty levels meant a lack of money for school fees, uniforms, school supplies and, in extreme cases, hunger and famine. Sometimes, girls supplemented family incomes through hawking and petty businesses. Specific to rural and semi-urban areas were cultural perceptions that girls’ education is of less value than that of boys, parental neglect and child marriages. These challenges resulted in absenteeism and lower completion rates for girls,” it said.
In terms of policies, it said findings suggest that although considered important, the creation of inclusive schools and girl-friendly spaces is hampered by a lack of knowledge, resources and, in some cases, policies.
For new policies or updates to existing policies, it said governments should provide training for school head teachers and, where possible, teachers, who can then sensitise other teachers at the school level.
“It is important that training is accompanied by adequate and relevant resources, as well as support on how best to apply these resources in a way that promotes inclusive, girl-friendly schools and classrooms. In contexts where school-level policies exist, these should be integrated with national policies, the council stated.
It also emphasised greater clarity in the way gender and education are discussed in policy documents, guidelines and documents by international development actors.
The report added that the integration of gender and education issues into school policies and codes of conduct could also help address school-related, gender-based violence, the elimination of which increases girls’ participation rates and enrolment.
