FROM HOME-MAKERS TO POLICY SHAKERS:

Ensuring equitable educational outcomes, employing quotas and mentoring to ensure young African

women are leaders for sustainable development.

Written by:• Brenda Lung’ania Wangwe

• Ifeoma-Amaka Orji• Lucy Terngu Tembe

• Zainab Kwaru Muhammad-Idris

•26th October, 2012

OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION• Introduction

• Why the policy brief?

• Education as a tool for engagement and leadership development of Girls and young women

• Current Situation

• Available policy instruments/options for engagement

• Way forward and Conclusion

INTRODUCTION The importance of engaging girls and young women in

leadership cannot be over emphasized.

Their fundamental rights has been an international goal for decades, but since the 1990s, women’s engagement and empowerment have come into sharp focus.

Several landmark conferences (ICPD, Beijing and International Day of the Girls Child etc) placed their issues at the center of development efforts.

A number of international conventions recognized women's literacy as key to empowering women's participation in decision making.

OBJECTIVES OF THE POLICY BRIEF

Explore the prevailing norms/practices that hinder African girls and young women’s educational and leadership development

Identify educational opportunities available and leadership potentials through best practice programmes and policies

Recommend innovative options through education as tools for engagement and overall leadership development

EDUCATION AS A TOOL… Brings about integration of separate entities that make up an

individual.

Focuses on the social aspect of men and women.

A sign of superiority, freedom and control for all.

In the words of an astute African leader:“To educate girls is to reduce poverty. Study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls.” —Kofi Annan, Former U.N. Secretary General

WHY FOCUS ON GIRLS/WOMEN EDUCATION?

Builds greater self-esteem and self-confidence

Heightens women’s awareness of the important role they can play in the community including civic participation and decision making

Improves health and enables them make best choices for their lives, families and communities.

Women are economically secure and more likely to be an advantage to the society.

Leads to faster economic growth

CURRENT SITUATION Patriarchal culture, socio-economic norms and political

inequalities reduces girls’ access to existing opportunities

Women not easily accepted as leaders

Gender disparities in education continue to surface with under-achievement of girls recorded

Negative consequences for the girl-child also impairs the continent’s growth and expected development.

African Govts. efforts to address these issues inadequate

CURRENT SITUATION…2 Lesotho and Botswana have achieved gender parity and

no gap in education.

In Malawi, primary school girl enrollment jumped 70% since introduction of free education in 1994 (despite AIDS pandemic)

In Niger, a group of village women’s basic numeracy skills was built and they became a national movement

The education budget of Nigeria is the lowest among most African countries

AVAILABLE POLICY INSTRUMENTS

& OPTIONS FOR ENGAGEMENT

Option 1: Strengthen implementation of an education ‘Quota System’ using bottom-up approach policy – targeting all young girls’ irrespective of their status and those with disabilities.

Option 2: Integration of formal and informal systems of education – targeting in-school and out-of-school girls through educational mentorship

1. QUOTA OPTION

Benefits: Equal representation for both men and women. Substantive equality (as opposed to formal equality)

and equal outcomes rather than equal chances. Addressing the rights of marginalized groups to

contribute to society’s development. Women's unique experiences to contribute to effective

decision making. Remove barriers that prevent women from effective

decision making in social, economic, and/or political arena.

2. MENTORSHIP OPTION

Benefits: Increased self-confidence, self-belief and self-esteem to

set and pursue goals. Greater clarity in relation to personal and professional

goals. Improved/rewarding organizational and communication

skills. A new awareness of their communities, talents and

opportunities that exist; and how effectively to get involved.

Enhanced social support networks.

CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF BOTH

OPTIONS

High political will of African countries and communities leaderships including provision of concrete policy enactments.

Application in already existing educational systems and supportive legislation to enact the options.

Open slots, like constitutional and legal reforms, to integrate or mainstream quota and mentorship into the educational system. Soon… Liberia, Malawi….

 Training and skills development crucial for both women and men, especially for men and the implementers.

CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF BOTH

OPTIONS…2 Mobilization of cultural and religious persuasions.

Strong civil society structures that promote women’s right to education.

Establish a networking structure that will ensure the girl is fully equipped for leadership.

POLICY SUPPORT The Education For All and Millennium Development

Goals (MDG) 3, which seeks to eliminate gender disparity at all levels by 2015 and beyond.

African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child -1999: Article 4: Best Interests of the Child Article 8: Freedom of Association Article 11: Education Article 13: Handicapped Children Article 15: Child Labour

CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD “We should be dedicating our efforts to brave young women,

some of whose names we will know and some we will never know, who struggle against tradition and culture and even outright hostility and sometimes violence to pursue their hopes, their God-given potential to have a life of meaning and purpose and make contributions to their families, their communities, their countries, and the world…” – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2012

And what better way for African girls than through education as a foundation for ensuring their leadership. This is in line with our recommended options.

Thank you for your attention!