Hendrina Doroba Executive Director Forum for African Women Educationalists

1. Influencing Change within the Education System- Forum for African Women Educationalists Experience Hendrina Doroba Executive Director Forum for African Women Educationalists

2. “The benefits of educating girls and women are well understood, but education’s role as a catalyst for promoting gender equality and empowering women is not” (ICRW: 2005).

3. Presentation Outline • FAWE • Who we are • What we do • Status of girls education in SSA • Global Education First Initiative(GEFI) • FAWE’s Gender Responsive Interventions • Key Results • Conclusion

4. Who we are? • Founded in 1992 by 5 African women ministers of education⃰⃰⃰ • Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya • 34 FAWE National Chapters • Membership; African female Ministers of education, Female University Vice Chancellors, prominent educationalists and males as associate members. *Hon. Dr Fay Chung of Zimbabwe, Hon. Simone de Comarmond of Seychelles, Hon. Paulette Missambo of Gabon, Hon. Alice Tiendrebéogo of Burkina Faso, and the late Hon. Vida Yeboa of Ghana.

5. Who we are? FAWE is the leading pan-African Non Governmental Organisation working to empower girls and women through gender-responsive education in sub-Saharan Africa. Our aim is to ensure that African girls receive equal education and life chances so that they grow into women who have the knowledge, skills and opportunity to contribute to the economic, social and democratic development of their societies.

6. What we do? FAWE demonstrates what works to improves access to education as well as quality of education, inspiring girls to stay in school and perform well. FAWE’s work is to encourage governments, international organisations and local communities to enact policies and provide positive learning environments that treat girls and boys equally. .

7. What we do? FAWE’s priorities include: • Undertaking evidence based advocacy to raise awareness and influence policy, practice and attitudes at all levels of society. • To promote a holistic approach to addressing constraints to access, retention and performance in the educational processby; developing gender-responsive models for training teachers, improving learning processes and environments, and empowering girls • Facilitating the replication and mainstreaming of FAWE’s best practices into national education systems.

8. Status of Girls Education SSA • Status of girls education in sub-Saharan Africa has improved since Joimtien 1990 and Dakar 2000 • Access • Net primary enrolment for girls increased from 54%(1999) to 74% ( 2008) • Out school girls has reduced from 25 million in 1999 to 17 million in 2000 • Success factors • Policy provisions- African Governments have enacted policies that promotes girls education, free primary education, entry policy for teenage mothers, gender in education policies, • Targeted gender responsive interventions • improvement in school infrastructures • Increased level of awareness on the importance of educating girls among community members • SSA countries have made significant progress toward gender parity e.g Benin, Guinea, Mali & Mozambique

9. Barriers to girls Education SSA • Gender biased school learning environment -hostile to girls ( limited access to water and sanitation facilities, distances to school, gender–based violence in schools) • Gender biased teaching and learning methodologies • Gaps in policy implementation- political commitment, limited resource allocation. • Poverty levels, traditional and cultural practices • Retention , performance and quality learning

10. Global Education Initiative • Launched on 26 September 2012,by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations. • A global advocacy platform at the highest level • Generate a renewed push to achieve the internationally-agreed education goals set for 2015 and get the world back on track to meeting its education commitments. • The three priorities of Education First are: • Putting every child into school • Improving the quality of learning • Fostering global citizenship

11. What can be done to create a conducive environment for Education First platform? • Putting every child into school • Lobby for leadership and commitment to action. • Improve gender disaggregated data systems. • Promote multi- dimensional approach • Strengthen public sector private partnership for education • Promote and enhance stakeholders participation in the education delivery • improving the quality of learning • Make quality education for girls and boys an international priority agenda • Allocating more resources to education with a focus on results-based financing is essential to meet the external financing gap • Consolidate and replicate bests practices in promoting quality of learning and scale up interventions such as FAWE’s GRP, COE, etc • Utilise and integrate ICT in the education process

12. FAWE’s - Innovative interventions • FAWE Centre of Excellence – A holistic approach • FAWE Gender Responsive Pedagogy ( GRP) • Tuseme youth empowerment • Comprehensive scholarship package for needy girls • Economic Empowerment of Out-of-School Girls through Technical and Vocational Education and Training

13. Key Results • COE • Transformed learning environment • Increased community support towards girls’ education • Improved access, • Improved retention • Improved academic performance • GRP • Change in teacher practices • Socialization • Increased access • Improved classroom participation by pupils, retention and performance • GRP replicated at TTC in Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda,

14. Key lessons learnt • Holistic approach • Partnership and networking • Evidence based advocacy • Female role models

15. Conclusion Lets all work together to promote the global education intuitive Education is a Human Right and everyone must be given the opportunity to learn! Various studies have shown that educating girls reduces fertility rates, reduces child and infant mortality rates, improves child nutrition and health, increases economic productivity and growth, and protects girls from abuse, exploitation and HIV/AIDS. Support the cause!

16. Thank you • tt