Viewing EFA through the Lens of Gender Some starting points for discussion……

Overview of the GMR Equitable access for girls the prime focus: parity goals not met and equity remains elusive Patchy progress means this emphasis must remain a high priority within EFA Statistical evidence shows much variation among countries and regions: progress has been made in many places Other policy issues also present themselves: - ensuring quality - ensuring adequate finance - decentralizing control

Overview of findings ECE - still not a priority in many countries ECE provision mainly urban & NGO/CBO driven Pre-primary a common focus Opportunities tend to be for older children Financial and logistical challenges lead to quality concerns in some countries ECE remains a critical provision for girls’ access and retention

Overview of findings continued….. Gender parity at primary level achieved in 63% of countries with data available: another 12% close to parity Low rates of parity at secondary and tertiary levels Countries furthest behind have remained so Survival rates for boys and girls are virtually the same to the end of primary: in 53 countries survival rates are better for girls Girls tend to progress better in school although female repetition is more prevalent in SSA & Arab States In SSA and Arab states there are roughly the same number of countries with gaps favouring boys as with girls

Overview of findings continued….. In secondary education gender disparities are greater but more complex: boys’ underachievement a growing problem The world GPI is up from 0.91 to 0.94 but progress has been slower since Dakar compared to In LA and the Caribbean very low rates of boys’ participation in secondary Overall there has been progress towards gender parity in a majority of countries: those furthest behind remained so At tertiary level gender disparity is the norm. Many more women than men enrolled worldwide except in SSA and S & W Asia

Who has been doing what? The equity dimension Emphasis on early childhood as a key strategy for equity Targeted policies (gender, inclusion, poverty etc) essential Improvements to the supply side (satellite schools, latrines etc) Addressing geographical challenges (national picture is not uniform) Improving financial arrangements (fee-freedom etc) Reducing costs Developing partnerships with civil society Developing NFE/adult literacy Provision of essential services to complement schooling Improving teacher quality Advocacy and sensitization programs Addressing child labour challenges

Who has been doing what? The quality dimension Learning outcomes as the major proxy for quality Broadly accepted strategies regarding textbooks, time on task, teacher quality, pupil/teacher ratios etc Curriculum revision as a key strategy Improved assessment and testing Improved repetition and promotion policies Enhanced teacher quality Improved materials/text books Improved management and administration (decentralization) Enhanced non-formal provision Provision of essential services (health/hygiene etc)

Who is doing what? The financial dimension Wide range of official development assistance devoted to education – between 2% and 24% of donor budgets Average of 41% of education aid going to basic education Implications for girls’ and women’s education of low levels of financing Overall external funding for basic education decreasing Some evidence that domestic sources are increasing Wide variation in % of GDP going to education – 6% plus to less than 3% Total expenditure on education is not particularly pro- poor (i.e. targeted mainly at basic education)

More on finance…. Recent decline in ODA to education contradicts earlier donor commitments Donors concerned about the absorptive capacity of partner countries Moves towards budget support in response to concerns about SWAPs (capacity, ownership, are they pro-poor etc) Better tools needed to assess the effectiveness of ODA to education especially in terms of access and quality criteria (using the gender lens?)

Fragile States and Neglected EFA Goals Fragile states receive little attention in the GMR: gender issues in these countries are especially important Neglected EFA Goals: although NERs have improved in many countries less attention paid to adult literacy (especially for females), reduction in numbers of out-of-school children, reduced in-country disparities Life-skills education almost totally neglected

Countries still lagging behind demonstrate - Regional, ethnic and SES disparities in access Literacy rates still low Completion, drop-out and repetition rates still poor Quality indicators poor Primary NER declining Low primary GER in many countries Gender disparities in attainment

The search for solutions….. Gender ranks high in access policies but less so when quality is the focus; ‘rights to, rights within and rights through’ Capturing the quality characteristics of good education and promoting them is the way ahead Power relations a critical area

The search continued….. Gender as an organizing principle or framework likely to be the most effective strategy Gendered approaches to equity, quality and financing of education as the building blocks for change Essential to address the problem of fragile and lagging states through these principles Essential to revisit the EFA goals, especially the comparatively neglected ones of adult literacy and life skills education through the same principles Important to consider the global, regional, national and community dimensions as well as the role of DPs

EFA as a sustainable project Sustainability to be seen through four dimensions: - Political sustainability - Technical sustainability - Financial sustainability - Community sustainability

The Task of the Working Groups Using the ‘gender lens’ to examine the issue of equity, quality or financing in terms of the findings of the GMR To identify critical areas of success and areas of challenge To recommend workable strategies which will address the needs of countries furthest behind (including fragile states) while supporting those making more progress To incorporate strategies to address neglected EFA goals To consider the implications for the global, regional, national and community levels…leading to….

Strategic aim To ensure that the Working Group on EFA makes a strong commitment to Gender as an organizing principle when considering the challenges of equity, quality and adequate finance for EFA