Viewing the 2009 GMR through a Gender Lens An overview of the approach to gender issues adopted in the 2009 Global Monitoring Report

The Legacy from 2007/2008 Issues put forward by UNGEI in 2007/08 included: - gender equality means girls’ rights to education, rights within the education system and rights to education throughout life -Girls are subject to more than one form of exclusion -A gender perspective should be the key organizing principle for EFA analysis

The Legacy continued……. Within the girls’ education focus a holistic and multi-sectoral approach is necessary Quality education for girls (and boys) will require favourable conditions within schools in terms of teachers and content Girls in fragile and emergency situations are especially disadvantaged Communities are a key factor in achieving positive change

The Legacy continued…… Equity will require policies of inclusion to be adopted Equity and equality must be reflected in policies, planning, programming and monitoring Civil society must play a larger part in inclusion for gender equity More attention is needed for ECCE, life skills, children’s participation and women’s literacy A comprehensive package of interventions, strengthened partnerships and coordinating mechanisms will be necessary Financing of EFA will require a gendered approach

How Far Have We Come? A Brief Overview of the GMR 2009 Overall remarkable progress with some poorer countries performing well Business as usual will not achieve goals: governments have failed to tackle inequalities, especially for girls ECCE needs to be prioritized for health and social reasons as well as for better education Average net enrolments have risen at primary level but the majority of out-of-school children are girls Equity and quality still lacking: long term realistic planning and budgeting required

Overview continued….. Literacy still not prioritized: poverty and other forms of disadvantage keep the figures low At primary level gender parity achieved in 59 of 176 countries: as many countries with disparities for boys as for girls SSA, S and W Asia and Arab states furthest behind with gender parity Inequity begins with access: low enrolment means fewer girls Girls less likely to repeat, more likely to complete in many countries Incentives have been crucial in achieving this

Overview continued…… Secondary level reveals different patterns except for SSA Gender disparities reducing in many countries At tertiary level more females than males enrolled although regions vary greatly Poverty identified as a significant factor in disparities although home and cultural factors play a part Girls continue to outperform boys in reading, language and literacy: catching up in maths but boys do better in science Globally females are over-represented in teaching at then lower levels although female teachers are an incentive for girls’ enrolment and retention

Overview: Recommendations Governments must provide incentives, help overcome cultural barriers Political will and better governance seen as key issues Education and poverty reduction need to be linked more closely Equity to be placed at the centre of policy reform Quality to be addressed through various strategies Financing of education remains problematic: development partners need to make good on their commitments

The Four Challenges of the GMR Role of Education in the Light of Global Challenges Placing Equity at the Core of Governance Reform Financing Education for All Addressing the EFA Teacher Gap

The Role of Education in the Light of Global Challenges Poor governance identified as the crucial element in limited progress Key role of education as a catalyst for change in many areas Questions over the analysis….is governance THE critical issue? Education linked to economic growth…also a problematic concept (education as a commodity – voice, choice, competition as solutions) Political leadership, increased investment, targeted interventions, incentives the key strategies identified Development aid has not fulfilled its commitments

Global Challenges and matters Arising….. Is governance an appropriate focus? What can the EFA movement do to influence this? Are there more fruitful areas for change? More money better distributed may not be the answer Need to ‘get serious’ about equity (how?) Strengthen links between poverty reduction and education: incentives, use of CBOs/NGOs Top-down model? Sufficiently gendered?

Placing Equity at the Core of Governance Reform Equity gets considerable attention (subsuming gender?): good ECCE a critical factor 12% of primary children remain out of school: poor children account for 30% to 40% of non- attenders Ethnicity, language, poverty, gender, child labour, home location key factors Large regional disparities at secondary level: SSA has only 25% of age group enrolled Increased enrolments mask quality concerns

Equity and Matters Arising Discussion not sufficiently gendered although parity gets attention Initial access a critical issue for girls Low attendance countries means low girls’ enrolments Poverty an important factor Female teachers as an incentive Effectiveness of stipends, scholarships., fee abolition etc Political and cultural will and how to create it?

Financing Education for All Many countries have increased their allocations to education: some notable exceptions Inequalities in spending reflect global inequalities Efficiency of spending is an important issue Public expenditure patterns can reinforce inequities Decentralization a mixed blessing: some good examples from S Africa, Uganda and Viet Nam

Financing continued…. GMR notes failure of donors in general to fulfil commitments Financing gap of US$7 billion is modest EFA targets are to be met Aid to education has worked better than in other sectors but wise use by recipients is patchy Still too little donor coordination and too high transaction costs for recipients Donors not ready to trust national systems sufficiently FTI has not fully delivered Need for more flexible and less ‘tied’ approaches

Financing…Matters Arising Discussion of financing not particularly gendered despite UNGEI’s request last year Most countries finance the bulk of their own education spending at basic level Targeting of spending a crucial area Rise of sectoral programs seen as positive FTI’s weakness is noted but no new modalities are proposed

Addressing the Teacher Gap Enrolments have risen impressively: quality under-emphasized Teachers as the key ingredient in quality Other facilitating factors noted (buildings, instructional time, materials etc) PTRs misleading as they mask regional variations Teacher issues such as salaries, conditions, support, deployment seen as critical

Teachers: Matters Arising Gender does not figure highly in the discussion No new strategies for getting more female role model teachers in place Focus is on additional numbers and improving quality of instruction

Some Conclusions Equity figures well in the GMR but it remains insufficiently gendered Good governance is seen as the key to unlocking many EFA problems Need to ensure that this concept is more fully gendered (Suggestions?) Favourable conditions for girls’ education are not sufficiently flagged in the GMR Communities and families insufficiently emphasized as key players Dedicated and predictable funding still needed to address the needs of all marginalized groups Fragile and emergency states still need attention