1. RCM (16 September 2008)
Gender issues in education: regional overview on progress, challenges and UN system response in the Asia-Pacific
Insert agency/organization names of TWG-EFA members.
Co-Chairs: UNESCO & UNICEF
Regional Thematic Working Group on Education (EFA)
16 September 2008

2. 1. “State of progress” overview
Significant progress made in gender parity in primary and secondary enrollments:
28 countries out of 48 achieved gender parity in primary education by 2005.
Primary GPI in South and West Asia improved from 0.83 to 0.92 (from 1999 to 2005)
But still many unfinished jobs:
Nearly half of the regional countries are at risk of NOT achieving parity by 2015 in secondary education, and primary completion remains to be a challenge.
Boys too: disparities to the disadvantage of boys at secondary education is growing, especially in East Asia and the Pacific.
Disparities within countries, at the sub-national level and among disadvantaged groups (such as the poor, ethnic groups, children from lower castes, working children, people with disabilities and with HIV/AIDS, and HIV/AIDS orphans, etc.), persist.
Gender disparities are compounded by other elements of social exclusion (e.g. poverty, ethnicity, language, caste, living in rural areas and urban slums, etc).
The Asia Pacific region is home for close to 60 per cent of the world’s children and is characterized by high levels of disparities across and within countries of the region. There some countries achieving near universal participation in basic education, while some others esp in South Asian continue to lag behind.
Overall, the Asia-Pacific region has made significant progress in gender parity in core EFA indicators, esp. in primary and secondary enrollment over the last decade or so. For example, at the primary level, GPI in access improved since 1999, especially in South and West Asia (GPI improved from 0.83 to 0.92). 28 countries out of 48 achieved gender parity in primary level by 2005, and 17 countries out of 47 achieved gender parity in secondary level by 2005.
However, there are also many unfinished jobs. Most regional countries are within range of achieving gender parity in primary education by 2015, but nearly half of the regional countries are at risk of not achieving parity by 2015 or 2025 at secondary education. Primary completion remains to be an ‘unfinished job’, in terms of completion and attainment rate and transition rate to secondary). South and West Asia, together with Sub-Sahara Africa, reported the lowest levels of girls’ participation with GPI 0.79 in At the tertiary level women remain at a serious disadvantage in the region overall, but particularly in South and West Asia (GPI 0.74) and slightly in East Asia (0.92).
Current trends increasingly reveal that gender disparities in the Asia-Pacific region is not only to the disadvantage of girls, but also to boys. Gender disparity in enrollment is found in the regional countries to the disadvantage of boys in East Asia, especially at the secondary level in some East Asia and Southeast Asia countries.
However, the regional and sub-regional averages mask more than reveal the underlying problems. Disparities within countries, at the sub-national level and among disadvantaged groups (such as the poor, ethnic groups, children from lower castes, working children, people with disabilities, with HIV/AIDS, or HIV/AIDS orphans, etc.) persist.
And, gender disparities are compounded by other elements of social exclusion (e.g. poverty, ethnicity, language, caste, living in rural areas, urban slums, etc).

3. Sub-national disparities
Gender parity in net enrolment ratio, secondary education
National aggregated data can hide the sub-national disparities between girls and boys.
An example from Myanmar- national data show gender parity achieved, but when sub-national data are used, clearly, gender disparity exists in both ways, to the disadvantage of girls as well as boys.
Sources: EFA GMR 2008 and MMR_ DEPT and DBEs

4. - State of Progress (Cont’d)
Adult literacy: Of the 774 million adult illiterates, 2/3 live in Asia Pacific, which has the highest female adult illiteracy rate
Central Asia: 74% of adult illiterates are women
East Asia/Pacific: 71% of adult illiterates are women
Learning achievement: disparities in subject choice and performance.
Boys tend to outperform girls in math and science while girls outperform boys in language and social science.
Female enrolment in certain fields, such as health and welfare, education and humanities and arts, is high but they are significantly underrepresented in other “masculine” fields such as engineering, manufacturing and construction and science.
Education is a feminized profession especially at the lower level.
But lack of female teachers is one major obstacle to girls’ access to education in South and West Asia
Education and school systems throughout the region are largely managed by men
Gender equality in education is more difficult to measure, as it is almost impossible to show statistically whether girls and boys are treated equally in education. Qualitative data and analysis are required, and capacity is low in this regard.
Adult illiteracy: There remains a serious gender gap in adult literacy in the Asia-Pacific region. The region is home to the largest number of adult illiterates. 2/3 of the world estimated total of 774 million adult illiterates live in Asia Pacific. Female illiterates account for over 60% in the region. By sub-regions, in Central Asia, female adult illiterates account for 74% of the total, and in East Asia/Pacific female adult illiterates account for 71% for the total adult illiterates. The share of female adult illiterates in the region as a whole has increased between and (GMR 2008)
Learning achievement: disparities in performance depending on subject areas. Boys outperform girls in math and science (e.g., Thailand, the Philippines), while girls outperform boys in language and social science (e.g., Korea, Thailand). Female enrolment in certain fields, such as health and welfare, education and humanities and arts, is high but they are significantly underrepresented in other “masculine” fields such as engineering, manufacturing and construction and science.
Education continues to be a feminized profession especially at the lower level. However, education and school systems throughout the region are largely managed by men. In the case of South and West Asia, the lack of female teachers is often found as one major obstacle to girls access to education even at primary level.
Achieving gender parity in enrolment is only one measure of achievement and by no means the end of the story.
But reporting and analysis has been weak in areas that are less quantifiable - such as learning outcomes, quality of teachers, especially of female teachers, curriculum content and learning materials and resources, acquisition of essential life skills, school to work transition, etc - , despite the fact that these are all essential in measuring the overall improvements in quality of education and for policy formulation and its strategic implementation.
Further efforts are needed to explore the wider issues of gender inequality in the regional countries, and quality issues related to education, especially as reports do reveal that gender-based discrimination remains as one of the major constraints to realizing the right to education and achieving EFA goals by 2015.

5. 2. Regional UN system response
Two regional mechanisms:
Regional Thematic Working Group on EFA:
EFA regional coordination, monitoring, and assessment
Technical support sub-group for EFA Goal 5 (gender equality): reviews national EFA MDA reports and monitors progress of EFA Goal 5 (“EFA Progress Note”)
EFA Flagship – UNGEI (lead agency UNICEF): 2 sub-regional forums in Asia-Pacific: (East Asia and Pacific & South Asia)
Regional meetings, networking (e.g., GAC regional technical workshop in Nepal June 2008)
Advocacy
Joint sessions and statements (e.g. EFA Mid-Term Policy Review, EFA Global Action Week - April 2008: ‘Closing the Gender Gap: Quality Education to Reach Marginalized Girls and Boys’ and World Day Against Child Labour)
Development of advocacy guidelines, brochure
Girl Champions campaign
Resources/studies on good practices and key issues (e.g., study on school-to-work transition in Southeast Asia, trends analysis in girls education in South Asia)
Specific UN inter-agency efforts:
“Food-for-Education” programme for girls in regional countries where girls are particularly disadvantaged (UNICEF & WFP)
The regional UN system has responded to the issues of gender in education in various ways. Currently there are two well established regional mechanism to specifically address the issue, while there are also specific inter-agency collaboration on promoting gender equality and girls education in particular through a regional programme framework.
The two regional mechanisms in the Asia- Pacific region, under which the UN agencies and partner NGOs and donor agencies have been working collectively to address gender issues in education in the region as follows:
Regional Thematic Working Group on EFA
This is the regional mechanism set up under the RCM as one of the thematic working groups focusing on education for all. The main function and contribution of the TWG-EFA are to promote and enhance EFA regional coordination, monitoring, and assessment in general, as well as serving as a technical support sub-group for EFA Goal 5 (gender equality). This technical sub-group has been responsible for collectively reviewing national EFA MDA reports and monitoring progress on EFA Goal 5.
2. EFA Flagship – UNGEI (lead agency UNICEF) The second regional mechanism is the regional group of the UN Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) which is led by UNICEF. There are two sub-regional forums in Asia-Pacific for UNGEI, one under East Asia and Pacific level and another under the South Asia level. The UNGEI regional groups have been organizing regional meetings, networking (e.g., UNGEI Global Advisory Committee meeting Regional technical workshop in Nepal June 2008)
Organizing advocacy events, such as:
Joint sessions and statements (e.g. EFA Mid-Term Policy Review, EFA Global Action Week - April 2008: ‘Closing the Gender Gap: Quality Education to Reach Marginalized Girls and Boys’ and World Day Against Child Labour)
Development of advocacy guidelines, brochure (East Asia and Pacific)
Girl Champions campaign (South Asia)
And, conducting Research and studies on good practices and key issues pertaining to gender in education in the regional countries. For example, for the recent UNGEI GAC meeting, the East Asia Pacific group carried out a study on school-to-work transition in the selected countries of Southeast Asia.
3. Other regional initiatives under specific UN inter-agency efforts include, for example, the Food-for-Education programme for girls by WFP and UNICEF in countries where girls are particularly at disadvantage in education.

6. 3. Impact of “major threats” on MDG 2 and 3 and EFA Goal 5
Rise in poverty leads parents to pull or keep girls out of school if choices need to be made on who to send to school. But in some countries, poverty may disproportionately affect boys’ education as well (e.g. Mongolia and the Philippines)
Increase in food prices may lead to poor nutrition level of girls, especially when family preference is given to boys in food sharing, decreasing their chances of schooling, or girls are kept at home as mothers need to go to work.(e.g. South and West Asia)
Girls and women are especially disadvantaged in an emergency context and at greater risk of exclusion from education and exposure to unsafe environment, sexual abuse and trafficking (e.g. the tsunami, Cyclone Nargis)
The “major threats” as defined as increasing food prices and fuel/energy, rising inflation, likely increase of unemployment, and natural disasters and emergencies situation on MDG 3 and EFA goal 5 would have serious adverse impact on the progress being made and the projection of achievements to be made in achieving gender parity and equality in education. For example,
Given the cost of education for many poor families, the rise in family poverty level due to rising inflation, unemployment, increasing food prices and fuel/energy, may lead parents to decide to pull or keep girls out of school if choices had to be made on who to send to school. But in some countries poverty may disproportionately affect boys as well (e.g. Mongolia and the Philippines) where boys’ contribution to family income generation is valued more or families dependent on their male children.
Increase in food price may also lead to poor nutrition level of children but especially girls, especially when family preference is given to boys in food sharing, decreasing their chances of accessing or continuing schooling. This is a particularly acute threat for girls in South and West Asia.
Girls and women are esp. disadvantaged in emergencies context and at greater risk of exclusion from education and exposure to unsafe environment, sexual abuse and trafficking.

7. 4. Recommendations for enhanced policy cohesiveness
Reinforce the regional commitment to EFA goal 5 and broaden the scope of MDG 2 and 3 to include achievement of gender equality in education by 2015.
MDG 2 and 3 are limited to gender parity target.
Articulate and strengthen links between gender issues in education and its impact on gender equality in society at large through:
closer coordination of gender mainstreaming efforts by TWG-EFA, TWG-GEEW and other sectoral RTWGs.
systematic cross-sectoral analysis of gender issues in education and in other socio-economic development sectors.
Promoting supportive policies and practices in other sectors to support the education goals
The TWG on EFA would like to present four recommendations for enhancing the policy cohesiveness of the regional-level UN system response to the priority issues in education from a gender perspective.
First, TWG-EFA calls for all UN agencies to reinforce their commitment to EFA goal 5 and broaden the scope and vision of MDG 3 to include achievement of gender equality in education by 2015, as both MDG 2 and 3 are limited to gender parity which is not the end of the story.
Second, to articulate and strengthen links between gender issues in education and its impact on gender equality in society at large through:
closer coordination of gender mainstreaming efforts by TWG-EFA and TWG GEEW, other sectoral RTWGs.
systematic cross-sectoral analysis of gender issues in education and in other socio-economic development sectors.
develop indicators to measure gender equality as setting quantitative goals for gender is only one aspect.

8. - for enhanced policy cohesiveness (cont’d)
Move the discussion beyond parity (especially in East, Southeast and Central Asia)
“Parity” is often seen as “equality”, e.g. “We have no gender issues” .
Reducing the gender gap or achieving gender parity in education has not automatically translated into equality between men and women.
There is a lack of indicators to measure gender equality in education (EFA Goal 5)
Mainstream and institutionalize gender throughout the education system and learning processes at all levels
School environments remain physically unsafe and gender insensitive – e.g., no separate toilets, menstruation management, safe travel, etc.
Teacher attitudes and practices, curricula and textbooks continue to be gender-biased, and fields of studies and occupational choices remain clustered by gender.
Gender responsive policy planning and budgeting in education is not institutionalized.
Third, the discussions on EFA in the region, especially in East, Southeast and Central Asia, must move beyond the concern for parity, as most countries have either achieved or close to achieving gender parity in the coming few years. In most countries, “parity” is still seen as “equality”, which has lead governments to say that “We have no gender issues”. However, reducing the gender gap or achieving gender parity in education has not automatically translated into equality between men and women, which is seen clearly from the discrepancies in the educational attainment in countries and the disparities in income level between women and men. The situation is challenged by the fact that there is a lack of appropriate indicators to measure gender equality in education (especially for measuring EFA Goal 5)
Fourthly, gender must be mainstreamed and institutionalized throughout the education system and learning processes at all levels, but this is currently not happening. Despite various efforts, school environments remain physically unsafe and gender insensitive with differential impact on boys and girls. For example, many schools still exist with no separate toilets for girls and boys. Teacher attitudes and practices, curricula and textbooks continue to be gender-biased, and fields of studies and occupational choices remain clustered by gender. Gender responsive policy planning and budgeting in education is not institutionalized.

9. Parity leading to equality in outcomes?
Gender parity in education has not always led to equality in terms of outcome in other sectors.
For example, this bar chart shows that level of gender parity in education does not necessarily results in parity in the earned income level between men and women.
Source: Human Development Report 2007/2008

10. 5. Key messages
Message 1: “Gender equality in education is a human right”
There is a need to expand the scope of MDG 2 and 3 to clearly address “gender equality to, within and through” education as a right.
The right to education must be protected and ensured in light of major threats to the MDGs, particularly for the most vulnerable populations, mainly women and girls in diverse groups.
Message 2: “Gender parity in education is necessary but not sufficient to achieve equality under EFA and MDG”
Many overt signs of enduring gender inequalities exists beyond education: e.g., salary gaps, minimal access to certain fields of study and jobs, and a lack of political representation.
Promoting gender equality in education requires altering gender socialization processes and certain learning conditions in school.
Supportive policies and practices in other sectors are needed to support education goals as education sector cannot achieve this on its own.
As basis for preparing a statement from the RCM on the subject to be fed into the High-Level Event on MDGs to be convened by the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly on 25 September 2008, the TWG-EFA would like to proposed two key messages for consideration:
Gender equality is a human right.
Education is a right of all. Then, gender equality is a pre-requisite in realizing this human right.
If every child has “a right to”, “right within” and “right through education”, then gender equality must also be realized at all these three dimensions: “gender equality to”, “gender equality within (process)”, and “gender equality through” (outcome) education.
2. “Gender parity is necessary but not sufficient to achieve equality under EFA and MDG”
There are many overt signs of enduring gender inequalities that exist beyond education, in terms of salary gaps, minimal access to certain fields of study and jobs, and a lack of political representation for example. The education sector recognizes that these concerns also needs to be taken into consideration as disparities based on sex in education are indeed compounded by other elements of social exclusion (e.g. ethnicity, language, lower caste, living in rural areas/urban slums, poverty, etc.). The TWG-EFA emphasize that gender parity in education and in other socio-economic development sectors is not enough to ensure gender equality. Promoting gender equality in education thus requires altering gender socialization processes and certain learning conditions in school, for example to have:
safe and non-discriminatory school environments;
the presence of enough female teachers to act as role models, as well as unbiased teacher training and classroom dynamics; unbiased learning content; and
less gendered choice of subjects in tertiary education
Gender mainstreaming concerns have to go beyond access and towards ensuring an inclusive and rights-based education.

11. Thank you