Viewing the 2009 GMR through a Gender Lens

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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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?

12. 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

13. 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?

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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